Designing with Lilies

Flower arranging can be defined very simply as designing with plant material. It is an art form in many respects and combines the following attributes: beauty, harmony, distinction and expression. Using the lily commands attention when it is used in a flower design - it is dramatic and bold.

Flower arranging can be divided into two types: traditional and creative. Traditional includes Oriental, European and traditional American. The Oriental designs use restraint with the amount of plant materials selected, and places emphasis on line material that cause the eye to flow through the design.

European designs were typically mass arrangements and include Classical Greek, Italian Renaissance, Dutch and Flemish, French, Georgian and Victorian. The influence from these various styles form the basis for American design beginning with the Colonial period up to the early twentieth century.

According to The Handbook for Flower Shows, published by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc., traditional designs today generally have the following characteristics:

1. Traditional containers used with available garden flowers.
2. Plant materials radiate upward out of the container the way a plant grows from the ground.
3. There are set patterns of specific geometric forms such as the triangle, crescent, etc., in overall design.
4. There is one focal area or center of interest near the rim of the container and no crossed lines.
5. Depth, which increases balance and rhythm, is achieved by overlapping forms, placing some plant material in the back of the design.
6. There is a graduation of colour and size of plant material (smaller flowers at the top, larger ones lower).
7. The colour harmonies can be monochromatic, analogous or contrasting.
8. Artistic concept is expressed through the selection of colour, texture, line, form of plant materials and other component.

There are three basic traditional types of designs: traditional line design, traditional line-mass and traditional mass.

Line design reflects the influence of the Orient, being clean-cut and composed primarly of line material. There is the minimum of flowers and foliage used to create an open form that silhouette the blooms

Line-mass design results from the combination of Oriental Line design and the Mass design of Europe. The line remains important with the addition of more massing of plant material which creates greater depth.

The following designs may be either Line or Line Mass depending upon the amount of plant material used: crescent, horizontal, the S-curve or Hogarth, asymmetrical triangle and zig-zag which contains two or more sharp angles.

The Mass designs are usually triangular, oval, circular or fan-shaped. More plant material is required than in either of the Line or Line-mass designs. The entire form is well filled but not crowded, There is a gradual change from strong colours and large sizes at the focal area to the lighter colours and smaller sizes at the top and outer edges. These designs are almost always symmetrically balanced and formal in mood.

In Traditional flower arranging, the container should blend with the plant material and not compete with the design. Containers with a dull, matte finish in earth tones are most useful for the beginner. Select containers that will hold water and have good balance and weight. A base should be used only when it serves a specific purpose such as providing visual stability or aid the rhythmic flow of the design. A base might be a bamboo mat, piece of decorative wood or material that unites the flow of the arrangement.

Most containers will require some means besides the simple opening, to hold the plant material in position. Mechanics are best described as devices used to control plant material in a container and they must be clean, neat and unobtrusive. It is helpful to have a container such as fishing tackle box to organize such items as floral tape, flower tubes, wire, scissors, blocks of oasis and pinholders. Buy good solid pinholders with sharp needles as they are one of the most useful item in floral design.

Creative designs while it breaks away from the rules of the traditional designs and may have some abstract qualities they are directly inspired by the earlier art forms. The chief difference is flower arrangers include plant material in their adaptations and must possibly modify their work with the special requirements of the flower show in mind.

Creative designs have few rules and no set patterns. Designs are usually bold in colour, form and size. If a container is used - and it may not be - it is not required that it be subordinate to the plant material.

Protect your new Lily shoots from Ants and Slugs

Helen Gilchrist has found that a liberal sprinkling of baking powder rid the ants from her lily seedlings. Try rosemary on slugs and caster bean to keep the gophers away. A mixture (50/50) of talcum powder and ground hot pepper keeps rabbits out of gardens.

For Slugs - Spray with the same fungicide used for botrytis - a copper spray is excellent for this job. Your lilies will benefit from a side dressing of sulphate of ammonia now, and super- phosphate when they are about one foot high or in early bud. This information came from the Waikato Lily Society Inc.

Its great fun and the surprise of what you can produce is worth the effort and wait for that first bloom.

The following article by Fred Fellner and Alex Burnett will get you started.

