All About Lilies
Lilies are in full bloom along many of the county's roads and gardens, but beginning Friday a wide array also will be showcased indoors.
The mid-Atlantic Lily Society and the Ohio Lily Society will co-host the 63rd annual International Lily Convention through Sunday at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel and Convention Center in Marshall Township.
The groups are regional affiliates of the North American Lily Society. NALS holds an annual meeting and lily show each summer, hosted by a regional group.
Lily collectors and enthusiasts will come together for the convention, which includes a show of several hundred lily stems open to the public.
"This is the first time we're having the show in Western Pennsylvania," said NALS member and show manager Vijay Chandhok of Pittsburgh. "We picked Mars because it's a nice location and it's easy for everybody to get to."
Serious growers and weekend gardeners alike will enjoy learning about lilies, said Joe
Nemmer of Mercer, vice president of the Species Lily Preservation Group and a NALS board member."(Lilies) are very amicable to home gardens," Nemmer said. "There is a lily that will grow for anybody, anywhere."Lilies are temperate plants, having evolved in climates with seasonal changes, Nemmer said."The agricultural zones in Butler County range from Zone 6 to Zone 5 and that is a perfect climate for lilies," he said. "Pennsylvania is a good lily growing climate. You can't grow all lilies here, but I'm trying."Lily plants can be purchased, but most people start with bulbs, Nemmer said."What you want to look for is a big bulb, and you want to feel it and make sure that it's sound and it's plump and it's not soft," he said, adding that an unhealthy bulb also will look dehydrated.Bulbs should be planted in the autumn, Nemmer said."It gives them time to set down their roots," he said. "When you plant a bulb, it will bloom for you the following year."Lilies should be situated so they receive at least four hours of sunlight per day, he said."Most lilies prefer moisture-retentive, well-drained acidic soil and sunlight, but there are exceptions to every rule," Nemmer said. "There are lilies that will grow in basic or alkaline soil and there are lilies that will grow in shade."Western Pennsylvania's annual rainfall is usually sufficient, so lilies do not need much extra water here, he said."The bulbs can store moisture so they rarely need watering," said Nemmer, who typically only waters his plants during long dry spells.
Whether to use mulch is a personal choice, Nemmer said."If you plant your bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep, they should survive the freeze-thaw cycle of Western Pennsylvania winters," Nemmer said. "However, I like to mulch because it keeps weeds down and it helps retain the moisture in the soil."Nemmer's favorite gardening resource is the North American Lily Society's website, www.lilies.org."Even if you're not a member, you can log on there and it has intensive information on how to grow lilies, how to grow lilies from seed, commercial suppliers and an incredible photo gallery," he said.With a little advance planning, gardeners can have blooms from May to September."Most lilies will give you a good two weeks of bloom, and by planting different varieties, you can have a full season of lilies in your garden," he said.For those new to lily growing, Chandhok recommends a specific oriental-trumpet hybrid."I would say Scheherazade, which is almost indestructible," said Chandhok, who planted it after others recommended it. "Every year, it keeps coming back."Asiatics are another easy lily for beginners, Nemmer said."Novices like them because all of a sudden this big beautiful lily comes up and it shows them something for their work," he said.Trumpet lilies are next, he said."They get bigger but the best thing about them is that they can fragrance your whole garden," he said. "On warm summer evenings, the fragrance is just incredible."
Types of lilies are arranged into broad groups according to parentage and further classified by flower shape."There are nine divisions of lilies that are based on genetic compatibility and where they grew," Nemmer said.The divisions are:• <B>Asiatic Hybrids</B> (Division I) have smaller blooms (3 to 4 inches) with no fragrance and are available in bright shades of gold, yellow, orange, rose, pink and white.• <B>Martagon Hybrids </B>(Division II)<B> </B>are tall lilies with many little downturned flowers and whorled leaves. The flowers are most often yellow, white, pink, lavender, light orange or dark red, sometimes with spots.• <B>Candidum Hybrids </B>(Division III) includes hybrids of L. candidum with several other mostly European species; the division includes very few entries and is not often commercially-grown.• <B>American Hybrids </B>(Division IV) are native to North America. Bulbs are made up of jointed scales, and the blooms look like bouncy bright balloons on swinging curved pedicels.• <B>Longiflorum Hybrids </B>(Division V) are cultivated forms of this species and its subspecies, easily raised from seed but not particularly hardy in the garden.• <B>Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids </B>(Division VI) includes hybrids of many Asiatic species. Flowers are trumpet- shaped, facing outward or downward and tend to be strongly fragrant.• <B>Oriental Hybrids</B> (Division VII) are characterized by large blooms (6 to 8 inches) and are highly fragrant with red, purple, pink, or white flowers.• <B>Miscellaneous Hybrids </B>(Division VIII) are not provided for in any previous division, including crosses between divisions.• <B>Species lilies </B>(Division IX)<B> </B>are wild lilies. Native lilies occur in North America, Europe and Asia.Sources: www.lilies.org, www.wikipedia.org
<b>WHAT: </b>The 63rd annual International Lily Convention<b>WHEN: </b>Open to the public from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday,10 a.m. to 8p.m. Saturdayand 10 a.m. to 3p.m. Sunday<b>WHERE:</b> Sheraton Four Points Hotel and Convention Center, 910 Sheraton Drive, Marshall Township<b>COST: </b>Event is free and open to the public.<b>INFO: </b>For information, visit www.nals2010.org or www.lilies.org.
