Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Lily Family of Plants

The Lily family of plants includes asparagus, onions, garlic, chives, shallots, yams, flowering lilies of hundreds kind, yucca, daffodils, aloe, tulips and hyacinths. Most of them are characterized by underground bulbs or tubers. Many are edible and have provided nourishment for people and animals for centuries. Others have pleased man with their floral display. To some, nothing beats the first flowers of the springtime, and many of those are in the Lily Family.

Culture of lilies is quite easy. With proper soil, water, warmth and fertilizer, they will bear for most of the summer season. Most are quite adaptable to the indoor gardeners. Nursery-forced pots of bulbs provide color and cheer, even when the outside is snow-covered! How many of them do you grow?

Q. Can Stargazer lilies be grown outdoors? What kind of light? Full sun?

A. Yes, like the white Easter lily and the more common yet delightful daylilies, they can be taken outdoors after the enjoyment of the flowers indoors.

Stargazer--The Easter lily is one of the most enduring symbols for this sacred holiday, but there are many other wonderful lilies, like the Stargazer. It has more of an open shape than the Easter lily, and it is a great replacement for the Easter lily because it can be planted outside and will come back each year.

Stargazer Lilies are summer fragrant, purplish-pink blooms. They grow to 12" tall and are frost hardy. Give them 1/2 day sunlight, not full day as that is a bit too strong and intensely bright. I find that AM sun is better. Please water them in the AM also, so that the foliage dries before direct sun and does not sit wet overnight when mildew can attack.

Fertilize lightly throughout the summer and in the fall with bulb booster. The lily family consists of 80 to 90 species native to the North temperature zones. The oriental hybrids are especially known for their fragrance.

Of course it makes an excellent cut flower. Purchase when the first bud or two is puffy and showing color. Buy and sell by the cultivar name and take advantage of the grades and standards that have been established for this species.

Temperature - 60 - 65 F. Keep in cooler temperatures to promote life of flowers.

Irrigation - Give them ample moisture year around. Water deeply and less often so that the entire root ball gets moistened. I find an inch of mulch works well to keep the top feeder roots cool and moist. Pile up high all around when fall sets in and winter dormancy approaches.

Remember:

Grooming - Remove dead and yellow leaves and flowers as needed. Keep in mind that the pollen of these lilies and most others can stain your fingers and clothes.

Light - Shade at tops where flowers form.

Good photo at: http://www.colorspot.com/indoorflw/lily.html

Q. I just purchased a calla lily and was wondering how big it gets and what conditions it needs to grow.

A. You have made a wise choice. I started growing these lilies way back when I was about 13. I do not know where you live, but if you get frost in the fall and winter, you will need to dig up the bulbs and store in a cool, dry, dark spot inside until next spring. In the meantime, get the bulbs planted. Here you go!

Zantedeschia :
Flower colors are yellow, white, pink, and shades of purple and red. The foliage can have white spots on the dark leaves. Do not worry. They reach 2-3 feet tall and if grown where there is no frost, can turn into quite a bush. otherwise, they stay rather small.

Soil should be loose, but nourishing. Bear in mind that this is a swamp plant that needs to be well fed during its entire growth period. Wait until March or April before starting the plant. If weather conditions allow, it will bloom from June to August. Grow the plants with morning sun and afternoon shade or a full day of filtered sun. Water when the surface of the soil just begins to dry. Feed lightly with a 20-20-20 or similar fertilizer solution every other week. Protect from winds that could damage the foliage and blooms. Control chewing insects as needed with natural treatments.

Most calla lilies bloom in 8 to 10 weeks from planting. Some may need two years of culture to produce their first flowers. The blooms and foliage usually declines by early summer. As a flower browns, cut it off as this will force more new flowers. Once the plant has totally withered right before frost, dig up the tuber for its dormant period before it starts its whole cycle again in the spring. Shake the soil from the roots. Store the tubers in loose peat moss at about 50-55F. Propagate by dividing tubers.

Renee writes~
I have some lilies planted by the prior owner of our property. They are very vibrant in color, bright yellows, orange and almost burgundy red. The grow very tall and have to be staked as they become top heavy with all of the flowers, about 7 or 8 on each plant. When they are full grown they have almost a woody stem. Please tell me when it is the best time to plant lilies. Also, how far apart should the bulbs be and how deep should I go into the soil?

