Lilies in pots
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: Lilies in pots
- From: A* L*
- Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 09:41:48 -0800
Hi, Donna - happy to tell you what works for me. First, the bulbs only
need to be planted 6 inches deep or so, but the extra room allows for
good root growth and drainage to keep the bulbs from sitting in wet
soil. In a 24 inch pot, you can have quite an arrangement. In general,
my potted lilies get morning sun only, up to about 1:00 pm., and the
coreopsis bloom their little heads off. In hot summers, the Orientals
seem to do best with a little afternoon shade - blooms don't fade as
fast and of course the pots don't dry out as fast either. Some lilies
need staking in pots, some don't. I put 2-3 foot stakes in the pot
as I plant the bulbs, just in case.
Plants I've used in these pots include trailing ivies, Persian Shield
(Strobilanthes - wonderful purply-silver leaves, gets about 2 feet
tall), coleus (small trailing kinds), grasses, Ipomoea, Helichrysum,
dwarf lavenders, Plectranthus argentatus (big fuzzy silvery leaves,
gets about 2 feet or more), small trailing verbenas, feverfew, small
grey artemesias, petunias, and snapdragons (not all at once,
of course!).
The combinations you have in mind sound lovely as well. For the Lollypop
lilies (I have some that have lived in a barrel unprotected through the
open winters for four years), I have feverfew and coreopsis with it, and
I usually add a red petunia or two. But I prefer Orientals in pots
more than Asiatics, since the Asiatics are over too early, whereas the
Orientals are in bud for weeks before they bloom and you get that
wonderful sense of anticipation.
The blue annual salvias would look pretty with the Casablanca and
'Moonbeam', and you could throw in a salmon-leaved coleus to punch it
up if you like brighter colors. I don't put in big bloomers like
geraniums with lilies since I don't want the fillers to compete with
the lily blooms, which are the stars - but that's only my preference.
I've seen white lilies in big pots with minature pink roses, gray
helichrysum, and purple-blue petunias that were to die for.
And I would add some good fertilizer, like Osmocote 14-14-14, to a
big pot like yours in order to support all the plants through the
season - but not a lot of it. Anyway, I have no full sun areas, so all
of my pots are in at least half shade and everything performs just fine.
One more thing: since lily bulbs should be planted early, I put the
bulbs in pots in April then add the more tender stuff in May - your
climate may permit you to plant everything at once. Let us know how
your pots turn out!
Anne - Chicago
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