Page 22 - Silver Lakes February Issue 2023

Oriental lilies March lily
BEAUTIFUL, BOUNTIFUL LILIES

By Elize Malan

ot all lilies are from the family point for the flower. The flower bud is in will grow into zebra-striped caterpillars.
Liliaceae, but the average gardener the centre and emerges as the plant grows. They can destroy the plant and the bulb
Nis not a botanist. The plants are within days. Organic insecticide products
incorrectly regarded as old-fashioned and Well-drained soil and six hours of sunlight such as Biogrow Neudosan give effective
fussy. will produce optimum flowers. control.

Lilies have a long flowering season, usually Oriental lilies that grow more than a metre Once established in your garden, the
in summer, and the flowers come in a wide tall make regal plants for the back of a following indigenous lilies will reward you
variety of colours. The majority are fragrant mixed border. Smaller Asiatic lilies provide with an extravagant floral performance
and make excellent cut flowers. a patch of colour in early summer between at least once a year.
groundcovers.
Most species grow from a bulb that is Scadoxus (blood lily) is usually deciduous,
considered a modified root. The structure Common pests that attack lilies are lily leaf but the fluffy head of bright red flowers
carries the complete life cycle of the plant beetles, which chew holes in the leaves, in late summer is a winner. The plant
within. They all have a base plate from and the dreaded lily borer. The larvae prefers partial shade and grows well in
where the roots emerge and a top growth hatch from eggs laid by a white moth and compost-enriched soil under trees. The

Scadoxus Lilies

20 | INTRAMUROS FEBRUARY 2023