A. You can go ahead and plant these lilies right into the ground now. They need that time to have the roots grow out into the soil and get established before winter. Give them about 1/2 day sunlight, maybe a little more or less, and apply 1./2 solution plant food as a 20-20-20 every 3-4 weeks. Water well, especially if you are in an area where rain has been deficient.

Yes, some of the nice colorful lilies do tend to grow quite tall. Staking is necessary to keep the stalks from toppling onto the ground. Be sure to use a strong wooden stake and place a little bit away from the bulbs so you do not split them. Use green string tied loosely in loops, allowing space for a little give and take and expansion of the stalk. Otherwise, you could cut off the water and food up the stems.

If you are planting bulbs separately, then space them about 6" apart. You can always plant them a bit closer if you prefer the clump appearance in the garden beds. I never like to see lilies planted all in a row, spaced apart, as it looks so artificial. If you plant in curves or circles, the results when blooming will give a natural appearance which is pleasing.

Plant them about 6" deep. Shallow bulbs will produce stalks which have no underground foundation and lead to easy toppling. If they are deeper, they will have that good 6" of stem below to give support above.

Servants writes~
Do I have to look at the stalks of my lilies after the blooms are gone for the rest of the season? They are green, of course. How does one with big lily beds deal with the problem? Is it OK to deadhead them, or cut them back?

A. With the tall growth of lilies, depending upon the health and variety of the bulbs plus the current climates, they need to be trimmed back to keep order in the garden beds. Feel free to cut back the tall stalks once they have finished blooming and all side shoots are not showing new flower buds. Trim back to 3-4 feet in height, but make sure that there are a number of good healthy green leaves left behind since the plants need to make more food for storage in the bulbs during the winter to assure good flower production next year.

Diane writes~ I've been reading your question and answers regarding the planting and caring for stargazer lilies and I'd like to ask a question. I recently saw on a garden show where the narrated indicated that the pollen/seeds of the blossom can be rubbed together with other colors and planted to create a different color lily. Is this correct? Can I really take the pollen/seeds off the blossom of the lily, dry them and plant them and get the same results as a bulb plant? Also, what makes the Stargazer return every year?

A. This subject is hybridization of new flowering plants. A cross is made by taking the pollen [male] and dabbing it onto the sticky stem of another flower, called a stigma [female]. Use fresh flowers only. With luck, a seed pod will form and those seeds may be matured on the plant and pod removed before bursting for dry storage to develop further. The resulting plants will range in color between the male and female flowers. Through selection of the fittest, new hybrids are introduced on the market. Most resulting plants will look identical to one parent, thus no improvement. A new shade or coloration may result. The odds are low, but the process is fun and rewarding in itself. A lily comes back every year due to the build up of food in the underground bulb after flowering. That is why the foliage must be kept alive and healthy throughout the season so it can send additional food to the depleted bulb. Many bulbs may be killed by deep freezes in addition to diseases and insects so bulb beds must be replanted from time to time to maintain beauty.

Kelly writes~
I have quite a bit of lilies and am in the process of putting beauty bark in the surrounding area. How close can I put the bark?

A. Please allow 6" from the area where you plant the lilies or where they are already established. The sprouts will need the air and light to grow up through the soil surface and later bloom. If the bark is covering any future sprouts, they will grow crooked or even die before reaching the light.

Bobbie writes~
I need to know how to take care of peace lilies.

A. Spathiphyllums [Peace lilies] come in many varieties, from small delicate leafed plants to ones with giant elongated leaves. They can all produce white blooms. Do not let the foliage droop severely between watering on a consistent basis. Once these plants droop and then are watered, they stand back up, but because of the strain on the plant a few of the lower leaves will turn yellow and must be removed. This is due to root system damage, and as a result you will have to keep the soil moister. Try watering a peace lily thoroughly and then let the soil at the top dry out to the touch 2" deep. If no flowers appear, give plant less light. They are commonly used in homes, offices and shopping malls because they are so easy to grow and will adapt to a wide variety of conditions. They are also one of the few low light plants to bloom reliably. Remove dead and discolored leaves. Cut or pull off dead flowers. Trim edges of the leaves as needed to the shape of the leaf.

Assistance from: http://www.evergrowing.com