SPOTLIGHT ON LILIES
Tamsin reveals nine varieties that are great for borders
In the depths of winter, it’s all too easy to forget about summer bulbs, but you will never regret planting them. They are an investment for the warmer months to come, and none more so than lilies.
Amongst the most popular summer bulbs, lilies are flamboyant yet elegant, offering drama, scent and vibrant colour. Easy to grow in the border, they do equally well in pots, and make fantastic cut flowers. Plant now and you will be rewarded with weeks of colour – from June right through to September, depending on the varieties you choose.
It doesn’t matter how much available space you have, as lilies come in all sizes. You can go for the dwarf varieties at 1-2ft (30-60cm) tall, Asiatics that range from 2ft (60cm) to 4ft (1.2m), or Orientals at 3-5ft (90cm-11⁄2m). Then there are the whopping tree lilies, which will tower over any garden at 61⁄2-8ft (2-21⁄2m) tall.
The two major groups are the Asiatics – hardy and easy to grow, with small flowers and no scent – and the Orientals, which have a strong scent and large flowers, but need acid soil. Within these groups, there are many different types – trumpet-shaped, double-flowered, early flowering, late flowering, short, tall and just about everything in between.
Other options include the graceful martagon lilies, with petals that curve back on themselves; species lilies, which tend to have smaller flowers but plenty of them; plus, the new series of Roselilies. These have no staining pollen, making them ideal for cutting and displaying indoors.
It’s safe to say that, no matter what colour, shape or size you’re looking for, you will find the perfect lily for you. And it’s definitely worth planting a good number of them, as they make excellent cut flowers, with a vase life of up to two weeks. Just don’t bring a lily indoors if it has a very intense fragrance – something that smells heady outside may well be overwhelming within an enclosed space. Instead, opt for one of the many varieties with a light scent.
Once you have chosen your lilies, the secret to keeping them happy and healthy is ensuring they have good drainage – the plants hate to be waterlogged. Plant in well-drained soil in the border, let the stems die down to feed the bulbs and they’ll come back year after year, giving you masses of colour for very little effort.