Lilies a great garden plant for fragrance, beauty

Lilies, with their trumpet-shaped blooms and statuesque demeanor, offer some of summer’s most sophisticated silhouettes and memorable fragrances

Of those that are perfumed, the regal, trumpet and Oriental hybrids are especially lovely. Their dense, heavy scent easily carries a block or more when wind conditions are just right. Rarely overpowering, lilies provide the perfect grace notes in settings already gifted with gorgeous flowers and intricate foliage combinations, yet needing that extra nudge to transform into the truly sublime.

Over the years I have had less-than-stellar experiences with lilies. When I wrote about lilies back in 2000, I bemoaned the heavy clay soil and poor winter drainage that transformed most of our lilies into extravagant hardy annuals that rarely stuck around for more than two consecutive summers.

Matters improved two years later, thanks to some trenching that corrected some of our lingering drainage issues. Several lily clumps have now multiplied, and a few have actually seeded into beds that are fairly distant from their original location.

Certain species, like the charming regal lily (L. regale) with its elongated purple-tinged buds and glistening white petals, have proven ideal for gardens like mine because they tolerate heavy, acidic clay soil and even light shade — perfect for those areas where our soil remains less than ideal.

Hardy lily bulbs return year after year with only the simplest maintenance. If soil conditions are right, expect to see your initial plantings increase after about the third season. Longevity brings with it larger groupings of bulbs, increased bloom size and even more fragrance. The overall effect is simply dazzling!

<b>Narrowing the field</b>

Trumpet lilies, according to author Ann Lovejoy in her wonderfully useful book “Fragrance in Bloom,” (Sasquatch Books, 1996, $14.95 paper), are complex hybrids with multiple parents. Seed-grown forms are likely to vary dramatically from their parents and each other. But named clones should all be identical to the original plant.

Fragrant and long-lived trumpets include “Black Dragon,” the “Moonlight” strain and the Olympic hybrids, which come in harmonizing shades of raspberry, peach, apricot and banana.

Hybridization breakthroughs have also produced what are being called Longiflorum-Asiatic hybrids. Asiatic hybrids, which bloom in June, are gorgeous but usually not very fragrant. But these new L-A hybrids have a lovely fragrance, a blend of raspberry and rose that’s reminiscent of their Easter lily parentage. Their thick, waxy flowers are larger and even more abundant than those of Asiatic hybrids. The L-A hybrids are perfect closer to the front of a border, reaching 2-3 1/2 feet in height. They begin to bloom in late June or early July.

Oriental hybrids are the latest to start blooming, usually beginning in early August. They are definitely the most exotic. A cross between the Korean speciosum lily and the Japanese auratum lily, Oriental lilies lend dramatic flair and intense fragrance to garden borders. Flowers are huge, often the width of your hand or more (some up to 10 inches across), with thick, waxy petals that are recurved and often spotted. Oriental lilies typically come in shades of pink, rose or white. In some, the white petals are banded in butter yellow, rose or lilac. Over time these lilies can easily reach seven or even eight feet in height, with trusses of heavy flowers, so it’s important to stake convincingly. With planning, you can have Oriental lilies in bloom clear into mid-October.

For those who prefer something a bit shorter, the miniature Oriental lilies are a fine choice for the front of a border or containers. Look for them under the trade name Nymph lilies or Fairdale lilies. Expect them to reach about two feet in height and to begin blooming a bit earlier than traditional Oriental lilies — usually sometime in July or August.

<b>Getting the most from your lilies </b>

Look for spots in your garden that are the first to dry out after a rain, and that receive at least a half-day of sunshine. Putting them on a slight slope is helpful. Amend the planting hole with equal parts compost and builder’s sand. This type of sand is gritty and coarse, making it a useful addition to heavy clay soil when used in moderation.

Try spreading an inch-thick layer of sand or gravel at the base of your planting hole. This allows the base of the bulb to rest on material that drains well, while simultaneously allowing the roots easy access to nutrient-rich soil and compost underneath.

Lilies are best planted at a depth that’s about twice the height of the bulb. Let’s say you have a bulb that’s three inches tall. You would then plant it at a depth of about six inches. But lilies have a way of maneuvering themselves into just the right position, so you don’t need to be a perfectionist about the depth if you are blessed with loamy or sandy-based soil.

Give them elbow room! A radius of about six inches should give growing stems plenty of space to spread those leaves and soak up the sunlight.

For those who garden in clay, author Lovejoy recommends foot-deep holes that have a three- to four-inch layer of builder’s sand at the bottom. Then add three to four inches of compost or aged manure, then one more inch of builder’s sand. Set the bulb in place and fill in with a mixture of compost and garden soil. Your back and shoulders may never forgive you, but your lilies will thrive!

If you want to fertilize, scratch in a complete organic floral mixture when shoots first emerge from the soil and then again about a month later.

When staking lilies, be sure to set the stake far enough from the base of the plant so that the bulb itself isn’t injured. Rebar cut to length makes for sturdy, inexpensive supports. It weathers to a nice oxidized brown, which makes it relatively unobtrusive in the landscape.

And whatever else you do, leave the bottom two-thirds of the stem when cutting lilies for bouquets. It will continue to photosynthesize and build up food storage necessary for next year’s show.



<i>Sarah Robertson is a Eugene-area writer who studied horticulture at Oregon State University and practices a "trial and error" approach to home gardening.</i>