Seasonal Scents
Apr
6
Written by:
Master Gardener Terry Engels
4/6/2012 9:05 AM
A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but how about the Easter lily?
A quick look around at what is on offer for this spring-time holiday favorite reveals some incredibly scented and colored varieties and some with lots of color and no smell at all.
This is the classic Easter lily—Lilium longiflorum to be exact.
Beautiful trumpets of pure white with a heavenly scent.
The Easter lily has been adopted as a national favorite since World War II; the two weeks before the holiday account for sales of millions of plants. Should you want to buy one, pick one with deep green leaves and many buds, some open, some to come later.
After the flowering is completed you could bring it outside, let the foliage die back, plant it and hope to get a second bloom.
WARNING: Do not plant with other lilies as Lilium longiflorum carries a virus that could affect your garden lilies. In Minnesota it is too cold for this type of lily, so it may re-bloom but will not survive winter.
Relief for the allergy-prone
But wait, what if the scent , that I describe as heavenly, makes your nose itch? My sister can’t stand the smell! She has definite allergic reactions to scented flowers; maybe you do too. All is not lost.
The short colorful varieties known not as Easter lilies but as Asiatic lilies have no smell and are perfect for the allergy-prone. They have the advantage of being hardy for us; plant them in the garden after they die back.
This is an Asiatic lily, colorful, but no scent.
How can you tell? Read the label included in the pot!
But hey, there are other opportunities for you. Notice the other lilies. Some have scent, some not so much, but all differ from the classic Easter lily. For one thing, they are colorful, and for another, they are perfectly suited to the Minnesota climate.
Check out the Oriental lilies if you want the scent but prefer a different color. They will bloom in your garden next year too.
Oriental lily ’Mona Lisa’ has a beautiful color and a heady scent.
Note the different shape to the flower, no long trumpet on this plant
Another colorful option is a cross between the classic Easter lily and the Asiatic lily called the LA Hybrid. This version has the large-size bloom and the vigorous plant of the Easter lily, but gives a wider color option, is hardy outside, and has the open, upward –facing bloom of the Asiatics. An improvement on all other lily forms is its thick sturdy stems that need no support.
LA Hybrids have differing height and color options.
Grown in pots, they offer a different look for the spring lily display.
Long lasting color
No matter the name of the lily you buy, if you place the plant in bright but not direct light and do not over water, you should have many days of display. Water enough to moisten the soil, but do not let a puddle occur at the base of the plant inside that colorful wrapper. Pierce the bottom to allow for drainage or remove it altogether. Lilies like a well drained soil.
Clip the anthers (the little sticks with a yellow tips of pollen) to prolong bloom and avoid staining the flower, or your clothes. Pinch off fading flowers. At the end of the bloom cycle keep the plant going until the leaves and stem are brown, a natural thing that should happen. Now you can take it outside and plant it.
PET ALERT: The pollen on some lilies is poisonous to cats. Be sure to remove the anthers if you have cats.
Yard and Garden E-newsletter: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/ygnews
UMN Extension website: www.extension.umn.edu
Call the Stearns County Extension office with your horticultural questions: 320-255-6169