1. Select the SEED parent ... the bud should be just ready to open. Peel back the petals gently and remove the anthers. The pollen can be saved for future pollinations. (Some lily hybridizers now cover the stigma with aluminum foil to prevent stray pollen from contaminating the SEED parent.)

2. If pollen still covers the POLLEN Parent anthers, use tweezers to hold the anther and generously cover the stigma of the POD parent. You may also spread the pollen with a pipe cleaner or cotton swab?then discard.

3. Cover the pollinated stigma with a cap of aluminum foil.

4. Label the cross with an indelible or waterproof marking pen. Note the SEED parent is always first crossed with the POLLEN parent.

5. Mark the cross in your record book.

6. There are many methods of labeling your cross using card or plastic tags with string ties or plastic tags with the opening twisted on the pedicel. One easy and positive method is to record the information an MASKING TAPE and fold the masking tape over the pedicel.

It is possible to do your hybridizing in the garden but it is impossible to control the bad effects of the weather or to ensure pod ripening before the fall frosts.

A Greenhouse eliminates most of the weather variables and permits very high temperatures for successful hybridizing. Lily experts have found their best seed results from crossing polyploids when the temperatures are higher than 100 degrees F for a few days before and after the pollination. Normal Asiatic lilies cross at 70 degrees and higher.

(Reprinted from Lily Hybridizing- Why & Who--- by Fred Fellner and Alex Burnett, Vermilion, Alberta)

1. Obtain in Fall (if possible) plump, healthy bulbs of good varieties from a reliable dealer.

2. Plant the bulbs immediately in a well-drained site. If drainage is poor and cannot be easily improved, plant in raised beds. This is Nature's way of growing lilies in swampy areas; the best bulbs being found on hummocks where they keep their feet dry. Lily bulbs, except L. candidum, should be planted in a hole or trench whose depth is about three times the length of the bulb. Candidum lilies like shallow planting and should never have over an inch of soil over the top of the bulb. Nearly all lilies will thrive in full sun or in part shade.

3. Protect the root run from high soil temperatures with a light mulch, or with low-growing companion plants. In Nature, most lilies are found in association with low-growing shrubby bushes, or with various perennial plants. They do, however, get their heads up into the sun.

4. Lilies are heavy feeders so fertilize just as you would for vegetables. A complete fertilizer, applied as soon as the plants emerge, is good. Better yet, apply phosphate at planting time, nitrogen during early stages of top growth, and sulfate of potash just before flowering.

5. In areas where heavy frost may be expected after the lilies have developed their foliage, planting near large trees or shrubs will give some frost protection. In extreme cases, any sort of overhead cover is quite effective. It is not usually necessary to cover the sides, since the principal involved is reflection of ground heat.

6. Most modern hybrid lilies have been bred and selected for resistance to disease. It is rarely necessary to take any control measures other than ordinary sanitation. It is a good idea to remove all old stems and foliage in the fall and destroy them. Lilies are almost insect-proof, and only a few species of aphids will sometimes attack them. In this case, the use of a good aphicide is in order. A standard rose spray can be used for this purpose. Botrytis leaf spot is not likely to become a problem, except in very humid areas. It may be controlled by spraying with fungicide.

7. Remove old flowers as they become unattractive and do not allow seed pods to form. This will allow the plant to achieve the maximum bulb development and assure next year's flower crop. If it is desired to cut flowers and you wish the plants to retain their vigor, DO NOT remove more than one-third of the foliage.

8. Lilies like rather moist, but not soggy, conditions. Watering should be continued after flowering as long as the foliage remains green.

9. Lilies like to stay put. Do not transplant until they are crowded. When transplanting, dig, divide and replant at once. In cold areas, late September or early October is the best times to dig lilies. In mild areas, the transplanting season may be continued until sprouting occurs. Candidum lilies should only be transplanted during their summer dormant season.

10. Enjoy your lilies and encourage others to grow them.

It seems that we spent the summer chasing after L. philadelphicum var. andinum ( Western Wood Lily or Prairie Lily). We did find it in abundance on the edge of an alkaline bog that covered an area of five acres. They had been likely growing in this alkaline bog long before the surrounding area was broken into farms. It was a distance from a road and the short tuff grass around in the area is not palatable to animals. The area had never been cultivated.

