Lily Celebrations! – My Love Affair With Lilies

 I never saw a lily that I didn’t like! Lilies are a foundation for the flowers at the Legacy Gardens.  Easy to work with, the lilies in the gardens have been a great experience and experiment for several years. My little lily projects have given us bright blooms in many spots of a small acreage!

Surprises Among the LILIES

We first moved to this spot in late May, 2004.  There were some flowers blooming and we thought we had everything tracked.  An August morning brought a creepy looking surprise! Unidentified plants were rising out of the ground without leaves. They reminded me of aliens!  Within a few hours, we were treated to the beauty of Surprise Lilies or Naked Ladies! These ‘reverse’ plants put forth lush greenery very early in spring. This growth time is feeding the bulbs for the August blossoms. 

Because we moved in late May, the greenery had finished and gone down. We found several spots of delicate pink Surprise Lilies on the property. I moved some others to new lily beds. These were the only lilies growing on our place at that time. Surprise Lilies are not daylilies.  A dramatic cut flower alone or in a group. 

We added the rest of the lilies over the years. Now, the Surprise Lilies are joined by

• Tiger Lilies,
• Ditch Lilies,
• Stella D’ Oro yellow daylilies,
• Kwanso Lilies,
• “Wild’ Spiderwort and
• Oriental Lilies which last longer than daylilies.

Lilies Abound As If Native, But They Are Not

I especially enjoy the FREE wild ones often called Ditch Lily but officially ‘Tawny Day Lily’.  I found a delightful and informative article from the USDA Extension about these lilies. Like so many people who watch the orange lilies of early summer, I was late to the respect and admiration stage of garden life. I saw them as those dumb old orange lilies…BORING.

The common wild ditch lily is considered a weed by some and ignored by many.  Even in the old days, they were often relegated to being a screen for things like the outhouse. Yet, their spring foliage and early summer orange blooms brighten spots along roads and in gardens, lawns and parks around the planet. 

What a surprise to learn that they don’t propagate from seed!  Rather they are a sterile bloom that supports and attracts pollinators for food only.  They spread from clones and little wandering sucker roots AND most easily from sharing gardeners!  Daylilies have been part of history for centuries. When colonist gardeners and housewives wanted to share some flowers with new settlers, Ditch Lilies were easy to pass along.

My ‘collection’ began when a neighbor was cleaning out some beds. He brought a shovelful of roots and dirt across the road.  I was busy and relegated the bundle to a cardboard box for the winter, wishing it good luck.

In the spring, the lilies were thriving and trying to bloom in their cardboard box! They deserved their own home! We tilled a space in the yard, moving them in that very day!  Soon they were joined by the Stella de Oro golden daylilies who had been struggling in a container. I had my first official lily bed. The lovely yellow ‘Stella’ lilies reproduce through bulb/rhizomes and make seed pods.

Oriental Lilies Don’t Just Happen

After four seasons, the tawny flowers were joined by some Oriental lilies. These are not as easy to keep as the daylilies. They took some special ‘neglect’ in the original pots. One was a gift and the others were purchased. I left them to finish blooming, then gradually ‘go down’ through the summer. In October, the pot contents were placed in the bed as they came. I didn’t tear them up or change anything. The level of the pot contents was matched with ground level to keep them from being planted too deep. The three plants have come back faithfully.

The yellow one, Bright Pixie, had a clone in 2019.  Morovia’s white edged, purple centered blooms are a treat every summer. I can’t prove this, but it seems when we have a winter with a few very cold temperatures, the lilies kick it into gear, with stronger clones, more likely to survive future seasons.

Oriental Lilies do produce seed. Leaf propagation has been successful for some gardeners, but not for me.  Oriental Lilies add blasts of color in a cut flower bouquet.

Stargazer Oriental Lilies popular ‘good luck’ flowers and stunning in any vase!

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Tigers and Kwanso Lilies — Not What I Expected

More lilies moved into our yard!  That same neighbor gifted me another random shovel of bulbs.  I put them in some large containers until I decided where to put them.  I was expecting more Ditch Lilies

Tip for your garden — Always find some small spot for perennials.  We didn’t fix on a spot for 3-4 years. The second batch of lilies were Kwanso Lilies and Tiger Lilies. I’m embarrassed to tell that they were in survival mode and tougher than nails! No blooming, but definitely determined to live. When they were put into the ground, they really took off!

