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 - 60ø - 65øF. 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.

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.