Looking for a good story to grace your garden? If there is one flower that’s bursting with symbolism, it must be the Lily.
The Lily (Lilium) is known as the jewel in the crown of your summer garden. They’re majestic plants with so much personality that they always manage to attract attention. Lilies emerge from a bulb as a sensuous, bell-shaped flower and come in fantastic colours, from delicate pastels to bright orange and dark red. The flowers come in a wide range of sizes (60 - 180cm), colours and some even have patterns. There are lilies that make your garden smelling like a maharaja’s palace, but there are also scentless varieties for those who prefer it.
The Lily originates from the Far East, but nowadays the plant occurs everywhere where the climate is moderate. The genus includes more than a hundred species, of which most occur in the northern hemisphere. In the wild they usually grow on the edge of woodland. The plant plays an important role in literature and culture, and symbolises amiability, purity, love, fertility, femininity, unity and transience.
The name ‘lily’ derives from the Greek word 'leírion', which in turn is borrowed from so many old languages that its meaning can no longer be traced, however it’s clear that it referred to the white lily, the symbol of purity.
Got lily pollen on your clothes? Remove it with a dry brush (a wet cloth will only make the stain worse) or hang the item in the sun and wind for a few hours. You can also remove lily pollen with a piece of adhesive tape.
Lilies like airy, sandy, well-draining soil.
The best position for good flowering is sunny and sheltered, although the plant can also tolerate partial shade.
Keep the soil slightly damp at all times - lilies cannot cope with drying out.
There is no need to feed, since the nutrients are already in the bulb.