The tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum ‘Splendens’) or lancifolium lily has orange flowers drooping and spotted with purple at the base of the petals. It blooms generously from June to August and gives off a very pleasant fragrance. Easy to grow, this botanical species is one of the most common and oldest in cultivation. It makes an excellent cut flower, it can be kept for 14 to 16 days.
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Planting the lily from seed
Lilies like the sun, but a half-shade exposure does not displease them. They appreciate a drained soil, in which water does not stagnate, but which is not dry and stony either. They like neutral to acid soil, but fear limestone. If your ground is, cultivate them in pot or choose the variety Lys candidum.
The lily is a bulbous plant. The bulb is planted in spring or autumn, except during frosty periods. The bulbs are spaced 6 to 8 inches apart.
Steps to plant the lily
- Dig a hole three times the depth of the bulb
- Place a small drainage layer (gravel or clay balls)
- Mix garden soil with a little compost
- Place the bulb at the bottom of the hole, stem up
- Cover with the soil/compost mixture
- Water generously
Growing the tiger lily
Tolerant on the nature of the soil, Lilium lancifolium grows as well in acidic soil as in rather calcareous soil. It requires above all that the substrate is rich in humus, like a forest soil, and draining. In a too clayey and badly aired soil, it will be judicious to put the bulbs on a small bed of gravel, and to mix plant debris and/or compost to lighten and enrich the ground.
Lilium lancifolium is installed in autumn or in March-April at a depth of 8 inches. It appreciates the half-shade, or to be the feet in the shade in the middle of other perennials and the head in the sun.
The tiger lily is resistant to the lily virus, but is a carrier of it, since it is only propagated vegetatively. For botanical lily lovers, it is therefore best to keep it away from the more delicate species.
Lilium lancifolium, on the other hand, is a prime target for the lily beetle. As soon as the leaves come out, when the weather is nice, you should regularly inspect the foliage to crush these pretty little red beasts before they lay their eggs.
Maintaining a tiger lily
Depending on the species, it is sometimes necessary to install a stake. Indeed, the opulent flowers of the lily exert a considerable weight on the stem. Remember to water regularly from planting to the end of the flowering period. The objective is to keep the soil fresh, without soaking it. The tiger lily appreciates a liquid organic fertilizer twice a month.
When to cut the stems of tiger lilies?
Once they have finished blooming, it is not necessary to remove the bulbs from the ground. They are hardy enough to stay in place through the winter. Simply cut the stems when they are dry. Do not cut before!
The tiger lily will replenish its reserves to bloom again the following year. On the other hand, you can cut the faded flowers as you go along, but keep the stems when they are green.
Maintenance of the tiger lily bouquet indoors
The lily is THE plant of the florist. Its long lasting bouquet and its generous flowers have made it a success. If you buy lilies, remember to cut back the stems by a few inches.
To prolong the life of the bouquet, don’t hesitate to add a little bouquet preservative. Also, change the water once a week. Keep your bouquet away from heat sources, direct sunlight and fruit baskets. A bright location is ideal.
Tiger Lily diseases
Like many plants, lilies are prey to certain pests such as aphids, slugs and thrips.
But the most frequent and the most dreaded parasite in the lily remains the criocer.
It is a red beetle with black legs that feasts on the leaves and flowers of lilies and can cause great damage.
Treatment against the tiger lily beetle
As soon as the first beetles arrive, inspect the leaves regularly, especially for larvae under the leaves.
The earlier you do this, the better your chances of getting rid of them or limiting their invasion.
Catch the beetles by hand without dropping them
Destroy the larvae as soon as possible
Control and treatment of the lily beetle
Multiplying tiger lilies
Bulbils are collected in mid-summer before they drop, buried in a pot under a few inches of soil. They are able to produce their first leaves in that first summer, then bloom after 2 years.
To know about the tiger lily
The tiger lily is the symbol of the Virgin Mary but also of purity. It owes it surely to the beauty of its flowers.
This plant has a majestic side that the colors and the varied forms emphasize particularly in a garden.
Composed of bouquets often in trumpet, this rustic bulbous flower comes perfectly to bloom the beds, borders and terraces.
It is also very fragrant, offering delicate and fragrant tiger lily scents.
If most of the lilies are deciduous, the lily candidum is one of the rare evergreen varieties, and thus to keep its leaves in winter.