A few years ago my daughter bought a bouquet of Stargazer lilies from a florist. The radiant beauty of these flowers is complemented by their amazing fragrance. Damn it, I thought, you definitely need an elaborate greenhouse to grow these treasures. But two autumns ago I saw Stargazer lily bulbs for sale in the catalog of an online bulb ordering company and had to order a dozen bulbs to see if they would work in my garden. . In the first year they produce many leaves, but no flower buds appear. But this summer I was rewarded with flowers.
It turns out that oriental lilies, Star Gazer's most popular variety, are among the easiest bulbs to grow. So why does it take nearly two years for a garden to produce flowers? The answer is the size of the tuber. Small bulbs often do not produce flowers. By the second year my plant had apparently grown large enough to support flower bud development. I've also had good luck growing it near cassia (Cassia/Senna bicapsularis) plants. This airy shrub with golden-yellow butterfly flowers lets in plenty of light, although the plants beneath its branches get little shade. Although oriental lilies are recommended for full sun, they benefit from the warmth of the sun when summer temperatures exceed 90 degrees. Since these lilies flower in midsummer, it is important to pay special attention to their sensitivity to summer sun when planting.
When you buy oriental lilies online, most companies will sell you 12 to 14 centimeter (cm) bulbs. The size of the top is 14-16cm, and the premium is 16-18cm. To ensure your bulbs flower in their first year, plant a premium size. They typically take three years to grow, however they are slightly more expensive than the smaller sizes.
Asiatic lilies are close allies of the oriental lilies. The difference is that Asians develop more easily. Although their flowers are smaller than oriental lilies and generally less fragrant, Asiatic lilies reproduce faster or multiply more quickly in gardens and feature a greater variety of flower colors and shapes. Typically, Asian plants also bloom in spring or early summer, as do most other bulbous plants planted in the fall.
Interestingly, my experience with Star Gazers was consistent with the behavior of gladioli bushes, whose bulbs resemble the bulbs I planted at the same time as the lilies. Not only do they display impressive foliage, but they also fail to produce flowers for the first year in the soil. But at the beginning of the summer they too bloomed in incomparable splendor. As with lilies, the insufficient size of their bulbs undoubtedly affects their ability to bloom.
Speaking of fragrant flowers, I was surprised to learn that tuberose, considered one of the most if not the most fragrant flowers I've heard of over the years, grows from a recently reclassified plant. ...like a fragrant flower. Agave – Agave friend, exactly. Originally from Mexico, this member of the asparagus family grows from a bulbous rhizome. If you're wondering about the relationship between agave and asparagus, look at each agave stalk and you'll notice a resemblance in shape to the threadlike, floral spearhead of asparagus. Finally, plants are classified primarily based on the structure of their flowers.
After browsing the internet, I found a company offering a pack of seven tuberose rhizomes (incorrectly called tubers) for a very reasonable $15. The marketed variety is known as Single Bloom and registered under the scientific name Polianthes tuberose. The flowers of the tuberose are white and bloom into the summer on peduncles up to one meter high. The flowers are tubular, two inches long and form a six-petalled star. Single Bloom isn't as pretty as The Pearl, a double-flowering strain whose buds look like tiny peonies. However, Single Bloom lasts much longer in a vase. Finally, you can find these plants at the Southern Bulb Company (southernbulbs.com). The detailed growing instructions on this website, including videos, provide all the information you need to grow this unique species. Unlike other agaves, this plant needs regular watering, but weekly watering is sufficient.
All of the above plants are vigorous flowering plants that spread year after year. To maintain the number and quality of buds, it is best to divide them every three years or so. If you are limited to backyard or balcony gardening, rest assured that this is a good choice for container growing. Now is the time to order flower bulbs, especially lilies, for autumn planting as these sell out quickly from leading online bulb suppliers.
Tuberose was introduced to Europe in the early 15th century by Spanish explorers returning from Mexico. Its aromatic properties were immediately appreciated and two centuries later it became a mainstay of the French perfume industry, which today harvests two million pounds of tuberose annually.
Speaking of French perfumes, a perfume garden was recently opened in the courtyard of the Palace of Versailles, modeled on a similar flower garden from the time of Louis XIV. During his reign, some 250 years ago, the profession of perfumer began to develop. The king's skill is demonstrated by the many fragrant plants imported from abroad, a testament to his wealth and power, which are displayed in his gardens for foreign dignitaries to see and smell. Garden flowers include the so-called still flowers, such as violets, peonies, and hyacinths, which produce perfume but do not contain extracted oils that can be used in perfumery.
This week's California native . California Copperleaf (Acalypha californica) is a ground cover plant with a unique appeal. The flowers are tiny red spikes reminiscent of the flowers of its cousin, the caterpillar plant (Acalypha hispida). The name Kupferblatt goes back to the color of the leaves in summer. Although the leaves are green, the finely jagged edges are red and the stems are red too. The plants grow in attractive low mounds and require watering at most once a month. You can grow California copper leaf in gallon containers at Tree of Life Nursery (californianativeplants.com) in San Juan Capistrano and at Theodore Payne Foundation (theodorepayne.org) in Sun Valley.
If you have successfully grown lilies, please email me your story so I can share it with the readers of this column. Your questions and comments on gardening issues or problems, as well as your photos, are always welcome. Send it to joshua@perfectplants.com.
