FACT SHEET
Loads of lilies
• Lilies are divided into types based on their wild ancestors.
• Asiatic lilies are mostly up-facing, short and early blooming.
• Oriental lilies are usually taller and later, with broad, out-facing flowers.
• Trumpet lilies have fragrant, trumpet-like out-facing flowers.
• Orienpets are post-1950 crosses of Oriental and trumpets.
Source: Old House Gardens
Many organic repellents are available to keep deer and rabbits from feeding on tender new growth. Among them:
Ropel Animal and Rodent Repellent: Visit nixalite.com/ropel or call 888-624-1189.
Scoot Deer & Rabbit Repellent: Visit scootproducts.com or call 616-243-9210.
Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent: Visit liquidfence.com or call 800-923-3623.
Bobbex Deer & Animal Repellents: Visit bobbex.com or call 800-792-4449.
For more information on heirloom lilies, visit oldhousegardens.com or call 734-995-1486.
Fragrant, bright-red Lilium chalcedonicum were recognized in Minoan wall paintings thousands of years ago.
Later, Roman soldiers carried fragrant herbal Lilium candidum — commonly known as the Madonna lily — throughout the empire. The pure-white lily was a symbol of purity.
Some 2,000 years later, white lilies by the millions decorate homes and churches in celebration of Easter Sunday.
Lilies are rich in symbolism and inextricably aligned with Easter Sunday.
Once the potted lilies have lost their blooms, they can be planted in the yard with a pretty good chance of surviving for years of Easter-season color.
Be it an Easter lily, Oriental lily or trumpet lily, lilies in general have similar demands. They like to have their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade, said Scott Kunst, whose company, Old House Gardens, sells heirloom bulbs, including nearly two dozen lily varieties dating back to 1665 (L. Supeprbum).
Cool, loose, fertile soil that is well-drained affords the best location for lilies, which typically are planted in fall.
Lilies are different than daylilies, which are tuberous-rooted plants and thrive in sun to part-shade and grow in all sorts of soil. They’re the ones with grass-like foliage and produce flower stalks with many buds. The common orange-flowering daylily often can be seen growing in roadside ditches and along old farmhouse foundations.
Lilies, notably Easter lilies, are tall, graceful plants with stems that can soar up to
8 feet tall, depending on the variety. There are more than 80 varieties of hybrid lilies, including tiger, red velvet, leopard and Formosa.
And they wear a bull’s-eye — “animals relish them,” said Kunst, head gardener of the Ann Arbor company.
Keep 'em safe
Gnawing, chewing and digging are the bane of many lilies not protected by the confines of a home or church.
Indeed, many gardeners have given up in frustration after having emerging plants mowed down by browsing deer and rabbits, or the bulbs chewed into oblivion by rodents.
Kunst recommends covering the soil with black plastic netting, a relatively inexpensive barrier that protects newly emerging bulbs.
It is commonly found in garden centers and used to keep birds away from strawberries and fruit trees.
Use plastic clips or metal spikes to hold the netting in place. Other options are wire mesh and burlap. If using burlap, make sure to remove it once foliage begins to poke through the soil.
Gone to pot
Another strategy is to plant bulbs in plastic landscape pots — the ones that usually contain perennials and smaller shrubs. They range in size from 1-3 gallons and afford great protection on all sides.
Bury the pots so the rim is just below the soil level. This is a great option for people with less than perfect soil; pots can be filled with rich, lightly textured potting mix.
I’ve used this method when planting tender bulbs that have to be lifted in fall and stored over winter.
It also lets you add color to shady areas otherwise off-limits because of shallow-rooted trees. It may take several attempts with the shovel to find an area that is relatively root-free, but the summer display is well worth the effort.
Laying a piece of chicken wire over the pots and pegging it to the ground offers complete protection. Foliage will grow through the openings without much of a struggle.
“You also can line the planting hole with wire-mesh ‘hardware cloth’ or plant your bulbs in sharp crushed shells,” Kunst recommends.
Then, there’s collateral damage from mole activity. Moles do not eat the bulbs, but create tunnels for bulb-chewing voles to get to them. Eliminate the moles and the voles will go elsewhere.
What about above-ground foes, such as deer and rabbits?
“If animals browse leaves and flowers, tent with chicken wire for a few weeks in spring when they’re the hungriest,” Kunst said.
Gardeners also may want to consider scent deterrents.
There are all sorts of scent-based repellents available, and many of them are organic, boasting ingredients such as putrescent whole egg solids, garlic oil and rosemary oil.
Repellents and proper site selection will ensure your lilies return in glory for years to come.