During our first visit we enjoyed the sight of the mature stocks often with three to five flowers on a stem. We also found many old seed pods with what turned out to be fertile seed in their base. It was also noted that there were many non-flowering slender stems with no flower development. We made a second visit a week later to take pictures and to tie a few nylon socks around the heads to collect seed. All was as glorious as the first visit. In September we made our last visit to collect the seed we expected to find in the socks and to make a test plot so we can record individual plants and make long term observation. We are particularly interested in how many flowering plants survived to produce seed pods and what happens to those that did not produce seed pods. We shall also try to determine if plants that flowered this year will flower next year.

We shall never cover pods again as the fertility of these pods was not near as good as their uncovered neighbours. Generally the seeds seemed to be very fertile. One pod contained 350 fertile seeds. The flowers that we observed had a very high rate of reproduction success as measured by production of mature pods.

A mature bulb was studied by digging carefully down to expose the bulb but leave the stem and bulb scales in tact. The bulb was composed of small detached bulb scales. The whole mass reminding one of a sticky rice ball. Lawrence and Leighton in their study on the lily populations found that the bulbs were about 5 cm below the surface. "Lily bulbs often have an older portion from which the base of the current flower stalk arises and a newer portion from which the next stalk will grow. The scales consist of two parts ( joined scales) and both parts can grow a new plant. Joined scales are particularly important in vegetable reproduction, as the top part detaches readily with minimal disturbance."

The second sighting was even closer to our urban home. The neighbourhood school ground has been planted with wildflowers in the most tasteful manner. Last year we did note a few L. philadelphicum var. andinum in the border. It was not expected that they would survive but there they were with a few more areas producing what appeared to be mature plants. We have followed them throughout the summer and they set seed. Al Bodnarchuk was the designer and supplier of these plants. He stated that he has found that it takes five years for these plants to flower and establish themselves. He said that he has planted over one hundred of these plants in the school border, however I only saw five groups of these plants during the summer. He has had reasonable success in his yard in getting L. philadelphicum to reproduce naturally and in fact spread to a complete different section of his garden.

Mr. Bodnarchuk generously shared how he successfully grows these lilies from seed and was willing to allow me to share this information with our members. Since you are now able to buy this seed at roadside craft shops why not give it a try?

Mr. Bodnarchuk fills a small plastic zip-top bag with vermiculite which has been damped with water (to 1 liter of water add 16 drops food grade hydrogen peroxide).He wets the vermiculite thoroughly and squeezes out the excess moisture. He places the seed in the bag and places it in a warm location for a month. Then he very carefully pots up the seedlings and seed. The pots are placed in a cool bright area usually during the months from February to April. He is then able to place the plants in his greenhouse. He stated that he often leaves the seedlings in pots which can either be covered with mulch outside over winter or placed in the protection of his greenhouse for the first three years.

When he does plant these seedlings in his wildflower beds he tucks them in among their companion plants as in the wild. Once the seedlings are planted he does not turn the soil in that area but allows the companion plants to grow around as protection.

He does not use herbicides nor fertilizers as they change the ecology of the soil and relationship of insects and plants.

*Food grade hyrogen peroxide can be bought at a health food outlet.*

1. Lawence, B & Leighton, A, Blue Jay; "Where Have All the Lilies Gone": "A Population Study", December 1996, pp 201-02.

1) Exposed bulb with intact lily stalk

2) Same bulb with soil removed. (Anna Leighton)

Prairie lily (Lilium philadelphicum) From :Enhancement of the seed germination of herbs and medicinal plants for Sask. ADF-94000078.Sask Agriculture & Food,October 1996. Research by Yong-ping Gao & Lawrence V. Austa, Crop Development Centre,Uof S.

Prairie lily seeds are relatively small in size (approximately 800 - 900 seeds in one gram). Seedling emergence rate was 26% from seeds sown at 0.5 cm, whereas no seedlings emergence occurred from the seeds sown at 1.5-2.0 cm.

1) Effects of sowing depth on seedling emergence of prairie lily. Approximately 47% of the seeds germinated at an alternating temperature of 20/10 C compared to only 26% and 21% at a constant 20C or 10C, A 14hr photoperiod has a positive effect on seed germination.

