Cultivation

Turk’s cap lilies need a cool period of dormancy. They like a lightly shaded position and good soil that does not lie wet in winter. However, they do not do well on very dry soil. They will grow in neutral soil and in mildly acidic soil, but not in highly acidic soil or in very alkaline soil.

If you plan to naturalise Lilium martagon, it’s best to plant just one bulb as a trial in order to find out if they like your garden. Bulbs are expensive, costing on average £6 each, which is understandable given that it takes several years to produce bulbs of flowering-sized.

When seeds of L. martagon fall naturally they germinate in the first year but stay underground, a process known as delayed hypogeal germination. The following year, after a period of vernalisation (cold weather), the tiny bulblets produce one leaf. Whorls of leaf appear from the third, fourth or fifth year.

If you collect the seeds and place them in a bag with moist compost, you can keep them in the warm for three months and then place them in a refrigerator for three months. If you do this twice you will shorten one year’s natural cycle down to six months.

The pure-white form of L. martagon, which is beguiling in evening light, almost always comes true from seed. Hybrid martagons (and other Turk’s cap hybrids), on the other hand, produce seedlings that are unlikely to resemble the parent. To ensure plants remain true, propagate by scaling or division only.

Scaling involves removing some of the outer scales from a plump bulb. The best scales are triangular, not long and narrow. Dry the scales for 24 hours, out of direct sunlight, and then place them in a clean polythene bag with either peat moss or vermiculite, both of which should be just moist. Seal the bag, leaving plenty of air inside, and place in a dark drawer for 12 weeks. After this the new bulbs will have formed and they can be potted up. Do not separate them from the original scales.

Dividing a clump of lilies is best done after flowering has finished.