'Willpower & sheer idiocy combine in harmony'
Sky-high flower spikes ideal for vertical designing
FOXTAIL lilies (Eremurus) are always a reminder of RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
They're a mainstay of designers who want vertical accents in white or copper (Cleopatra) - slender spikes of pale orange flowers above strap-shaped, bluish-green leaves.
Each flower spike has hundreds of flowers which open from the bottom upwards.
They thrive in the sunniest spots, especially if the base of the plant isn't shaded. They're hardy, but poor-draining soil will finish them off. Add organic material and grit to improve the drainage.
They will grow in light shade, but need the sun to develop strong stems - and try and avoid a windy area.
Cleopatra grows to 1.5m, but white Eremurus robustus reaches 3m, so shelter is a good idea.
Planting
YOU usually find Eremurus in bulb catalogues - but they're weird creatures - like massive dead spiders.
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Plant the roots into a hole that is 5 to 6" deep and 10-12" across, on a bed of grit/sand in heavy soil, fanning them out and pointing them slightly downwards. Space plants about a foot apart.
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Advice varies between planting the central crown 4-6cm below the soil level, or making sure it's above the surface.
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After planting, water well, gently soaking the soil and settling it around the roots.
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Root growth will begin in the autumn, as will top growth if you live in milder areas.
Caring for foxtail lilies
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WHEN flowering has finished, trim off the flower spikes but leave the foliage in place, like most bulbs, to fatten up for next season. Water well once a week in spring/summer until established.
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By midsummer, the leaves will yellow and die back as the plant becomes dormant, when it can be removed. Fresh growth will appear again in autumn or spring, depending on your climate.
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In September every three to five years, carefully lift and divide congested clumps. Replant the strongest crown on a layer of sharp grit, spreading out the roots and covering them with a thin (5cm/2in) layer of soil.
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If you live in a frost-prone areas, cover with a dry mulch of fern leaves.
Growing the exotic blooms of lilies
Not gritty molehills, just a mulch of gravel so I can see where they are and to deter cats digging in the soil.
Planting lilies in pots
GREAT, but over by the second half of July - Thompson & Morgan's Bouquet Collection Asiatic lilies.
They produce up to 20 clustered blooms per stem, so are ideal as cut flowers.
As they work well in pots, here's how to plant them:
In spring or early autumn, place a 5cm (2in) layer of crocks at the bottom of the pot. Plant single large bulbs (10-12cm (4-5in) diameter) into 20-23cm (8-9in) pot, or plant three to four smaller bulbs (5-8cm (2-3in) diameter) into 23-25cm (9-10in) containers.
Allow 5cm (2in) between bulbs and use only deep pots. Asiatic hybrids, like mine, root from the base of the bulb only - plant at a depth equal to the height of the bulb.
L. formosanum, L. lancifolium and L. longiflorum, produce roots from the stems, so plant these two-and-a-half times the height of the bulb.
Multipurpose compost is OK, as is John Innes No 3, with a handful of horticultural grit added. Add granules of a controlled-release fertiliser.
Lime-hating L. auratum and L. speciosum need ericaceous compost.
Feed with a tomato fertiliser every fortnight during summer.
In larger containers, lilies can be grown on for a second season in the same pot, but refresh the top 5cm (2in) of compost and feed well.
In milder areas, many lilies will be hardy and can be left outside, but wrap the containers in bubble wrap in colder areas. In very cold areas, keep containers in frost-free sheds until spring.
To order the T&M bulbs, which cost £9.99 for six, £14.99 for 12, or £19.99 for 24, log on to http://bit.ly/1B8pbEd
T&M's Bouquet Collection Asiatic lilies.
Pollen-free trial Oriental lily
FOR 2016 I'm trialling a new oriental lily from Vernons, Rose Elena.
This metre-tall lily is pollen-free, double-flowering and very long lasting, so I'm told. It's sugar-pink with a gentle sugary fragrance.
For details on planting in pots, see below.
It flowers in July/August and is suitable for sun or semi shade, and costs £9.99 for five, visit www.vernonplants.com for more information.
LOVE the original Chloe perfume? Dior's 1980s favourite Poison or Juicy Couture's eponymous scent? Then you need to grow tuberoses.
They're not roses - they're part of the lily family and have white, waxy stems of blooms that produce the most intoxicating fragrance.
I spent months touring around beauty departments and perfumeries, to buy something that captured that scent in my conservatory. However, tuberose can't be synthesised successfully and is notoriously difficult to wear. It needs to be moderated by other things on the skin.
I nearly succumbed to Fracas, when Madonna's Truth or Dare was recommended. I usually hate celebrity perfumes, but this one's worth looking out for - a white floral with a balance of gardenia, neroli, tuberose and vanilla - and a good price.
Intoxicating tuberose
Crown fritillaries
Which sadly smells like foxes, dope & cat's wee
THANKS to red lily beetles in the garden, it's curtailed where I grow my crown imperials (fritillaries) - they eat them too. As I don't want to encourage the little red perils and their excrement-covered larvae, one tip was to grow lilies and fritillaries in pots, changing the soil every winter.
Fritillaria imperialis Red blooms from March-April, on tall stems 3ft high, with showy, exotic flowers and a green pineapple-like topknot.
Crown imperials are tall plants for bulbs at a metre, so need to be planted deeply - a good six inches down.
The bulb is formed with the stem emerging from a depression, so some people advise planting it on its side, to prevent water causing rot at the top.
They require full sun for best growth, and sandy, well-drained soil.
After flowering and complete drying of the leaves, the stems should be cut off just above the ground. The only downside is the smell, variously described as foxy, musky, dope or cat's wee.
You can't have everything...
Crown imperials' looks aren't matched by their perfume.
Grow at a glance: foxtail lily
POSITION: full sun.
SOIL: fertile, sandy, well-drained, including alkaline.
RATE OF GROWTH: fast.
FLOWERING PERIOD: June and July.
HARDINESS: fully hardy.
DON'T: Plant in containers - they don't like their roots disturbed.