The author of the text is MSc. Barbara Bogacz
They have become a symbol of beauty in prehistory . For centuries the lilies seemed so perfect that they were only admired. So they were grown in the way that nature created them.
The genus Lilium has about 100 species of perennial bulbs.They grow in a strip stretching across the entire temperate zone, not reaching latitude 55˚ in the north, and enter the zone subtropical and tropical in the south (the further south, the higher in the mountains), avoiding dry steppe areas.
In Poland, two species grow on natural sites: the golden-headed lily Lilium martagon and the bulbous lily Lilium bulbiferum. They are completely protected by species. They can be found in the Tatra Mountains and the Sudetes. The white lily, Lilium candidum, known for several thousand years, is of course the oldest cultivated.In the 17th century only a few species of European lilies were known in Europe, in the 18th century a dozen or so (American and Asian) were grown, and in the 19th century about 60 species and varieties, mainly Asian ones, were brought to Europe.
Only in the 1920s and 1930s, after the discovery of lilies that easily reproduce from seeds (including the royal lily Lilium regale), the production of these beautiful plants became possible on a large scale. As a result of decades of competition between breeders, the symbol of virtue (as well as a medicinal plant grown in monastery courtyards) resulted in a number of varieties and extremely varied hybrids of lilies, grown not only in gardens, but also in greenhouses - for cut flowers and for pots.
The richness of hybrids and varieties forced breeders to create a special, practical classification.Lilies were divided into several groups: Asiatic hybrids (unrefined, early flowering), martagon, candidum (bloom in June), American, which winter very well in our conditions, trumpet (blooming in July-August), which require covering for the winter, and oriental hybrids (the most difficult and blooming in August-September) and longif.webplorum, which need to be excavated and stored for the winter in peat at 2˚C.
Lily requirements
Lilies grow best in sandy loam, humus-rich, loose and well-drained soils, with a groundwater level of 40-60 centimeters.Mineral fertilizer should be applied before planting bulbs and resuming vegetation in the spring.Asiatic, trumpet and candidum lilies like alkaline, others slightly acidic.The saying that the head of the lily should be in the sun and the legs in the cool is fully justified, because the bulbs and roots of this plant do not like overheating, therefore the substrate should be mulched with compost or bark.
Lilies can grow in one place for 2-3 years. They are transplanted from mid-September to another place. White lily is transplanted in August. A later date does not guarantee a good rooting of the plants.
Lily bulbs are not stored like other bulbs, tulips or hyacinths, because they are very delicate and are not protected by any husk.The planting depth depends on the size of the onion and should be twice its diameter.The exception is the white lily, the onion of which should only be covered with a 2-3 cm layer of soil. Before planting, the substrate should be thoroughly dug up to 40 centimeters deep, because also under the bulbs it must be plump and permeable.
Interestingly, lily bulbs are edible not only for humans (many species are used in the folk cuisine of the East), but also - unfortunately - for rodents.So let's plant them in metal baskets intended for bulbs.
