Lilium species
Family: Liliaceae
What it is like
Lilium species is a BULB growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
A group of garden hybrids of uncertain parentage.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Bulb - cooked. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes. The flavour can range from very mild to very bitter
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun. Protect against slugs in early spring, if the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour. Bulbs are best planted out into their permanent positions in early to mid-autumn in cool temperate zones and up to late autumn in warmer areas, this allows them to become established before new top growth commences in spring.
Propagating it: Seed. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame. The seed should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people prefer to leave them in the seed pot until they die down at the end of their second years growth. This necessitates sowing the seed thinly and using a reasonably fertile sowing medium. The plants will also require regular feeding when in growth. Divide the young bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 in each pot, and grow them on for at least another year before planting them out into their permanent positions when the plants are dormant. Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately. Bulb scales can be removed from the bulbs in early autumn. If they are kept in a warm dark place in a bag of moist peat, they will produce bulblets. These bulblets can be potted up and grown on in the greenhouse until they are large enough to plant out.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Bulb
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist