Lilies – Queens of the catwalk…
Posted on | August 10, 2010 | 2 Comments
Twilight at the Exotic Garden
EDP article for Saturday 14th Aug 2010
Over the past weeks the garden has been pervaded with the luxuriant and highly intoxicating scent of Brugmansia more commonly known as Angels Trumpets. These delectably over the top plants tend to flower in a six week cycle so mine are now having a well earned rest before having another mass blooming in a few weeks time. They are gross feeders, so when planting out in the ground or containers I always put a good layer of well rotted manure at the base of each plant which rewards me with luxuriant growth and flowers – If you haven’t done this or want to give them a boost, you can give them a feed now. Liberally spread several handfuls of pelted chicken manure around each plant to keep the foliage nice and green, otherwise they tend to go yellow at this time of year – they are greedy plants that reward you if their every need is catered for. The biggest show of the year for most Brugmansias is in October when the weather is cooling down; mirroring the temperatures they have in their native habitats in the Andes.
Thinking of decadent flowers – all my lilies are now coming into full bloom with equally intoxicating perfume. I just love Lilies as they are so over the top and almost brash in their exuberant beauty. I have several containers around the front of the house to give maximum effect and fragrance to assail my nostrils whenever I pass them. I always have ‘Stargazer’, a stunning lily created in 1978 by Leslie Woodriff, a lily breeder in California. He aptly called the new cross ‘Stargazer’, because the blooms faced towards the sky. This gem grows to about 1m (3ft) tall, topped with striking 18cm (7ins) wide blooms with white, red, and pink spotted petals.
I have gone overboard this year with even more pots of ‘Casa Blanca’ which is widely regarded by gardeners as the best white Oriental Lily available. Like the sun-bleached walls of Morocco, the pure white ‘Casablanca’ lily has stature and character that stands out above all others in the border, in fact I think they look at their best as the light diminishes, drifting into the shadows of late evening when they stand out like beacons, radiating with their intense perfume.
I have tried to keep on top of the annual Lily beetle infestation by collecting all that I see and stamping on them, but unfortunately some get through when I’m not so vigilant, chewing the edges of the leaves and flowers – the little rascals!
So many plants are coming into flower in the garden this month it is a veritable riot of colour – The perennial Lobelias for instance are now reaching their peak. These decadent flowering plants enjoy the same moist soil conditions as primroses, but because my soil can become rather dry at times, I grow them in pots that can be regularly soaked. I have a beautiful unnamed red form that looks sublime at the moment with 1m (3ft) stems with rich green foliage and pillars of large red flowers. They can also be found in shades ranging from purple to pale pink and all the colours in-between.
Probably one of the most well known of this type is Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’ which has stunning spikes of scarlet, five-petalled flowers on tall dark stems with equally dark, brownish-purple foliage. For sheer size though, the noble Lobelia tupa from Chile is a must. It is so architectural it deserves isolation in a large container or planted in a drift on its own. It is a hardy Lobelia growing up to 1.8m (6ft) tall. From large rosettes of thick leathery greyish-green felted leaves arise thick red stems carrying tropical looking well-spaced orchid-like deepest carmine flowers, through high summer.
One plant that always takes the eye of visitors to the garden at this time of year is Amicia zygomeris, a rather beautiful plant in its own way. I have often read that this member of the pea family is not hardy, in this garden though it has taken the harshest of winters, only to spring back from the ground with great vigour in April once the ground has started to warm up. This sturdy perennial has stems that rise up to 2m (7ft) or more by the end of the season, clothed in pairs of roughly heart-shaped mid-green leaves. The flowers are hidden in curious purse-like capsules, coloured beige with rosy veining that look slightly papery. These capsules conceal the flowers tantalisingly for a couple of months, then in mid-autumn yellow Sweet pea like blooms emerge to brighten the shortening days. Another trait of this plant is that as evening approaches the leaves droop and close together like praying hands only to pop open again when morning arrives.
Oh what joys there are to be had in the garden at this delightful time of year, with so many plants coming into flower and the myriad shades of green that greet the eye around every corner – I just wish our summers were longer…
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch'
On another note, I would like to mention a dear friend of mine exoticist extraordinaire Paul Spracklin of Oasis Designs is giving an illuminated talk at Urban Jungle, Ringland Lane, Old Costessey, Norwich at 5pm this Sunday 15th Aug on his many adventures in Mexico searching for rare and wonderful cacti and succulents including some that will stand our English winters. For more information on this event, please have a look at Urban Jungles website www.urbanjungle.uk.com for more information. Tickets will also be available on the day.
A small section of Paul Spracklin’s xerophytic garden in Essex
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2 Responses to “Lilies – Queens of the catwalk…”
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August 11th, 2010 @ 6:22 am
The garden really does look fabulous! Heavenly scents, pity we cant ’scratch n sniff’ the computer screen!
It would be a wonderful time of year to have a tour around for any one with impaired vision, i am sure all delicious smells of the garden would give a wonderful insight into whats around them.
Brilliant
August 17th, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
Hi Jane – it certainly is scratch-and-sniff here as everything looks blooming marvellous with intoxicating scents and oodles of tactile plants…