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Beautiful, Easy to Grow, Make the Lily a Garden Favourite

By Jos Van Hage

A flower with a lot of history is the Lily (Lilium; Liliaceae). Dating back to the beginning of time, the white lily was used for thousands of years as a household pharmacy as well as in the use of cosmetics. In today’s time Lilies are very popular in floral arrangements because of their shape, and wide range of color and can be found in many bridal arrangements. They are also beautiful grown in the flower garden as part of the landscape, and grow very well in our Prince George region. Many varieties are hardy enough to withstand our zone 3 winters and can be left in the ground for a number of years before having to be dug up and divided and transplanted.

There are many different varieties of lilies that have been divided into different categories. Some are known for their excellence as cut flowers, others as beautiful garden plants and others are perfect for container growing. The six major groups are ‘Oriental Lilies’, ‘Asiatic Lilies’, ‘Tiger Lily’, ‘Trumpet Lily’, ‘Pot Lily’, and ‘Double Lily’. 

The largest group is the ‘Oriental Lily’ group which contains some of the most beautiful and fragrant hybrids. This group prefers a well-drained soil and a sunny sheltered position. Oriental lilies bloom from mid to late summer and grow 36-46 inches tall. The ‘Asiatic Lilies’ are hybrids from Asian species and they are the first to bloom in early summer. They grow 32-44 inches tall and each stem contains a minimum of 10 flowers that come in a wide range of color. 

The easiest type of lily to grow is the ‘Tiger Lily’ and these are known for their bright colored flowers that are speckled with dark spots. Plants grow 40-46 inches tall and each stem has up to 20 flowers per stem. 

‘Trumpet Lilies’ are the types that are grown in the back of the garden as these grow 36 inches tall. The fragrant flowers can be seen blooming around mid to late summer and one of the most popular trumpet lilies is the Easter Lily. An excellent container lily is the ‘Pot Lily’ as these are genetically short (14-20 inches) making them perfect growing in pots on the deck. The ‘Double lily’ is a new group and these have beautiful double flowers making them standout from the other lilies. They bloom around early to mid summer and grow 26 to 30 inches tall.

Lilies are propagated by planting bulbs which are now available in the garden center. It is important to start with a large, firm, healthy bulb that is undamaged and plant it as early as possible. They can be planted directly outside in early May when you can get a shovel in the ground or started earlier inside planted in peat pots which are later transplanted outside giving them an early start. Lilies need a rich soil which is well drained so that they do not rot. They also need moisture and hate to go dry. Plant them in a sunny location but they do like cool roots and warm stems so covering them with some extra mulch is beneficial. 

After lilies have finished blooming, the old flowers should be removed before they set seed which takes away important energy from the bulb. Lilies are left in the ground for several years and are dug up and divided when the bulbs have become overcrowded and you can see the flowers are smaller than before. Dig up and divide the bulbs in mid-September and replant them right away.

Lilies are a beautiful, inexpensive, easy to grow plant that are a must for any garden.

-Jos 


Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:
-Highway 97 South at the old Cariboo Highway
-Highway 97 north
-Highway 16 West




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