Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Ginger Lilies Are Wonderful, Tall, Colorful Additions To Gardens

By Kenneth Clark


Gardening is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy the outdoors. You will also see positive results from all the hard work, if you have planted flowers that can thrive instead of droop and die. If your are looking for a dramatic and aromatic addition to your garden you should look at ginger lilies. They have plenty of height, making them perfect backdrops for smaller blooms.

If you aren't familiar with the name, you will probably recognize the plant as flowers woven into the leis tourists receive when they visit Hawaii. There is a species of the plant that is better known as the butterfly lily. It's called that because the petal stretches out gracefully in the fall and summer when flowers are in full bloom. These flowers have a slight ginger scent that is not a pungent as the herb. The actual odor has been described as a combination of gardenia and honeysuckle.

If you live in the southern region of the United States, between zones seven and eleven, you should have a lot of success with these plants. They will thrive in partial shade and sun. If you live in southern Florida however, the afternoon sun will probably be too hot for this flower. In colder regions, they grow very well in containers, which have to be relocated indoors during the winter.

These plants are not at all drought resistance. They need regularly watering and feeding with a balanced fertilizer about every seven days. Plants in containers have to be divided annually because the rhizomes will multiply. The tallest of the plants should be staked so they don't snap on a windy day.

A big advantage of adding this plant to your garden is that it acts as a natural insect repellent. Insects don't like the oil that the plants generate. You might have trouble with deer that like to graze on the flowers, but they bloom too late in the year to be bothered by butterfly larvae. You can't over water them or the roots will rot.

You can propagate the plants from the existing rhizomes by dividing them. This can be done by cutting the rhizomes into sections that have roots. You soak them in a solution of fungicide powder and water. After they have soaked overnight you can plant them horizontally in organic soil. They grow fastest in spring and summer.

You can also grow the lily from the red seeds the blossoms produce. You must store them for three or four weeks after you have removed them from the flower. They need to be soaked before planting to soften the outer coating. Germinating can take as much as six weeks or more. Any danger of a freeze must have passed before planting.

Gardening is a great way to relax and adds a lot to any home. Creating the right design, with blooms that will flourish, takes some work. Exotic, fragrant lilies, if planted strategically, can be a perfect backdrop for the whole garden.




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