By Charlie Nardozzi

After working with home gardeners for more than 10 years, I know that they love to use home remedies on their plants. From setting out beer traps for slugs to hanging bars of soap to repel deer, if the household product seems to work, gardeners try it. That's why I was intrigued by the often-mentioned idea of using Epsom salts as a fertilizer. Gardeners apply it to tomatoes, peppers, and roses, hoping to produce more flowers, greener plants, and higher yields. You can use it to improve magnesium content if you know you have a soil that's deficient in that element, but home gardeners are most likely to apply Epsom salts to peppers, tomatoes, and roses. I wanted to find out if it really works and learn the best ways to apply it for best growth, so last summer I asked some of our test gardeners (home gardeners who test seeds and products for National Gardening magazine) to test Epsom salts' effects on plant growth and vigor by applying it to pepper plants and roses. Then I talked to researchers about using the salts as fertilizer. Here's what I found out.

The History and Science of Epsom Salts This natural mineral, discovered in the well water of Epsom, England, has been used for hundreds of years, not only to fertilize plants but to treat a range of human and animal ailments. Who hasn't soaked sore feet in it at least once? Chemically, Epsom salts is hydrated magnesium sulfate (about 10 percent magnesium and 13 percent sulfur). Magnesium is critical for seed germination and the production of chlorophyll, fruit, and nuts. Magnesium helps strengthen cell walls and improves plants' uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Sulfur, a key element in plant growth, is critical to production of vitamins, amino acids (therefore protein), and enzymes. It's also the compound that gives vegetables such as broccoli and onions their flavors. Sulfur is seldom deficient in garden soils in North America because acid rain and commonly used animal manures contain sulfur, as do chemical fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate.

The causes and effects of magnesium deficiencies vary. Vegetables such as beans, peas, lettuce, and spinach can grow and produce good yields in soils with low magnesium levels, but plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and roses need high doses of magnesium for optimal growth. However, plants may not show the effects of magnesium deficiency until it's severe. Some common deficiency symptoms are yellowing of the leaves between the veins, leaf curling, stunted growth, and lack of sweetness in the fruit.
Magnesium tends to be lacking in old, weathered soils with low pH, notably in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest. Soils with a pH above 7 and soils high in calcium and potassium also generally have low magnesium levels. Calcium and potassium compete with magnesium for uptake by plant roots, and magnesium often loses. Sometimes, a soil test will show adequate magnesium levels in soil, but a plant grown in that soil may still be deficient because of that competition.

Gardeners add magnesium when they apply dolomitic lime to raise the soil's pH. However, this product (46 percent calcium carbonate, 38 percent magnesium carbonate) breaks down slowly, and the calcium can interfere with magnesium uptake. For soils with a pH above 7, many gardeners use Sul-Po-Mag (22 percent sulfur, 22 percent potassium, 11 percent magnesium) to increase magnesium. Although dolomitic lime and Sul-Po-Mag are inexpensive ways to add magnesium, Epsom salts' advantage over them is its high solubility.

When diluted with water, and especially when applied as a foliar spray, Epsom salts can be taken up quickly by plants. Epsom salts' magnesium content, high solubility, and ease of application as a foliar spray are the main reasons for the positive results many gardeners see in their plants.

What Our Testers Found

To get a first-hand look at the effectiveness of Epsom salts in the garden, we asked six of our testers (in California, Colorado, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee) to try Epsom salts on peppers and roses. Testers each grew six 'Gypsy' peppers. They applied 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts mixed with a gallon of water as a foliar spray to three plants at bloom time and again 10 days later. They also selected two established rose bushes of the same variety and sprayed the same amount of Epsom salts mixed with water to one bush every 6 weeks, starting when leaves came out and continuing through the summer (about 4 applications). We asked them to record the number of pepper fruits and rose blooms, and to note any differences they saw.

Four out of the six testers reported that the Epsom salts-treated pepper plants and fruits were larger than the controls. For the treated roses, testers reported greener foliage, bushier plants, and more roses than on the control plants.

Kathy Stone Downie of Alameda, California, noticed many differences in her treated 'Gypsy' peppers. "The fruits were much bigger, almost twice the size. They were juicier, sweeter, and triple the thickness of the untreated peppers." Tommy Owen, in Rogersville, Tennessee, said that his treated roses had greener foliage and bigger flowers with deeper colors.

