Easy Summer Bulbs: Lilies

"Elise" is a later-blooming look-alike, but has pale green ribs on the back of her flared petals.

"Silk Road" is taller than I am, reaching over 6 feet by July's end and has deep red wine and white flowers the size of small baseball mitts. I was converted to the gaudily striped flowers late in my lily career, as my rather puritanical tastes had run to the simple and restrained. But one year a massive bulb was included in my order from The Lily Garden, as a bonus, and I planted it.

She is an exotic, statuesque beauty who needs plenty of space for her roots (I have three in a 24" deep and round pot), and whose sexy anthers and stamens are half the reason I keep this plant. Part of me finds her just too much, over the top. The other half keeps coming back for another look.


For very late summer, the whiskery "Dunyazade" is very reliable, rising to 6 feet and blooming in August. Having dinner outdoors with the scent of these lilies overhead is quite special. They seem to last exceptionally long after opening and manage to stay fresh through the deep, sticky heat of a Brooklyn summer. The color-detail on their petals is riveting.

For container gardens, most lily bulbs can be planted in pots 16" deep and across. My "Silk Road" bulbs are in a pot 24" deep, as they are large with hefty stems needing depth for anchorage. Whether potted or in-ground, cover the lily bulbs with 4" - 5" of soil. Excellent drainage is required, and at least five hours of direct sunlight. Apart from daily watering (in pots, which absorb no ground water) I have found lilies to be relatively worry-free.

After the lilies have flowered, leave the stems and leaves in place until the lower leaves start to turn yellow. Then you can cut them back to the ground. The leaves are needed to make food for the bulb to store for the following year's flowers. You will notice that new shots are sent up after a couple of years from bulbils that have grown from the mother bulb. Lilies propagate easily and give an excellent return on your original investment.

And not many investment spay off this beautifully!