Planning ahead: Consider the lilies
Summer is almost over, but it’s not too soon to begin planning next summer’s garden.
Many bulbs flowering in late spring and summer should be planted this fall and winter: they are available at nurseries and online right now. This article highlights three varieties of lilies which can enliven your garden with a succession of blooms from late spring into early fall when planted together. These lilies are hardy and longlived, require low to moderate water and little in the way of maintenance except for deadheading.
Daylily: ‘Stella de Oro’
Often the first to bloomis the Stella de Oro daylily, a variety in the genus Hemerocallis.
The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words for day (hemera) and beauty ( kallos) while ‘Stella de Oro’ translates as “star of gold,” combining the Italian word for star with the Spanish word for gold.
Stella de Oro is a deciduous perennial with two- to threeinch scented trumpet-shaped gold-yellow flowers. The foliage is also attractive, forming a dense clump that can function as a ground cover. It requires sun to light shade, low to medium water, and welldrained soil. It is valued as a compact plant and an early bloomer, reaching a height of just one to two feet with a
similar spread. In fact, its ability to rebloom over a long period and its adaptability to a wide range of planting zones and conditions make it perhaps the most popular of the daylilies. It blooms from May through July and sometimes into the fall, flowering most profusely if the spent blossoms are deadheaded. Pinch or cut the flower stem (with ovary) with your thumb and index
finger or snap the flower stem off the scape in a quick, downward motion. Deadhead the flowers every third day, finally removing the stems when flowering has finished. Divide by splitting apart in fall or early spring.
‘Stella de Oro’, and daylilies in general, are often grown in borders and massed in beds.
They are rabbit-proof and deer-resistant. You can cut the flowers to bring inside, add themto salads for a peppery flavor, or leave them to attract butterflies.
Lily of the Nile: ‘Storm Cloud’
The Lily of the Nile genus ‘Agapanthus’ derives from the Greek words for love or friendship (agape) and flower (anthos). Agapanthus africanus Storm Cloud agapanthus is a low-maintenance perennial that can be deciduous or evergreen, depending upon weather conditions. The plants are two to three feet wide with abundant dark green, glossy, strap-shaped leaves. In late June the large umbels (clusters) of deep blue, trumpetshaped flowers rise far above the foliage on strong threeto four-foot stems and persist through August. Plant in full sun or part shade and provide moderate water. Storm Cloud can survive a pretty brutal drought, perhaps looking a bit shabby but recovering nicely. It is hardy to 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit.