Plant Lilies For Spring Flowers

Never before have so many beautiful lilies been available for our gardens. You owe it to the future of your garden to plant a selection of lilies, either this fall or early next spring. Bulbs will become available in a few weeks now - late September and October, and they can be had again next spring. The earlier you place your order, the better will be your bulbs.

In the hot, arid parts of Mid-America, lilies need to be planted with protection from drying winds, and hot, mid-day sun. In areas where the sun is not so burning, filtered sunlight or semi-shade may bring out the more delicate flower colors, but much shade will tend to make weak stems and soft flowers. Do not plant lilies near a house wall, walk or drive that may reflect scorching sunlight.

1. Lily bulbs are shipped in sealed, moisture retentive polyethylene bags. Do not open these bags until you are ready to plant. Lily bulbs are never dormant - plant as soon after their arrival as possible.

2. Top size bulbs of different lily species and varieties vary. A bulb of the regale lily appears as a giant next to that of the coral lily. Madonna lily bulbs are covered with not more than one inch of settled soil. All others need not more than four inches of soil over them.

3. Proper drainage is paramount. Never plant in heavy, soggy soil - or soil that has previously failed to grow lilies. A gentle slope may be your answer in supplying good drainage - or a raised bed may be necessary for a slow draining, tight, “gummy” soil. This bed can be made light with the generous addition of sand, peat moss, compost and leaf mold.

4. In a planting of three regale lilies, an 18-inch hole was dug and compost added and firmed down to a depth of 12 inches. A half inch layer of sand was put on top of this, and the bulbs were planted. They were then covered with a humusy mixture of garden loam and peat moss. Peat moss, being slightly acid, provides an ideal medium for the stem roots to feed on.

5. After covering the newly planted lilies, mark the spot with a sturdy stake. Otherwise, you may forget where they were planted, and damage them in early spring garden work. Lilies are heavy feeders and a good mulch of decaying leaf mold, rich compost or well-rotted cow manure applied several times each year will keep them in top growing condition.

by E McDonald

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