Tiger lily maintenance and growth instructions.
The herbaceous perennial known as tiger lily, also known as Lilium lancifolium or Lilium tigrinum, develops from bulbs and has a slow to moderate rate of growth. The tiger lily is a plant that is native to Asia; nevertheless, it is not unheard of to find one in the United States.
You may anticipate flowers to appear on your tiger lily plants in the summer if you plant the bulbs in either autumn or spring. The plants feature long blooming stems and leaves that are arranged in a strappy pattern.
The flowers of the tiger lily have curled petals that are marked with black dots across their surface. Although orange is the most common hue for tiger lilies, there are a variety of other shades available as well, including yellow and red.
There is just one blooming period each year for tiger lilies. However, in contrast to the majority of lilies, they bloom more profusely, generating up to ten individual blossoms on per stalk. As long as plants are given the proper care, tiger lilies bloom again the following year.
The tiger lily is a beautiful flower, but its meaning is what makes it really unique. According to legend, the flower is said to symbolize prosperity, pride, and grandeur.
However, it is essential to point out that despite the fact that the blooms may be consumed, human beings should avoid coming into contact with the pollen. 1
Tiger lilies, on the other hand, are poisonous to cats but not to dogs or horses.
Care for the Tiger Lily
Your maintenance time commitment for tiger lilies should be rather low. The plants will continue to return year after year, and they will very certainly grow in numbers until they form clumps. It is also possible to cultivate these blooms in a cutting garden or in pots.
The trick is to plant your tiger lilies in a location that has sufficient drainage, since a soil that is always wet will cause the bulbs to rot.
After that, ensure that your lilies get consistent watering over the first few years of their lives until their root systems have fully developed. At then, they are able to handle mild drought better and are plants that need very little care after that point.
Plant With Tiger Lilies That Is Located In The Park
Photograph by Trista Sweeney; available on EyeEm and Getty Images
Flowers of the Stargazer lily, or Lilium ‘Stargazer,’ in full bloom in North Carolina, United States of America.
Light
Growing conditions that provide tiger lilies with around six hours or more of direct sunlight on most days are ideal for their cultivation. On the other hand, the growth conditions for these hardy examples do not need to be quite as precise as they are for many other types of blooming plants.
They are tolerant of some shade and may even thrive in conditions where they are protected from the intense heat of the afternoon sun.
Soil
You may need to modify the soil in your garden with compost or humus in order to guarantee that the bulbs will have enough drainage. It is also possible to increase drainage by mixing in sand, peat moss, or straw with the beds.
This will help the beds maintain the optimum amount of moisture. Aside from that, tiger lilies are tolerant of a wide range of soil types; nevertheless, the soil in which they thrive best is moderately rich and somewhat acidic.
Water
Tiger lilies have medium water demands. Even while mature plants are able to withstand some dryness, they still thrive best when they get constant hydration. If there is consistent precipitation in your region, it should be enough to satisfy their needs and keep their content.
If the soil is already somewhat dry, you will almost certainly need to water it on a frequent basis in order to keep it from becoming further drier.
Temperature as well as Relative Humidity
After the final frost of the winter, tiger lilies will resume their growth cycle, although they will remain dormant during the autumn and winter months. The temperature shouldn’t be a problem if you reside inside the USDA hardiness zones for the plant in question.
If the soil is kept at the proper moisture level, tiger lilies may thrive in both wet and dry settings.
They are able to withstand the high temperatures of the summer months provided that the bulbs have been planted at a depth that allows them to stay cool.
It is a good idea to place lower-growing annual or perennial plants close or around tiger lilies in order to prevent the roots of the tiger lilies from drying out when the weather is very hot.
Fertilizer
Tiger lilies don’t require much fertilizer. The plants should get all of the nutrients they need from an application of a layer of compost once or twice a year around the base of the plants. In order to prevent the roots from overheating during the hot summer months, mulch should be applied in the late spring.
You may apply a fertilizer with a ratio of 5-10-5 to induce greater blossoming on your plant. It is recommended to use an acidifying fertilizer while cultivating these plants on alkaline soils.
Varieties of the Tiger Lily
The well-known orange tiger lily is an example of a pure species that does not have any designated cultivars. However, L. lancifolium has been hybridized with other species in order to produce varieties of lilies that have blossoms of different colors, including red, pink, white, and yellow.
Most of the time, these cultivars do not have names attached to them; nonetheless, they always feature dots that are either black or brown and strongly curl backward on the petals. It has been discovered that no other species of lily has both of these qualities at the same time.
Within the Lilium genus, there are also a large number of additional closely related species as well as hybrids. To our good fortune, not all of them blossom at the same time. Instead, they spread their vivid hues and flamboyant flower forms out throughout the months of June, July, and August.
Because of this, gardeners who want a vivid array of flowers during the summer months may count on them to be valuable partners. According to the official categorization system,
there are nine separate groups of lilies, however, the majority of gardeners will find that these three species of lilies are sufficient to meet their requirements:
Asiatic hybrids: These lilies typically bloom during the months of June and July, producing flowers in a variety of colors including red, orange, yellow, white, and pink.
These are very hardy plants that need little attention to develop and may quickly reproduce and spread once established. In the official categorization system for lilies, these flowers are included in the first division.
Easter lilies, also known as Longiflorum hybrids, are the kind of lilies that are often coaxed into blooming early in containers and used for Easter and other early spring events.
Midsummer is the typical time for flowering for these types of plants, regardless of whether they are grown in the ground or in containers. These lilies are classified in Division 5,4 and have trumpet-shaped blossoms that are bright white in color.
