Oriental lilies like this Salmon Star can be planted and flowered in outdoor garden containers. RUSSELL STUDEBAKER / Courtesy
Some years ago I faced a crisis in my garden planting.
I had lily bulbs and had run out of room to plant more. Any new planting required that something else be dug up. So I consulted with Becky Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs, a national mail-order bulb nursery, and her advice was to plant my lilies in containers. After three years, I am still enjoying some of those plantings.
Now she cautioned that some lilies are more favorable for container growing - such as the Orientals, Asiatics and some LA-Asiatic hybrids. Not as container-friendly are the Trumpet, Longiflorum and Orienpets, which can get 6 to 8 feet or more tall, and are not easily managed.
Some cultivars to consider are those that were bred specifically for containers for their height: Mona Lisa, Showwinner and Rodoflfa. And Becky says some of the LA-Asiatic hybrids are more available in the spring such as Bestseller, Kentucky, Orange Tycoon and Red Alert.
Another factor is when the bulbs mature. Some cultivars mature by fall and others in spring. They are offered for sale when they are mature. Regardless of when they mature, they should be planted as soon as they are received and never allowed to dry out. If not planted immediately, they can be placed in a plastic bag with some moist peat moss in the veggie crisper of the refrigerator. Lily roots are never dormant and are always growing.
Becky recommended containers be at least 15 inches in diameter and with drainage holes for successful growing. Lack of drainage is the biggest danger. Overwatering and heavy rains can cause bulb rot.
Choose a soil mix that has organic matter and sharp drainage. I use a commercial mix, Pro-mix B X, available at Stringer's Nursery. But a mix of two parts clean sand, one part good loam and one part Canadian peat moss is good. Fill the container to about one inch from the top.
Three is a good number of bulbs for a 15-inch pot, and the larger the container the better, some advise. Plant bulbs about four inches apart and cover them four inches deep with soil. Allow at least one inch of mix at the bottom. Put the container where the lilies can get a half day of sun with an eastern exposure being the best. Full sun can be too hot in late July and August when the Orientals are flowering. The Asiatics will need dividing about every three to four years.
Fertilize in early spring and then just before flowering. Miracle-Gro is fine or use a slow release like Osmocote. Protect in winter from rotting from heavy saturating winter rains by placing a cover over the container, turning it over on its side, or putting it in an unheated garage. Do not bury the pot in the ground as the container's drain holes can't drain away water well when buried.
Sources: Brent and Becky's Bulbs, Gloucester, Va., 1-877-661-2852,
tulsaworld.com/brentandbeckys; B & D Lilies, Port Townsend, Wash., 1-360-765.4341,
tulsaworld.com/bdlilies Both have fall and spring cultivars available.
Do not purchase packaged lilies from box stores. They are held in warm room temperatures and have begun to grow, elongating their stems, which twist and double inside their captive plastic coffin, and often the roots are dissociated. Believe me, I have been down that unfortunate and tragic path before.
Do not grow any of your lilies near Tiger lilies as they have viruses to which the Tigers are immune but will kill your purchased lilies. Control aphids as they also spread viruses. Remove the flower's anthers (the several male parts) before they open to spread their pollen. If staining occurs, brush off lightly and treat with any stain remover or dish detergent and then launder as usual.
Lilies are great assets to any garden, the fragrance of the Orientals is divine, and they work beautifully on decks and patios.
Russell Studebaker is a professional horticulturist and garden writer in Tulsa and can be reached at
russell.studebaker@cox.net.
Original Print Headline: Lily bulbs grow well in garden containers
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