Lilies have to be one of the most spectacular families of flowering bulbs around, and the vast majority are fairly simple to grow in our often fickle climate. I have had a very long love affair with lilies dating way back to when I first met one, quite literally, eye to eye, as a small child.

The memory of that love-at-first-sight meeting is permanently etched in my brain — the interior of a richly scented, blazing orange, speckled with chocolate brown, trumpet in which a black and yellow bumble bee, fuzzy with golden pollen dust, buzzed and bumbled merrily as it worked.

As soon as I was allocated my very own patch of garden — six feet length at one end of a flower border — my first request was for lily bulbs. Unfortunately, as these were expensive at the time, I had to settle for a packet of Virginia stock seeds instead which, with all the enthusiasm a five-year-old could muster, were diligently sown

These flowers may take a long time to bloom but they are well worth the wait

and grown with love.

It wasn’t until another 10 years had passed that I was finally able to indulge in buying lily bulbs of my own. Once I discovered how easy they are to grow from seed, it was definitely a case of ‘the more the merrier’!

Things to know before planting

Lilies are morning sun lovers but perfectly happy in light shade: if shade is too dense, the stems, even if supported, will grow towards the light and become ‘top heavy’. They perform best in humus-rich, well-draining soil that is on the acidic side. While soil must be well-draining, lilies do require plenty of moisture, especially when developing buds and throughout the flowering stage.

Lily bulbs should be available in the market over the next few weeks. While they are always on the expensive side, large-sized (therefore of flowering-size) bulbs are well worth the initial investment. Large-sized bulbs, after flowering, will make nice fat seed pods which, in time, will give you lots and lots of papery, thin seeds. These can be sown in early autumn and have the capacity to bear their first flowers within two to three years. This may sound like a long time but — and this I swear by — the wait is worth it.

How and when to plant

Plant nice, fat lily bulbs at a depth equal to twice the height/length of the bulb. They need to be planted this deep as the additional layers of cooling mulch, during the heat of the summer, helps to keep the bulbs from drying out and spoiling. However, don’t be tempted to think that planting them in a damp spot is doing them a favour as the bulbs rot in overly wet conditions; hence, the need for excellent drainage.

Lilies, especially tall, growing ones, look great when planted in clusters amongst other, preferably smaller, plants and also do very well in large clay pots.

Plant bulbs six to 12 inches apart, depending on the size of the bulb and expected growing height, or you can just plant one bulb per 10 or 14-inch clay pot.

In perfect growing conditions, lilies should be left in the soil all year round — they dislike being disturbed anyway, so that they can multiply with ease. Along with being prolific seed producers, some species also produce ‘bulbils’ (baby bulbs) at the point where each leaf is attached to the main stem. Bulbils can be potted, just slightly under the surface of top quality compost, and grown until they reach a reasonable size. They can then be transplanted out into the garden or into suitable containers.

The best times to sow seeds is in the autumn. Press the seeds slightly into the surface of good compost — so that the grass-like shoots, which are very tender, have time to toughen up before the onset of summer. Germination can take anywhere from three weeks to three months on average although some species can take as long as six months before deciding to grow.

Species to buy

The species most at home in our climate include:

Lilium asiaticum or Asiatic lilies. These are usually three to four feet tall and bear lots of glorious trumpet-shaped flowers in colours such as white, clear yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, claret and all the shades in-between. Asiatic lilies tend to have a light — if any — perfumed scent.

Lilium orientalis or Oriental lilies grow from two to 10 feet tall, often with over-powering fragrance. The flowers are both single-coloured and bi-coloured and look glorious.

Lilium martagon or Turks cap lilies are of medium height, clump forming lilies which produce masses of rather small, downward facing flowers with curved petals (hence the common name Turks cap). Available in many colours, some are beautifully scented, others not so.

Lilium candidum, otherwise known as Madonna lily or Regal lily, is another well-known, much-loved lily species that does very well here. I’m sure you will discover many other lily species that are to your liking.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 20th, 2016