If you consider the lily season practically over when Madonna’s wither in June, and regals shed their last petals in July, you may be amazed at the list of satisfying and beautiful August blooming lilies. Of course, the weather has a way of fouling up things—not only family picnics and state fairs but also a … Read more
Are you hesitant about growing lilies in our Mid-American climate, where drought, 100° degrees Fahrenheit, and high winds characterize most summers? You needn’t be, for some lilies, “toughies” on my list, will grow for you as easily as petunias. There is no pampering in my acclimatization garden, where I have tested plants for nursery workers … Read more
Like to try your hand at lily hybridizing? Here’s how. Select the flower to be pollinated and remove the anthers or pollen-producing male organs before any pollen has been shed. Since lilies usually do not shed pollen until they start to open, it is advisable to choose buds that will open the next day and … Read more
Are you looking for a “sure thing” in summer flowers? Or does a plant that challenges your ingenuity to make it grow to have more appeal? You’ll find both among the native lilies of eastern North America. About a third, or eight, of the lilies native to this continent, are found growing naturally in the … Read more
If an adage fits a specific situation, “Don’t plant a five-dollar tree in a two-bit hole,” applies to lily planting. In other words. don’t plant a good lily bulb in bad soil. Tulips or gladiolus might grow if planted that way, but I warn you. Lilies are different. However, one thinks you will agree that … Read more
If you are growing lilies for the first time, you are entering one of the most exciting and rewarding of all garden adventures. Until recently, lilies were considered exotic and difficult plants, suitable only for the expert gardener or estate owner. With few exceptions, they were natural species, each of which, to thrive satisfactorily, required … Read more
Gardening in the lower South may seem a topsy-turvy process to gardeners elsewhere, for the season’s activities begin in the fall, reach their peak about January, and are almost at a standstill in June. During the summer, gardens—and gardeners—take it easy. The combination of heat and moisture (unlike California, our rainy season is in the … Read more
Lilies have become so popular that many gardeners are trying varieties that would have been seen in a few private gardens not too long ago. Not only are average gardeners planting lilies, but they are finding that the old myth about lilies being difficult to grow is just that—a myth. Today, with all the new … Read more
If any hardy flower has gained popularity more rapidly during recent years than the lily, we do not know what it is. The old idea that they are extremely difficult to grow is fast fading out, and rightly so! Many modern lilies are much easier to grow than their predecessors. This, plus better control of … Read more
In all forms of art, the more rigid the boundaries and rules, the more difficult it is to create good work. The art of raising better lilies is firmly hounded in all directions, hemmed in by natural limitations imposed upon it by climate and soil, limited in variations of color, scent, and form, and by … Read more