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What to do this week: Scent, Scale and Drama

Lilies are flowering on cue, late spring and summer.

Tall, elegant lilies standing on strong stems in the back of the border and delightfully fragrant. Small varieties are fantastic in pots. Lilies love morning sunshine with protection from strong afternoon sunshine.

 


Lilium ‘Stratosphere’ from Tesselaar

 

Keep your lilies moist, not wet, as they flower and then feed them as the flowers finish to nourish the bulb for next year’s flowers. Leave them in the ground and they will multiply over the years.

We have this glorious pink LA lily called ‘Stratosphere’ (Tesselaar) in flower now. In warm gardens these lilies need protection from hot afternoon sun. LA lilies are a cross between Asiatic and Lilium longiflorum (Christmas Lily). They have a slight fragrance and more of a trumpet shape.

 

Lilium ‘Pink Giant’ from VDQ Bulbs

 

‘Pink Giant’ (VDQ Bulbs) is a superb Tiger lily with dark spots that will eventually reach 120mm and will multiply once it is established. Due to their strong stems, no staking is required.

 


Garden Clinic member Grace Perkins from Umina Beach, sent this pic of her November lilies. Well done Grace, what a show! Grace says the fragrance is wonderful!

 

Need for Feed and Mulch

If you haven’t already fertilised you should! Every three months sprinkle pellets of manure (Seamungus or Sudden Impact by Neutrog) to replenish soil nutrients. Before you apply your summer blanket of much, sprinkle organic fertiliser over your garden to keep it nourished. Water the garden before applying the fertiliser, then mulch afterwards. We love Garden Organics (Richgro) and ‘Whoflundung’ (Neutrog). Other options are home-made compost, sugar cane, pea straw, bark chips and gravel.

 


Hellebores need their roots cool and moist over the hot summer months with a blanket of nutritious mulch.