Recent Studies of Epsom Salts

Scientists are beginning to test its use. Although many studies confirm that magnesium sulfate is a good way to supply magnesium and sulfur to soils deficient in those elements, little research has been done on the use of Epsom salts as a supplemental fertilizer on soils with adequate levels of these nutrients.

Renee Schloupt, horticulturist at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is testing peppers and tomatoes grown in a greenhouse environment under drought and nondrought conditions. She's comparing control plants with those watered with applications of 1, 2, and 3 tablespoons of Epsom salts mixed with 1 gallon of water and applied at planting, flowering, and fruit set. So far, she has not seen any measurable evidence of growth or yield differences in the treated tomatoes or peppers. "The peppers have greener leaves, and it seems the 1- and 2-tablespoon doses yield a better result than the 3-tablespoon dose, but I haven't seen any dramatic effects on yields so far," she says. "The magnesium in the Epsom salts applied to the soil could be getting tied up with other nutrients. We might see better results when we apply Epsom salts directly to the leaves."

At Auburn University in Alabama, plant pathologist Kira Bowen and soil scientist Beth Guertal see similar results when they apply Epsom salts directly on the soil. They are conducting a 3-year study of roses in field plots that includes applying 1 cup of Epsom salts per plant per month as one of the treatments to increase plant vigor and control black spot. "The first year, we saw reduced defoliation in the Epsom salts-treated plants, but the second year the differences weren't there," Bowen reports. "This year [1997] will be the deciding year. I think it's hard to find a direct link between a specific nutrient such as magnesium sulfate and increased yield or plant growth because of all the other variables in the soil, such as pH, calcium and potassium content, and weather, that may affect the plants."

Is Using Epsom Salts Worth a Try?

In their studies, researchers applied Epsom salts directly to the soil. Foliar applications, such as those our test gardeners used, appear to be a better way to guarantee that the plants get the benefits of the added magnesium.

Before you try Epsom salts, test the soil to determine its magnesium content. Don't rely on Epsom salts to correct large soil magnesium deficiencies, but rather use it as a supplement to soils with adequate or slightly low magnesium levels to boost plant growth, flowering, and fruiting. For severely magnesium-deficient soils, use dolomitic lime or Sul-Po-Mag. Foliar applications of Epsom salts seem work better than adding it, dry or mixed with water, directly to the soil. Plants may not efficiently take up magnesium sulfate in granular form, especially in alkaline soils or soils that already test high in potassium, calcium, or magnesium. If you have tested your soil and know it has those qualities, a foliar application is a faster way to get the nutrients to the plant.

Roses

Many rosarians agree that Epsom salts produces more new canes at the bottom of the plant (bottom breaks) and darker green foliage. Recommendations on how much to use vary, but generally you can apply 1/2 cup of granules in spring before buds first begin to open and 1/2 cup in fall before leaves drop. Apply a foliar spray (1 tablespoon per gallon of water per foot of shrub height) after the leaves open in spring and again at flowering.

Tomato and Peppers

Magnesium deficiency in the soil may be one reason your tomato leaves yellow between the leaf veins late in the season and fruit production slows down. Test your soil every 3 years or so to check on nutrient levels. Epsom salts can keep plants greener and bushier, enhance production of healthier fruit later in the season, and potentially help reduce blossom-end rot. Apply 1 tablespoon of granules around each transplant, or spray a solution of 1 tablespoon Epsom salts per gallon of water at transplanting, first flowering, and fruit set.

Epsom salts are available in drug and grocery stores. Epsom salts work best on soils that are...
Slightly deficient in magnesium Alkaline (show high pH) as in western areas Old, "weathered," and acidic (with low pH) soils of the Southeast and Pacific Northwest High in calcium and potassium (western soils)

Copyright 2000, National Gardening Association. All rights reserved.

True lilies belong to the genus Lilium and are characterized by a fleshy bulb with scales and a flower with 3 sepals and 3 petals which collectively are called tepals.

Within this genus, there is tremendous variation in flower form (trumpet, vase, reflexed), orientation (upfacing, outfacing, downfacing), flower colour, fragrance, bloom, date, bud count, etc. In foliage and bulb we have alternate, and whorled leaves and various bulb forms. Additionally, we have major difference sin plant hardiness, from lilies that grow in sub-tropical conditions to those that grow close to the tree line in Canada. This wide distribution of about 100 species over the northern region of the earth has made for vast variation. In the prairies, our interest has been mostly in the hardy forms of lilies that would come to us from similar climatic regions of the world.

