Growing Day Lilies

America’s “Ditch Lily” or Day Lily
The Tiger Lily (lilium tigrinum) known also as a Day Lily, grows large beautiful fiery orange flowers. It is of the oriental variety. The name tiger probably comes from the brown spots all over the flower. It is also called the “ditch lily” as it is found growing in ditches across americana. It is easy to grow these wild flowers, they are content in nature or at home in a flower garden. The Tiger Lily grows in tuberous groups.
The plant flowers in July and August. Tiger lilies have a strong sweet smell, there are two varieties of tiger lilies, Oriental and Wildflower. The Oriental variety is is a bulb that multiplies through the leaf. The wildflower variety is a tuberous root. The tiger lily is known by a wide variety of names all over the world.
Planting Day Lilies
Day Lilies can be planted from spring until late August. Soak the roots for an hour or so in water that is cool, but not cold before planting. If you have liquid fertilizer, then add to water before planting. Be careful not to over soak, an hour should be sufficient, plant new plants within a few hours. If you can’t plant right away dig a hole, put the plants in it, and cover lightly with dirt. This is called heeling.
Set plants 2 feet apart. Dig a hole for each one, 2 feet in diameter and 18 inches deep. If you have compost, dried manure, peat moss, or other organic matter; mix it with the soil you remove. Set the plants at the proper depth, Add soil around the plants and press firmly in place.
Day lilies do best in full sun and not very well in shade or water logged soil. They like loamy soil best with good drainage. They will spread and multiply and surprise you every year with new additions.
They are really suitable for any kind of landscape. They are drought resistant, disease and insect free, thrive in full to partial shade, and in most garden soils, and they multiply and spread. Brightening your landscape doesn't get easier! That is why day lilies have been called the perfect perennial. Water plants every other day for a week or two after planting. Water once a week until you is sure they are well established.
Developing seed pods full of seeds takes a lot of energy from the plant. It is a good idea to pick off any developing seed pods.
Some Facts worth Remembering Concerning the Tiger Lily:
• Edible and are most often found in Asian dishes
• Are medicinal, relieve congestion, nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
• They have six stamens (composed of anthers and filaments), one pistil (composed of the stigma, style and ovary), a long style, and a three-lobed stigma.
• The tiger lily carries a carrier of viral disease so keep it away from other lilies and is toxic to cats.
• Native Americans ate the tuberous roots, baking them as you would potatoes.
Caring for the Tiger Lily
When sprouts emerge in spring, feed with a good all-purpose (balanced) fertilizer. It Seeds itself through the bulbs that produce onto the leaves. The bulbils can then be removed and new bulbs started in peat moss in a cool dry place until they are ready to be planted in the garden.
In conclusion, the tiger lily is easy to care for and only needs fertilizer in the poorest of soil conditions to thrive. They are prone to slugs and beetles, so it’s best to grow Tiger Lilies in raised pots to keep the slugs or beetles at a distance. Mulch your lilies lightly to preserve the moisture. Set bulbs four to six inches deep, 12 to 14 inches apart. Good bulbs should have abundant roots attached. After plants bloom, remove dead flowers and unwanted seed pods, but do not destroy the stem. Let it ripen as normally as possible so that the bulb has the strength for energy to be stored for next year's growth.