Question from Claire in London, Ont. I have had trout lilies growing and spreading happily under my 20-year-old magnolia tree for about 10 years. The foliage is healthy looking. When they die off, healthy ferns, hostas and Japanese forest grass fill in. My question is why do they never bloom? I don’t fertilize. I leave the leaf litter on the bed to naturally break down … [Read more...] about Why do my trout lilies never bloom?
lilies
The scents of it all
No one has found a way to make the Internet scratch and sniff. This is a great pity, because if I could, I’d share the fragrance in my garden with everyone. Every morning I go out to walk about and breathe in the scents of the garden, and on calm evenings I do the same. You’d have to join me to appreciate the layers of fragrance, from the petite sprigs of lavender to the huge … [Read more...] about The scents of it all
Time for more Martagon lilies
I nearly drove off the road when I passed a neighbour’s garden this week and spied something tall and dangly. It was a cluster of four-foot (1.2-m) stems bearing speckled, pink downward-facing Martagon lilies (Lilium martagon). The flowers resemble butterflies in flight and are good enough to fool the local red admirals that pay them some attention. I’ve never seen a lily I … [Read more...] about Time for more Martagon lilies
Fragrant double Oriental lilies
I’m sometimes hesitant to appreciate double flowers, especially if the additional petals make the flower unrecognizable for what it is. But I’m pleasantly surprised with double Oriental lilies grown from hardy bulbs (botanus.com, gardenimport.com, veseys.com) that are all the more beautiful with additional petals, and still look like themselves. I especially like ‘Sweet Rosy’, … [Read more...] about Fragrant double Oriental lilies
