A Guide to Planting and Growing Asiatic and Oriental Lilies

 

Asiatic and Oriental lilies are some of the easiest and most reliable plants you can have in your garden. They are perennials in our area, meaning they come back every year. Asiatic and Oriental lilies are both strikingly beautiful and will do well in our local gardens, with the proper preparation and care.  The question we get asked most often is what's the difference between the two lily varieties.

Let's start with the similarities. Asiatic and Oriental lilies are some of the easiest and most reliable plants you can have in your garden. To do their best, both varieties need to be planted in a location where they will receive between 6 and 8 hours of direct sun a day.  Both varieties do best in well-amended soils that drain well. What this means is that once you’ve selected a bright sunny area, it’s important to amend your existing soil by adding 2" to 3" of compost, manure and peat moss, worked in to about 8". These amendments will enrich your existing soil and improve drainage, encouraging your newly planted bulbs to develop a strong root system  

Now to the differences. Asiatic lilies tend to bloom earlier than Oriental lilies. Asiatic lilies are shorter, typically don't need staking and the flowers, while beautiful are not fragrant. 

Once established, Asiatic lilies will multiply rapidly in your garden. Oriental lilies tend to be taller than Asiatic lilies. In full bloom, Oriental lilies may need to be staked to support their tall, top-heavy stalks. Oriental lily blooms are fragrant, and they typically don't multiply as rapidly as Asiatic lilies do.  

 

You can plant these lilies from bulbs or from 1-gallon containers. There are several advantages to planting container-grown lilies instead of bulbs.

First, you can see the plant is healthy and thriving, which means the root system is established. Second, in many cases the plant has started to bloom, so you can see what the flower looks like.  

 

If you’re planting established lilies, dig a hole twice as deep as the container and twice as wide. Add some bone meal or Dutch Bulb Food to the planting site, remove the plant from the container and set it in the ground at the same height it was in the container. Fill in around the plant and water thoroughly. 

If you’re planting lilies from bulbs, place each bulb about 4" deep and about 6" apart, in well-amended soil, with bone meal or Dutch Bulb Food mixed into the planting site.  

 

Once established, Asiatic lilies will provide color to your garden just as the spring blooming plants like iris and peonies are beginning to fade. A classic “late bloomer”, Oriental lilies will begin to bloom about the time the Asiatic lilies start to slow down.  Asiatic and Oriental lilies are popular with gardeners everywhere because of their low maintenance and spectacular, long-lasting flowers 

 

How to Plant and Grow Bearded Iris

   

Known for their distinctive furry "beard", bearded iris or Iris germanica are one of the most reliable and dramatic of the spring-blooming perennials.

Besides being elegant and colorful, these low maintenance plants are also adaptable. You’ll see them flourishing in less-than-ideal situations, growing and flowering where other perennials won’t.   

  

That said, like any other addition to your garden, the better the culture, the healthier and more productive your bearded iris will be. 

  

Choose a spot in the garden where they will receive at least six hours of full sun daily. Bearded iris plants grow from rhizomes and thrive in soils that have been amended, so add 3-4 inches of Sheep, Peat and Compost to the existing soil and dig it in 5-6 inches.  

 

Next, add some Steamed Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food to the planting site. Carefully remove the plant from its container and place it in the ground at the same level it was in the container. Bearded irises should be planted so the tops of the rhizomes are visible, and the roots are facing downwards in the soil.

It’s also important to note that bearded iris will grow in the direction of the heel so place your rhizomes with the leaves planted in the direction you want the plant to grow. Once in the ground, be sure to water the planting site thoroughly.  

 

Bearded Iris are generally low maintenance plants season after season, but over time they can become crowded. When this happens, they produce fewer, smaller blooms or won't flower at all. When you notice your bearded iris aren't blooming, it's an indication the plant needs to be divided.  

  

Dividing bearded iris is best done in late summer or early fall. These perennials grow in clumps and the root of a bearded iris is called a rhizome.  

  

The best tool to dig bearded iris rhizomes is a spading fork. Spading forks make it easy to get under and lift the rhizome without causing damage to the roots. Once you’ve got the clump of bearded iris out of the ground, you’ll be able to see the rhizomes clearly. You’ll want to remove any old or diseased rhizomes and treat the remaining, healthy rhizomes with dusting Sulfur. You can divide the clump with a knife or by simply breaking off each root with your hand. Trim the leaves in a fan shape down to between 4" and 6".  

  

Mark the leaves with the name of the iris, so you’ll remember which one it is. Add some Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food and place the rhizome so that the roots are facing downward, then add enough soil to cover the roots, while leaving the very top of the rhizome exposed and water thoroughly.   

  

  

Your bearded iris will establish through the fall and be ready to bloom next spring. Bearded iris plants are among the most elegant and colorful perennials you can grow. This time of year, you’ll find them in our Perennial house, well rooted and ready to plant.  

 

For established Bearded Irises now’s the time to feed them, using Steamed Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food. Place the fertilizer around the root zone and avoid contact with the rhizome itself.