When we talk about lilies, we represent all the lilies spread over the globe in many different shapes & sizes all with their own beauty, aroma & charm. Lilies belong to the Liliaceae family and like any human family, their family tree has expanded to more than 100 different species that have their own unique characteristics & appearances. Believe it or not, not all lilies are grown to be admired because of their beauty, some lilies boast edible bulbs that not only humans but deer, insects, mice & squirrels have learnt to eat over the years!
Before we take you into the amazing world of lilies lets just get one nuisance about them out of the way. If you have a cat in the house it would make you believe that it loves lilies and that would be true because they love the smell of these gorgeous flowers but, don’t be fooled and keep your feline friend far away from lilies because they’re highly toxic for them! Even a hint of pollen from lilies can become a cause of poisoning for your cat.
If they weren’t already popular in your mind yet, lilies are widely known to have medicinal benefits with regards to the cure of depression, anxiety & other toxicities. However, their medicinal use is limited mostly to the Asian culture.
Did you know?
Only two types of lilies are known for their breath-taking scent, tiger & white lilies, and almost all other types of lilies are quite simply odorless!
Considering there are numerous types of lilies all with their own magnificent traits, the most common & best time to plant lilies is spring. They are perennial flowers which means they can last for more than a year or two if cared for properly. Like humans, there are so many other types of flowers that try to qualify as lilies but to identify a true lily you know to know that genuine lilies generally have only one shoot or stem that grows from the bulb. They usually have six plain or artistic leaves that can have many different colors such as white, pink, gold, orange etc.
Lilies are one of the most popular garden flowers considering they’re easy to plant, grow & take care of and more than that, they don’t really mind containers. If you manage to separate the pollen from them time to time, their life only increases multifold. Mostly lilies are erect and tall but that’s only the case if they get proper sunlight through most of the day. In case you see lilies that are bent, it’s only because they just want some sunlight and would be leaning over to get some.
Here are some tips that will make your garden lilies stand out:
- Dig the soil up to a foot or 18 inches for the best results. This helps the plant stay cool in case the temperature goes south.
- Lilies love a soil that is drainage friendly. Do not plant your lilies in a spot that always has a puddle after the rain.
- Like any family, lilies love growing in numbers of 3 to 5 bulbs.
- Imagine someone seeing the sun in Antarctica, that’s how much lilies love the sun!
- We want to drink whenever we’re thirsty, just remember that your lilies are always more thirsty than you so water thoroughly.
