How to Plant and Grow Asiatic and Oriental Lilies

With their large prominent flowers, Asiatic and Oriental lilies certainly deserve a place in your landscape. Both are strikingly beautiful and will do well in our local gardens. 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. They are perennials in our area, meaning they come back every year. 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 like well amended soils that drain well. Once you’ve selected the site, amend your existing soil by adding 2" to 3" of Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost, worked in to about 8". This locally-produced organic amendment will enrich your existing soil and improve drainage. 

Now to the differences. Asiatic lilies tend to bloom earlier than Oriental lilies. Asiatic lilies are shorter, 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 in order 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 actually looks like If you’re planting bulbs, place each bulb about 4" deep and about 6" apart, in well-amended soil, with bone meal mixed into the planting site. If you’re planting established lilies, dig a hole as twice as deep as the container and twice as wide. Add some bone meal, 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. Asiatic lilies will provide color to your garden just as the spring blooming plants like iris and peonies are beginning to fade. 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 

It's Bearded Iris Season

With their showy spring flowers, perennial Bearded Iris are a mainstay in many gardens and public landscapes. Known for their distinctive furry "beards", Bearded Iris or Iris germanica are one of the most reliable and dramatic of the spring flowers. 

Available in a variety of colors, easy to grow Bearded Irises will do best planted in full sun and well-draining soil. Fertilize your Bearded Irises in early spring with Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food. 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. Iris grow in clumps and the root of an iris is called a rhizome. The best tool to use to dig iris roots 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 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. When you’re planting your iris in their new location, remember that iris grow in the direction of the heel so place your rhizomes with the leaves planted in the direction you want the plant to grow. Iris thrive in soils that have been amended, so add a couple of inches of Sheep, Peat and Compost and dig it in 4-5 inches. Add some Bone Meal and place the rhizome so that the roots are fanned out to the side, then add enough soil to cover the roots, while leaving the very top of the rhizome exposed. Next, you'll want to water each rhizome thoroughly. Your iris will establish through the fall and be ready to bloom next spring.