By Bonnie-Marie Hibbs.
Liliums are the ideal bulb to be planting in winter, for an abundance of colour to come in the summer months. These flowering beauties only require minimum watering in humus-rich soil with a good layer of mulch in the summer. When planting make sure to add composted manure to your soil to give your Liliums the best head start.
Depending on the variety you can achieve up to 4 months of stunning flowers to enjoy. … So, what is the best Lilium for your garden?
DOUBLE LILIUM
Are a stunning selection of new cultivated Liliums which all thrive in Australian conditions. They have fully double blooms which are guaranteed to give you pleasure and a lovely strong fragrance to delight the senses. Double Liliums have been selected for their garden performance and long vase life, making them a great cut flower. These flowers are hypoallergenic as they are pollen-free but they can also be the perfect bunch of flowers for a bride to be.
ORIENTAL X TRUMPET LILIUMS
These are the kings of the Lilium world with vigorous strong stems and large flowers! Growing between 1.5 – 2 metres tall, it might be surprising to know that they generally do not require staking. But their sheer strength is not their biggest asset… They have a wonderful perfume and a very high bud count. With second-year bulbs producing up to 25 flower buds per stem! This is why they are the Kings of the Lilium.
ORIENTAL LILIUM
These are the timeless beauties that many home gardeners have fallen in love with. Oriental Liliums typically have single petaled blooms which range in pastel decorative colours. Their large trumpet flowers sit proudly atop of their long, strong stems from late December through to March. Thus, making them the perfect cut flower. The secret to growing Oriental Liliums is that they like to be grown in dappled light, protecting them from the hot summer sun.
TIGER LILIUM
These fierce warriors of the Lilium world have excited many gardeners and horticulturist with their unusual and unique colour patterns. Flowers emerge on mass along the strong stems which provide you with a display from every angle. The flowers typically sit downward facing with some varieties being side facing. A selection of Tiger Liliums have a fragrance but many are sort after for their vibrant ornate blooms.
TRUE TRUMPET LILIUMS
These will entice you with their intoxicating fragrance and their garden performance. They are extremely hardy, vigorous growers and will produce masses of flower for you to enjoy. New to the range this year are two stunning varieties. Firstly…Black Charm is an early blooming form with flowers appearing in early November. The large ink-black coloured blooms are decorated with their orange/golden stamens. Lastly…. Is Night Ryder! This is the blackest of blacks with its stunning jet-black blooms and stamens.
TANGO LILIUMS
Just like the dance, it takes two to tango!
Will lure you with their brightly contrasting blooms and intertwined colour pallet. The flowers are mostly two-toned with some varieties featuring decorative spotting and fragrance. The tango class of Liliums typically have smaller flowers but don’t let that put you off as they have a high bud count. Tango Liliums are unique for their larger clusters of flowers on long individual stems giving the appearance of a dome of blooms. These vibrant flowers are the perfect feature to be dancing cheek to cheek in the garden.