How to plant lilies in Spring
- How to plant Bulbs - Spring planting plants
- 6 Feb 2020
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If you can do so, Lilium should be planted on receipt in the autumn or spring. Should this not be possible, please keep them in cool, well-ventilated conditions.
Most lilies require full sun for most of the day but will take dappled shade for part of the day. A well-drained, sandy, rich soil with a bit of added humus is ideal, but heavy soil can be lightened with coarse sand or light grit. Adding a little bone meal to the soil also improves your lily growth.
Different types of lily prefer different soil types as follows:
- Asiatic lilies - Moist, well-drained, alkaline
- Longiflorum lilies – Lime tolerant
- Orienpet lilies - Fertile, moist, acid, alkaline
- Oriental lilies – Ericaceous (acid)
- Species lilies – Most soil conditions
- Trumpet lilies – Lime tolerant
Plant your lilies 17-20 cm deep and 10-20 cm apart, depending on the variety. For trumpet and oriental varieties, plant them 20-25 cm deep for extra protection from the wind when they grow.
Lilies grown in containers should be planted around 15 cm deep in John Innes Nº2 compost; oriental lilies must be planted in ericaceous compost.
You can plant the Lilium slightly tilted to avoid water getting inside.
Pack the soil well around the bulb and water freely to help the soil settle and prevent air pockets. Lilium does not usually require daily watering, but overwatering will rot the bulb, so keep it moist but not wet.
To keep your bulbs healthy, feed them with a well-balanced fertiliser, especially high in potash, during flowering and as the growth dies back. It is important to stop feeding after this time.
After blooming, leave the foliage to die back and nourish your bulbs. The lilies will rest over winter before growing again the following spring. In early spring, remove the first 10 cm of compost "if planted in pots" and replace it with fresh compost.
Lilium suitable for dappled shade:
- Martagon Album
- Henryi
- Pardalinum
Potential problems, pests and diseases:
- Botrytis: this is a fungal disease that affects the leaves. It is usually caused by excessive moisture and warm temperatures. The first sign of it is typically brown spots on the leaves. If left untreated, the whole plant can decay. Once identified, you should remove the leaves. It is also advisable to spray the leaves when dry with either a copper spray or 1 tbsp of baking soda per gallon of water. The bulb does not carry the disease, so it will not affect growth in the following years.
- Blue mould: Lilium has a high sugar content, and bruising or any injury can cause penicillin mould to form on the injured part. Although it may look undesirable, this is harmless to the bulb and can be carefully removed. You can dust the bulb with a fungicide and plant it as usual.
- Viruses: these are usually transmitted by aphids, so try to control infections with a garlic spray or insecticide.
The following is a list of details of possible viral infections;
- Mottling and flecking of the leaves;
- Reduction of plant size and height;
- Distorted growth or
- Colour breaking in flowers.
If Lilium shows a severe infection, it should be destroyed to control this immediately.
The lily beetle is becoming more of a problem. These bright red insects are easy to spot as they’re bright red. To rid your lilies of these pests, either remove them and crush them by hand or use a systemic insecticide on the plant and soil. Avoid moving infected soil to other sites, as the lily beetle larvae may then spread.