Let me take a few minutes to look at major lily groups.

N. American Lilies

This group consists of our native prairie lily which has a wide distribution in the central region of the continent. Additionally, one other species, L. michiganense, comes close to us in Minnesota and generally is hardy here if given some mulch. Most other N. American species are from the East coast and West coast of the U.S. and have very site specific adaptation and limited plant hardiness.

L. philadelphicum - L. michiganense - Martagon Lilies

These small flowered lilies are adapted to prairie conditions and will also grow in light shaded areas. Some of the best Martagons I have seen were in the cooler zones of the prairies. Martagons whorled leaves helps them grow in the shade, and although the flowers are small, the bud count of up to 40 or more buds help them to put on a good show. The building blocks for the modern Martagons we see today come from species in Eurpoe (L. martagon), Korea (L. hansonii), Korea/China (L. tsingtauense). Some of the breeding work goes back close to 100 years, to Mrs. R.O. Backhouse of England. Her Martagon x hansonii crosses are still grown today and sold by The Lily Nook.

More important work was done right here on the prairies where Dr. Skinner produced the dark flowered Red Prince which is still grown and sold. Ed Robinson of Wawanesa added L. tsingtauense to the Martagon hybrids to give larger flowers and more outfacing types. Several of these lilies have been rediscovered and are now offered in The Lily Nook catalogue. Martagons are lilies that seem to get better after the bulb establishes for several years. They do not transplant as easily as most other hybrids, but they are very tough once they become established.

L. martagon - L. tsingtauense - L. hansonii - L. martagon hybrids

Just recently, David Sims of Idaho has added to the future of Martagons by crosses to Asiatic lilies. This is till in the preliminary stage, but may well give us Asiatic-like lilies that tolerate some shade conditions.

Chinese Trumpet hybrid Lilies

About 100 years ago, the noted plant explorer, Dr. E.H. Wilson, brought a new trumpet flowered lily out of China and gave it the name L. regale. It was truly a regal lily and became world known for fragrance, adaptability and rapid establishment, and vigour. There are several closely related trumpet lilies plus the related Easter lily which is native to the Japanese island of Okinawa. Easter lily is one of the tenderest of lily species but its white spotless flowers have given it a special place as an Easter potted flower. The Chinese trumpet flowered species, including L. regale, as well as the Easter lily has proven to be central lynchpins in more recent lily hybridization. However, I must not pass over the early work of Dumas in France, where L. henryi was crossed to the Chinese trumpets, giving rise to the broad hybrid group of lilies known as Aurelian hybrids. The Aurelian hybrids were a major step in lily breeding, giving colour, fragrance, vigour, and quick establishment of bulbs with wide adaptability.

In the early 1970s, crosses of Aurelian/Trumpet to Easter lily were successful at the University of Minnesota and this crossing has produced the Easterpets of which you will hear more. These plants possess amazing hardiness considering that the parentage is Easter lily. We have successfully wintered the plants for many years in our fields and garden. In addition to the Easterpets, crosses at the University of Minnesota were also made between Asiatic lilies and Easter lilies and these became known as the LA hybrids. Many of these show only a slight resemblance to the Easter lily due to back crossing to Asiatics. Most LA?s do have bigger flowers and better foliage than a pure Asiatic lily. The LA hybrids would be even more popular if they were able to have kept the fragrance of the Easter lily but it seems difficult to pass this on to the next generation.

Easter Dawn - Easter Charm - Easter Morn

My work at Morden successfully crossed the Aurelian lilies to Asiatic lilies and this has opened up new avenues in colour, fragrance, and hardiness. These Asiapets, as we call them, are very hardy and show perhaps the most potential for the coldest region of the prairies. Some additional work is ongoing to broaden the range of variation in the current Asiapets and to try to get more fragrance into the progeny. One hybrid Asiapet from Dick Bazett is a golden yellow colour, a colour not seen in the Morden introductions.

