Lilies and Related Plants - RHS Lily Group

spring. A note of caution when purchasing new bulbs: many commercial lily bulb
suppliers list their lily bulbs for spring planting. This is not the best time, but it may
not be possible to avoid planting then. It would, however, be wise to give these
late purchases a little extra tender loving care, at least initially.
Planting
The old adage is still true when seeking a good planting position – feet in the
shade – head in the sun. Lilies require a cool root run with good drainage, the
latter probably the single most important point to successful lily growing. A site
amongst other plants is recommended as they will provide the shade for the roots
and use the moisture from the ground. The lilies will grow above them and so be
in the sun. Dig out the site making sure not to create a sump – a hole with clay
in the bottom which will restrict drainage and thus hasten the end of many a fine
lily. Fill the hole with compost or peat (dare that word be mentioned!). Fine grit
and leaf mould are also beneficial. Never use animal manure! As I feed, I tend to
use slow release granules at planting, but a liquid tomato fertiliser, e.g. Tomarite,
during the growing period. (A word of caution – in my experience bonemeal
attracts foxes to dig up the bulbs to get at the bonemeal.) It is also advantageous to
dust or dip your bulbs in a fungicide before planting. Plant your bulbs so that there
is approximately 10 cm (4 inches in old money) between bulb tip and soil surface.
The only exception to this is L . candidum which should be planted with it’s ‘nose’
barely under the surface. Next mark the site! Lily stems just under the surface
do not take kindly to having a size nine on their heads – or indeed any other size!
Watering and Feeding
Spring, when the lily stems are just beginning to emerge, is the time lilies will
require watering and feeding and this should continue throughout the growing
period. A regular feed of a liquid fertiliser is recommended. Many lilies can grow
quite tall so may require staking, particularly if your garden is sited in a windy ‘neck
of the woods’. Hopefully your lilies will now grow happily and give wonderful
blooms and perhaps an exquisite perfume.
I do not intend to explore pollination or seed production until later in this
article. However, if your stems do develop seed capsules, after flowering, keep
only two capsules if you want seed. Producing seed uses up energy, so allowing
more than two capsules to develop could deplete the strength of your bulb. You
should aim, therefore, to direct as much of the plant’s energy, as you can, back into
the bulb for next year. This also applies when cutting flower stems. Cut only up to
one third of the stem and never cut the entire stem until it has died right down and
turned brown. Then the stem should be cut off as low as possible. Remember to
burn everything you cut off, as this helps to keep viruses at bay.
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