How To Grow... Lilies

Oriental, Asiatic, trumpet or martagon: whatever your garden requires, the lily always delivers. Anne Swithinbank considers your options for vibrancy and structural impact

- Anne Swithinbank

SEDUCED by an offer or pictures in a catalog, gardeners who are new to lily growing might start with one or two bulbs. Strange objects, they are nothing like the smooth shape of a hyacinth or tulip bulb but consist of fleshy, overlapping scales. Planted thoughtfully in autumn or spring, lilies rarely fail to perform, and whether a sultry Turk’s cap or brash Asiatic, their large, showy blooms – often accompanied by a rich fragrance – will transform the summer garden, captivate their new owners and leave them wanting more.

There are perhaps a hundred lily species with a wide natural distribution, yet mostly found growing in woodland or scrubby places, where they always look most at home. In a garden, we can show them off in patio pots or herbaceous borders, but I always think they suit a mixed or bosky area best, their large flowers and glowing colors shown off by a backdrop of trees and shrubs. This is easy to achieve even in a tiny garden, with potted birch trees and ferns.

The great escapes…