Silky Belles [- Firey Belles - Ivory Belles - Golden Surprise

Another major hybrid group involving the Aurelian lilies is what is known as the Orienpet lilies. These are crosses with the Oriental lilies from Japan that are primarily of L. speciosiem, L. auratum, and related hybrids. The Orienpets combine vigour, fragrance, and beautiful colours with the stem strength of the parents. New Orienpets are coming on the market as more breeders give attention to these crosses. Several good introductions are from Morden, including Starburst Sensation, Northern Sensation, Northern Carillon, and Northern Star.

L. Starburst Sensation - L. Northern Beauty - L. Northern Carillon - L. Northern Star

Two additional hybrid groups from European work are L. longiflorum x Orientals (LO) and Asiatics x Orientals (AO). These newest hybrids are now reaching the lily world. The first group may not be as hardy as the second group and I cannot give you further information on hardiness or fragrance.

Queens Promise (LO) - Fancy Crown (AO) - Triumphator (LO) - First Crown (AO)

In our own work, we are trying to cross the Asiapets, Easterpets, and Orienpets in all possible combinations. We are having some success in overcoming sterility and recombining selected parents. We have also worked to combine the best of the Morden Orienpets with the Griesbach Black Beauty Orienpets so as to increase the darker flower colours and improve the foliage of current hybrids.

Griesbach and JNL x Griesbach

I should say a word about the Oriental lilies which originate in Japan. These colourful, fragrant lilies have become important cut flowers since the upfacing Stargazer lily was developed. Now we see these sold occasionally in Canada but they really do best in much warmer climates.

L. speciosum - Arabian Red - Angelique

Finally, the most important group of lilies for the prairies are the broad group known as Asiatic lilies. This complex group has several species of Asiatic origin involved in its parentage. These include L. bulbiforum, L. cernuum, L. tigrinum, L. amabile, L. davidii, L. dauricum, and possibly others. The Asiatic group is very variable with upfacing, outfacing, and downfacing flowers. Petals can be flat or reflexed. There is almost no fragrance to these lilies and colours ranged originally from very bright yellows and oranges to where we now have nearly every colour, except blue. There are interesting colour variations including Brushmarks and Tangos.
Interesting variations across all lilies include tetrapoid forms which often are vigorous, taller, and in the case of hybrids, often more fertile. There are over 2000 named cultivars of lilies so you have a challenge to keep up on the lily world.

Enjoy the advances of lilies and remember there are lost more coming on stream.

Lily gardeners face a number of problems in producing healthy flowering plants and maintaining stock from year to year. Temperatures, both high and low, can greatly alter your success with lilies.

Lilies will take high summer temperatures providing they receive some supplemental water. Actually, lilies are quite drought tolerant because the deeply planted bulbs (6-8?) are somewhat protected from the surface conditions. The harmful effects of low temperature upon lilies can be seen at three seasons of the year.

Over wintering bulbs, especially of the more tender types, may be frozen and killed by extremely cold temperatures. This would apply to a few of the newer lilies that are being tried in the prairies, including Orienpets and Easterpets. In our area, we usually receive snow which gives protection to our bulbs.

You can minimize the damage of low winter temperatures by mulching the bulbs, either with snow, chives, leaves bark mulch, or some similar product. I have used conifer branches to do a mulching on larger areas of tender seedlings. Any procedure that will hold snow cover is very helpful in prairie conditions. Mulching will give winter protection, hold moisture in summer, and reduce weed problems in your lily bed. Mulching may delay emergence, thus helping to avoid spring frost damage to new emerging shrubs. What you use is probably less important than how you use the mulch. You don't want to go 6-8" deep or you make your lilies look unnatural. Also you may have to apply some extra fertilizer to go along with the extra use of mulch as mulches can deplete nitrogen as the microbes break down organic matter.

Low spring temperatures after the lily stems have emerged can be extremely harmful. Your best solution is to protect the stems with a cover such as a pail, box, or similar insulating material. Usually it is just one or two nights that cause the problem and if you can get through these without damage, you are well on the way to success. If the stems are quite short when the frost danger occurs, you could use a blanket or burlap cover very effectively.

Fall frost, especially as early as August, can harm late maturing plants especially of the Easterpet and Orienpet cultivars. Both these groups of plants need a long frost free season to keep strong bulbs. Often our first fall frost is only one or two nights and then we go another month without reoccurrence. Protecting your plants with an inverted cardboard box or with another cover of burlap can often give protection against the first fall frosts. Plants and especially seed pods then are able to mature. I have been amazed at how frost-resistant the new lilies are and how they can maintain bulb strength even in our short growing season.

