Easy To Grow, and So Pretty, Lilies

By Jos Van Hage

Lilies (Lilium; Liliaceae) are one of the longest cultivated flowers  dating back 3000 years ago to the ancient Egyptian times. They were used  for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes.

The Easter lily with its large white, fragrant trumpet shaped flowers is one of the best known lilies. 

 Lilies also make beautiful cut flowers and are often used in wedding arrangements and other floral displays. Most lilies are easy to grow and there are many varieties that are hardy  enough to grow in our zone 3 climate.

They prefer a moist, well drained soil where the root system can remain cool so avoid areas where there is lots of direct midday sun, or you can mulch the area or plant a low  growing perennial to shade the plants roots. The soil has to be well drained so that the bulb does not rot but also not allowed to completely  dry out as the bulb is always growing. Lilies are grown by planting bulbs. These are now available in the garden center and can be started indoors  now and then be transplanted outside in late May giving the plant a head start.

I suggest starting them in peat pots which will make the  transplanting easier on the lily as you can plant the pot along with the  plant in it preventing root disturbance.

Plant the bulb 4-6 inches below  the soil surface. Lilies roots are contractile meaning that they are able  to pull the bulb down to the ideal level so it is better to plant the bulb 
too shallow rather than too deep. After you have planted the bulb water it  in well.

There is not a lot of maintenance required in the growing of  lilies. Most lilies have strong wiry stems and do not need staking.

After  they have finished blooming remove the finished flowers before they produce seed which takes energy away from the plant. Allow the stems and foliage to die back on their own and in late fall or early spring remove  the dead foliage trying not to disturb the bulbs.

Lilies can be left in  the ground for many years before having to be split up and divided. Dividing or transplanting is done in early September. Dig up the bulbs,  divide them, and replant them immediately.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

• Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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