Oriental hybrids: Oriental hybrids, which include the well-known stargazer lily, often start flowering in the middle to latter part of summer and have enormous blossoms in a variety of vibrant hues.
These are considerably more sensitive plants than the Asiatic lilies, and the bulbs may lose their strength after a few years, which means they will need to be replanted after that time period.
However, the flowers are breathtaking, and many of them have an exotic aroma that is nearly as captivating as their appearance. The official categorization system places oriental lilies in Division 7 of its tree-like structure.
Pruning
The vegetation on the bottom parts of the stalks will be the first to lose its color (in late summer). If the plants are growing in the rear row of a garden bed, the yellow leaves won’t be as visible as they otherwise would be.
After the leaves have all turned yellow in the late autumn, clip the stalks so that they are flush with the ground and then throw them away.
Propagating Tiger Lilies
Tiger lilies are not officially recognized as an invasive species; nevertheless, they do have the potential to become such and may spread quickly if given the chance.
You may multiply your lilies either via the use of bulbils, which are miniature bulbs that develop on the parent plant, or by the division of the bulbs themselves.
You should try to have this done in the spring before the new growth begins for the season, but if you live in a warmer region, you may also split the plants in the autumn. How to do it:
When the plant is dormant, it should be dug out carefully in its entirety.
To separate the individual bulbs, separate them carefully.
You should replant each bulb as a single plant, ensuring that the pointed end is facing upward.
At the axils of the leaves along the stem of the plant, bulbils develop. You should remove the bulbils and then throw them away if you want there to be as little spread as possible.
Or, if you want to start other plants from this one, you may carefully separate the bulbils and plant them in individual containers. It will be a further year before the bulbbils are mature enough to produce flowers.
How to Germinate a Tiger Lily Seed and Grow It
Growing tiger lilies from their seeds, also known as bulbils, is a simple process. They may be put in the ground in the autumn after they have reached maturity on their parent plant, or in the spring, once the threat of frost has gone and the soil has warmed up.
Plant each bulbil with the roots facing downward, anywhere between 0.5 and 1 inch deep.
The area needs to be illuminated by strong, indirect light. Maintain a mild moisture level in the soil without making it waterlogged.
The development of new roots will take place during the course of the winter, and as the weather begins to warm up in the spring, new leaf growth will begin.
Putting Tiger Lilies in Pots and Repotting Them
When cultivating tiger lilies in pots, it is important to have a container that is at least 8 inches wide and deep, and has drainage holes.
Clay that has not been glazed is an excellent choice for the material of a container since it allows excess moisture to evaporate through its walls. Make use of a potting mix that is of high quality and has good drainage.
It is quite probable that every couple of years you will need to repot your plant or split it. If you observe roots sprouting out of the drainage holes or popping above the soil level,
this is an excellent indicator that your plant is root-bound and needs to be moved to a larger pot. To report the plant, carefully pry it loose from its previous container.
Place it at the same depth in the new pot, but be sure to leave a couple of inches of space between the root ball and the wall of the container. The fresh potting mix should be used to fill up the space surrounding it.
Overwintering
During the winter, tiger lilies will be in a dormant state. The bulbs are hardy enough to withstand temperatures as low as freezing when planted in the ground, but for further insulation, their planting place should be covered with a few inches of mulch.
Also, make sure that the area where the bulbs are going to be planted does not get soggy at any point since dormant bulbs need very little water.
Pests and diseases that are often seen on plants
Tiger lilies are a hardy species that are not particularly prone to the development of diseases. On the other hand, they are known to carry viruses like the lily mosaic virus, which may cause damage to other kinds of lilies.
If you have any reason to think that this plant or its bulbs are infected, you should remove and dispose of them immediately. (It should not be added to your compost bin.)
Both lily leaf beetles (Lilioceris lilii) and aphids have the potential to cause significant damage to lily plants. If you see that the leaves of your plants are being damaged, you should cure them as soon as possible.
How to Activate the Flowering of a Tiger Lily
Every year, between the middle and the end of summer, tiger lilies put on their show of blossoming color, making them one of the plants that bloom the last. Even though the flowers with vivid orange spots only bloom once a year, the bloom time may go all the way until the beginning of September.
The practice of deadheading, also known as the removal of spent flowers, is not required, although it might assist to extend the bloom period of the plant. If this is not the case, you should simply continue to monitor the plant’s hydration levels while it is in bloom.
The Most Frequent Issues With Tiger Lily
When grown in conditions that are favorable to them, tiger lilies usually do quite well. However, if the circumstances are not right, they could have some difficulties.
Changing of the Leaves to Yellow
Yellowing leaf on your tiger lily is often an indication that the plant has been overwatered or that it does not have enough drainage. An overall drooping aspect or the absence of flowers are additional potential indications that there is an excess of moisture.
Between waterings, you should let the top few inches of the soil dry out completely. If this doesn’t do the job, you may have to dig up your bulbs and amend the soil to enhance drainage. This will be necessary if this doesn’t work.
FAQ
Do tiger lilies need a lot of maintenance?
Once the bulbs have been planted, tiger lilies are relatively low care and can tolerate a certain amount of drought.
How quickly do tiger lilies mature into adulthood?
If you plant the lily bulbs in the autumn or the spring, you may anticipate seeing flowers somewhere between the middle and the end of summer.
Can tiger lilies grow indoors?
In a container, a tiger lily may thrive even when grown inside. Just make sure that the soil is wet, but don’t let the pot sit in water for an extended period of time or the bulb may rot.
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