The Tiger Lilies were dramatic.  They have become larger and more dramatic each year. I found that the little black seed pods developing in the junction of leaf and stem are delightfully fertile. I could tuck them into pots over the winter and have new lily plants in the spring.  I’ve put them into the ground and kept them in containers for an extra season before planting. Both methods work as they are energetic and determined to live. I like the easy growing possibilities that make me feel like a super gardener!

New Tiger lily plants don’t bloom for 3-4 seasons from seed to ground in our area.  However, by their second season, they are producing viable seed! The seeds must be tasty to small critters because we aren’t overrun with new lily plants.  Between fertile seed and expanding clone roots, when I transplanted 3 baby lilies one year, there were 6 the next year!

When the Kwanso lilies of this group bloomed, they were a real surprise. I was expecting single Ditch Lilies! These are triple blooms!  The colors are the same, but the extra petals come together for a marvelous flower. Each flower lasts at least two days, not a typical daylily.

I decided to add my baby Tiger Lily plants to an expanded lily bed beside the established lilies. I split Ditch Lilies again along with the golden daylilies to help fill and support the slender, tender Tiger Lily stalks. They were all small and were taken over by grass and weeds during the hot, dry days of August!  

When fall and the time to till came, I felt the new lily bed had been a bad idea. Surely those little lilies had been smothered out by the pesky grass.  I told my husband to go ahead and till the spot and I would rethink a lily bed. I did suspect we could have surviving lilies scattered all over the garden area.

The next spring found the lilies right there in the old spot! They must have ducked down when the tiller ran over!  Two seasons later, they are thriving. We still fight late grass and weeds, but the lilies will win! This year I didn’t even put down the heavy layers of newspaper that I often do. The lilies are taking over as predicted.  Taking over and BLOOMING!

More Fun Moving Lilies Around

With two groups of orange lilies, Tiger Lilies and Ditch Lilies thriving, splitting some of them for a third spot became a goal.  I chose a spot near a walnut tree on the east property line. In the small spot, I planted both lilies, some of the Stella D’Oro yellow daylilies, surprise Lilies and some irises.  Mother nature added wild, little, blue Spiderwort Lilies.

When we planted small trees in an area that holds moisture, they looked too small and lonely! I split off more Ditch Dilies and golden daylilies along with irises to plant between the small tree whips! They have all thrived and bloomed every summer for four years. This year, the little trees have grown and filled out.  In 2019, that we have some amazing TALL lilies reaching for the sun between the trees. Lilies Among the LIlies Among The Trees

Not always a win!

The only lily I can’t seem to keep is the delicate Blackberry Lily.  They were so delicate at the edge of the lily bed that I lost them. A ‘lumpy’ black seed cluster brings on the name, while the flower resembles a spotted Toad Lily.  Some years, I think I see a few of the plants coming up, but they don’t last long enough to bloom. The tiny freckled blooms remind me of orchids in their delicacy. 

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Lilies Take Over!

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We are happy to have the lilies take over.  The Ditch Lilies are the first to bloom, along with the golden Stellas. Ditch Lilies are one and done, while a little water will keep the Stella D’Oro producing a few bright flowers till frost! The wild Spiderwort Lilies show off their unusual blue flowers all summer with little care. Oriental Lilies thrive with more flowers every season. Bright Pixie yellow had 24 blooms on the main plant this year!  When all of the tawny orange lilies have finished, the delicate pink Surprise Lilies pop up to give us some August beauty.

We have other flowers and trees at The Legacy Gardens, but easy, fun lilies are favorites!

Did you know that lilies are often considered as good luck charms? Their days at The Legacy Gardens have been a time of good fortune

Not So Good For Pets

My pets aren’t interested in lilies, thank goodness, because they can be particularly toxic to cats.  I have noticed that the deer don’t care for them after one spring nibble. The first year I noticed any attention from the deer, they were pretty hard on the lilies. I was irritated, but the lilies recovered. As time passes, I see a little nibbling every spring. I make- up tales about how that came to be.  

• Did the deer forget, but need only a quick reminder?
• Are they hazing the new guy by setting up a nibble session? Then having a big deer laugh at their buddy?

Your Turn

Do you have lily tales to share?  Please tell me about your lilies in the comments.

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