Tiger Lilies Flowers

Many varieties of lilies put on a show in the garden

Lilies are a wonderful flower to adorn your garden. Because there are many different kinds of lilies available, I have them blooming somewhere in the garden from May until August.

Lilies can be grown in pots or among flowering plants. They love to have their roots shaded and their heads in some sun. When planted among annuals or perennials, they get just that. To make an impressive show, it is good to plant them in groups of three or more of the same variety.

A lily comes from a bulb that is scaly in appearance and needs to be handled with care so the fleshy sides don't break off. The lily bulb does not go dormant like other bulbs, but it can be held in cold storage for several months. I plant mine in the fall when I receive them from a mail order catalog or when I find them in a specialty store. Because they are not dormant, I take care to make sure I purchase them from a company or store that has handled them properly, not letting them dry out.

Lily bulbs need to be planted eight to 10 inches deep. I always use a shovel when planting and not a trowel. I want to make sure my hole is deep enough to plant them correctly. In recent years I have planted my bulbs in permatil (a sharp rock) because I have a problem with voles eating them. I have heard of people planting their bulbs in three- gallon pots and sinking the pots in the ground when they have a vole problem, but I have not tried this.

Lilies come in a range of colors, with varying shapes and sizes. They also can span several months of bloom time. I have some type of lily blooming in the garden almost all summer long.

The first lilies to bloom in my garden are the Asiatic hybrid lilies. These lilies are very hardy and have been bred to thrive in a range of soils. They produce a sturdy stem, and the ones I have grown are all soft pastel colors from yellow and orange to pink, with some shades in between.

Next to bloom are the Orienpets, which are relatively new to the market. They are crosses between the trumpet lilies and Oriental lilies and have proven to be exceptionally tall and extremely showy.

Hybrid tiger lilies start blooming and overlap with the Orienpets. The cream-colored tiger lilies come first and are followed by the traditional orange tiger lilies. As these orange hybrids are fading, the species tiger lilies come to life. The species tiger lilies have petals that are curled backward and are taller and have more blooms on each stalk. They are really spectacular.

Inspired by: Tiger Lilies

You have one week to complete a piece of jewelry inspired by the weekly theme. We are going to move from Tuesday to Tuesday from now on - my Monday's are a little too crazy right now!
The entries have to be created this week - you can finish something you've already started, but the purpose of the challenge is to inspire you to make something new related to the challenge!

Anything goes, it can include Humblebeads or not, art beads or whatever you have in your stash. It's up to you and however the inspiration strikes you for that week.

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