Monthly Archives :

July 2019

Oriental Lilies

Oriental Lilies 1000 1000 windermere

Lilies – Oriental/Asiacit (Lilium) Perennial, zone 4-8, Full Sun

Everyone loves lilies, they have an elegance that is unsurpassed. With their large, bright, showy trumpet like blooms and options of many varieties and colours. By planting a blend of early, mid-season and late blooming varieties you can enjoy these beautiful flowers from spring to fall. Some lilies can be very fragrant and some have no fragrance at all. They can grow up to 2 – 4 feet tall, with some speciality types growing up to 6 feet tall, returning with more to enjoy each year.

Lilies are very easy to care for, they need well drained soil and 6 – 8 hours of sun per day. If it is too shady they become spindly and can fall over as they try to lean towards the sun. The blooms should be deadheaded as the flowers fade, this helps the plant not waste energy making seeds. It is important not to cut back the stem and leaves until the fall when they have turned brown and died off for the season. The leaves help provide nourishment to the bulb for the next season.

They are often used in floral arrangements and bouquets. They have healing and softening properties by extracting the oil. The oil can be used in baths, after baths, for massage, as a facial moisturizer, for babies, hot oil treatment, dry elbows, feet or cuticles and as under-eye oil. It works wonders for very sensitive skin.

Peonies

Peonies 1229 819 windermere

Peony (Paeonia) Perennial, zone 3-8, full sun

 Peonies are loved for their delicate, beautiful, fluffy spring blooms and lush foliage that lasts all summer long. Peony plants will grow up to 3-4 feet high and up to 3 feet wide. They are usually very fragrant with some varieties fragrance more moderate than others and can thrive for up to 100 years. They are deer resistant, however you may notice a lot of ants on your peony buds, they won’t harm the plant. The ants are attracted to the buds sweet sap and will disappear once it has bloomed. Blooms will last for up to ten days, to help them last longer plant them in a space that will provide a bit of shade during the heat of mid-day.

Most Peonies will need support during blooming time, as the big gorgeous blooms are sometimes heavy and can cause the stems to break. To avoid this install a support such as a peony/tomato cage or stakes and garden twine. To avoid damaging your peony the cage should be positioned in place in the early spring, when the peony starts poking out of the ground.

When the Peony is finished blooming for the season and the petals have faded it is advised to deadhead/cutback the dead blooms. The foliage will stay nice and full for the remainder of the season and will allow the plant to save energy to increase growth for next season. Once the first fall frost has killed off the foliage, then the plant should be cut back to ground level.