For long season lilies, one other procedure used by northern growers has been to plant in a sunny, hot location, such as the south side of your house where the heat builds up. Mr. John Rempel of Winnipeg plants all his Trumpets and Orienpets in such a "heat island" and it works very well. He seems to advance flowering by about two weeks and his plants also mature earlier in the fall.

Soil structure and fertility can be quite important to lily growing. Lilies need a well-drained soil but they also need supplemental moisture in periods of dryness. We like to use a sandy loam soil and also add some organic peat soil if we have it available. I have often seen a shovelful of sand thrown into a trench before planting the bulb. Occasionally you may wish to add sulfur or iron chelates if you have alkaline soil or soil with high carbonates.

Diseases of lilies are fortunately not as serious in the Canadian prairies as in areas of intense lily production. Some of our lilies, no doubt, have symptomless viruses, but we usually do not see the more serious tulip breaking in our area unless we have purchased diseased bulbs. Many lilies can tolerate symptomless viruses and show a reduced vigor. No doubt, viruses have been responsible for the decline of certain lilies which once were healthy. I would encourage you to purchase healthy bulbs and to watch for decline. If you see any signs of yellow streaks in the foliage or of flower streaking, then rogue out your plants. Secondly, control the vectors of virus diseases including various aphids. Thirdly, you can grow species that seem to tolerate or resist viruses. For example, ?Black Beauty? lily seems to have remained healthy for close to 50 years. Many of the trumpets and Orienpets are virus tolerant and we have seen no viruses in the Asiapets or Easterpets. I have always heard that L.tigrinum is a virus carrier even though it appears to remain healthy. This may be an overstatement as we have maintained healthy plants both of tiger lilies and other lilies in the same garden.

Fusarium or basal bulb rot can occur in your lilies. Usually you can limit fusarium by rotating the locations of your garden lilies, especially the Asiatic cultivators. Many of the newer lilies are more resistant to bulb rot and this is a real advantage. Larger growers should pay particular attention to rotate lily beds as this will help control disease and improve nutrition.

Botrytis is one of the most serious diseases affecting the foliage and flowers of active growing plants, especially at lower temperatures. Signs of botrytis include brown spots on the foliage which spread in wet, muggy conditions to infect a whole row of lilies. I have seen damage when heavy dews develop in relatively cool, wet weather. Control of botrytis can take several forms. Firstly, some lilies seem quite resistant while many of the older Asiatics are susceptible. In my experience, it greatly helps to have air movement to dry off foliage. Spacing out plants can often avoid the disease pattern of a whole row becoming infected. Clean up of old foliage can limit the inoculum each spring. I also believe a mulch will go a long way at preventing spread of the disease.

One new insect of concern to the lily grower is the lily beetle, a small red lily beetle akin to the potato beetle. This lily beetle is found in the North Eastern U.S. and parts of Eastern Canada. We have also seen some occurrences in the Portage area of Manitoba.

The larvae are voracious feeders on lily foliage and the adult beetle cause small holes in the foliage from sporadic feeding. This is an insect that can obviously endure prairie climate. It does not spread really quickly by its own means, but seems to move by human means and possibly even in vehicles as a hitchhiker. We have not seen it in our production fields, but we have seen beetles at our home garden where we have used diazonon to control and effectively wipe out the beetle. The use of diazonon is phasing out, but we will control any future beetles with another chemical.

Some lilies derived from Black Beauty are reported as resistant to the lily beetle. NALS has supported biological control agents for the lily beetle and some promising releases have been made. In Europe, it appears that the beetle is kept under control by natural predators. The best control is to be vigilant and watch for any infestation. One or two adult beetles can be easily disposed of before they lay eggs.

Additional problems in lily growing can include deer damage, rabbit damage, and bird damage. Usually, flower buds are damaged (birds) or eaten (deer). Deer are more of a problem in rural areas whereas rabbits and birds are a problem in both rural and city areas. Fencing and repellents may be helpful for deer and rabbits. We personally have not had a serious problem with deer, rabbits, or birds, but we do hear of people who are affected.

In closing, be aware of the problems in growing lilies. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Enjoy your lilies.