Staff at Thompson & Morgan have been set the challenge to grow the best tree lily!
The race is on to grow the best tree lily!
Those of us who have signed up have been given 3 tree lily bulbs to plant, nurture and photograph over the coming months.
Tree lilies are amazing plants to grow. A single bulb can produce up to 30 huge trumpet blooms and the plants can grow to 8ft in as little as 2 years!
They’re very easy to grow and pretty much take care of themselves. They’ll thrive in a sunny or partly shaded spot and are stunning against walls and fences, where they’ll take on a ‘shrubby’ appearance in time.
The foliage remains lush all season and the stalks are so sturdy that they don’t need staking.
With all this in mind, the 86 members of Thompson & Morgan staff have been sent home with their bulbs and a set of instructions. Now it’s up to us to get the best results. I’ve planted mine in a large pot on the patio – the weather’s a bit unpredictable at the moment and I don’t want to risk them getting frozen in the ground if we get this cold snap that’s been forecast.
We’ve asked participants to write blog posts for us, charting the progress of their tree lily bulbs over the next few months, so watch this space!
Photo competitions for you
Each year we run photo competitions for our customers and 2013 is no exception. You can enter as many categories as you like, which include growing the tallest petunia tower, tree lilies, plant portraits, baskets and containers and more.
Click here to see all photo competition categories
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
Have you nothing more up to date that this. I was looking for something about planting the tree lily in the tower pot.
Hi Dylis, thank you for your comment. All you will need is the tower pot, and not the frame as the stems are very sturdy, and support themselves. Three bulbs to a pot so they have room to grow, and the real trick is deep planting, and put a couple of inches of compost into the pot before you put the bulbs. Set the bulbs on top of this compost and completely fill over with the remainder of the compost. By planting deep the stem will be covered and roots will form on the stem to help steady the plant. I hope this helps but do come back if you need any further help. Kind regards, Wendie
Thanks! Don’t forget to come back to the blog to get updates on our progress 🙂
wow I love Lilies, good luck guys!