Early summer means lilies here at this Small Garden, and lots of them. These are Asiatic lilies (Lilium), not to be confused with the daylilies (Hemerocallis) which are just getting started or the Oriental lilies (also in the Lilium family) which bloom in July and August. I always think the Asiatics look like floral fireworks, their exurberant star-shaped blooms bursting across a mostly green backdrop.
I have lilies in both the perennial borders and the cutting garden. They vary a bit in persistence – some come back strong each year while others slowly disappear and eventually need to be replaced. They make fabulous bouquets – two or three stems are often all you need – but cutting the stems too long reduces the amount of foliage left to renew the bulb for next year, so they often must be replaced every year or two (depending on the variety) They’re well worth it though, the very embodiment of easy summer living.
