LANGFORD: Lily varieties can color an entire season

Published October 13, 2007 at midnight

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It's the perfect plant: It will upgrade any landscape, it's easy to grow and it comes back year after year.

So get out there and plant lily bulbs.

The flower is certainly prettier than the bulb, which is made up of fleshy scales like an artichoke. Some bulbs are as big as baseballs (L. giganteum), while others are only the size of marbles (L. premilaum).

If you plant different varieties wisely, you can have a succession of blooms from May to October. Many perform well in partial shade and, like all bulb plants, need reasonable drainage.

Follow directions that come with your bulbs as to planting depth. Madonna lilies require only a few inches of dirt over the bulb tops, while others need to be placed twice as deep.

Dig holes larger than necessary and mix in some compost or sphagnum peat moss to reduce the alkalinity in heavy clay soils.

If you want to get fancy, put some coarse sand under the bulbs to improve drainage. If this winter turns out to be cold, you may wish to pile some coarse mulch over your plantings after the ground is frozen.

A good covering can be made using branches left over from your Christmas tree before you discard it.

Lilies do well year after year with adequate fertilization. but don't use high-analysis foods with a lot of quick-release nitrogen.

The standard analysis of 5-10-5 used sparingly will do a good job. Well-rotted manure or compost applied as a spring and summer mulch is even better. The compost filters food down as it decays, it retains moisture and it keeps the root areas cooler during hot spells.

After your plant has bloomed next year, leave the stems on even after they start to turn yellow. Reduce the height gradually, leaving 6-12 inches until the following spring, when new shoots appear. This keeps you from pulling the stem out of the center of the bulb, which could lead to water collecting in the depression and decay.

One of the most popular kinds of lilies for our area is the tiger lily. This native of Japan and China is one of the earliest types ever cultivated. Full sun and ordinary soils will produce 4-foot-tall plants, which usually bloom in August. New varieties have the classic purple spots superimposed on backgrounds of red, cream, pink, white and yellow.

Another great variety for our region is the regal lily. It reaches heights of 3 to 6 feet and sports a crown of big, trumpet- shaped flowers blooming in June or July. The inside of the flower is white streaked with yellow, and the outside is a brownish pink.

The madonna lily, grown in many parts of the world, is known for its spectacular white flowers and great fragrance. Bloom is usually in late June or early July on 3-foot stems. Several newer varieties offer different blossom colors.

Check your local garden supply outlet while lily bulbs are still on hand. Cold snaps can occur at this time of year, but the soil is still warm enough for planting.

Dale Langford is an area garden expert.

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