What a difference two years can make! Back in spring 2012, I planted five Tree Lily ‘Pink Explosion’ bulbs deep into a large, glazed patio pot filled with a 50/50 mix of multi-purpose and loam-based compost. I then stood back expecting big things.
Big things I got! Come mid-summer, thick 4ft stems were graced with lush foliage (free from lily beetle), each holding at least 6 flower buds. They soon burst open to offer huge vibrant flowers that filled the garden with that unmistakable heady scent that lilies are renowned for. A gorgeous display that only needed regular watering, and a high potash liquid feed as the buds developed. As you can see from the picture below, my daughter – two years old at the time, was the perfect height for a gorgeous photo opportunity.
After removing dead flowers, I left the stems to die back naturally, drawing energy back into the bulbs. Late autumn these were cut right down and the pot was left to face winter outdoors.
Late spring 2013 – I top-dressed the pot with manure pellets and started watering in dry spells. That summer the flowers were on 6-7ft stems. The only other upkeep was a liquid feed as buds showed (up to 10 per stem). Again, no sign of lily beetle.
The following picture shows the amazing display this year. They have certainly outgrown my daughter! Nearly 8ft tall with 13 to 16 flowers on each stem. Look how they have multiplied in the pot, with young stems joining in too. I did notice beetle damage on a few leaves this season, but in three years I’ve spotted just one beetle on these plants.
With two young children to keep occupied, time working in my garden is precious, and I need plants that will perform with minimum input. Tree Lily ‘Pink Explosion’ fits the bill perfectly. Three years of strong garden performance all for the effort of a spring top dressing, a liquid summer feed, 15 minutes removing dead flowers and 10 minutes of cutting back. They even support themselves, so no staking needed! What more could you ask for?
If you’ve been inspired by Kris’ amazing growing experiment, shop our full range of tree lilies.
Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan’s quality control manager, making sure customers new and old are kept up to date on the latest plant developments and company news via a wide range of media sources. He trained in London’s Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.
Hi. I’ve just purchased tree lilies through QVC. I am looking to plant the bulbs this weekend, but unsure as to what size pots to use and how many bulbs in one pot. Can you give ratio to size of pot please?
Hi Janette,
Tree lilies need to be planted at least 6″ apart, and given loads and loads of food. As you can imagine, any plant that go go from a simple bulb to a plant 4 – 8 ft tall is going to use up a lot of energy so keep it well fed and watered! Another thing to consider is that if you use a small pot then the plants are guaranteed to fall over in any kind of breeze. so a large pot that can hold 4 – 5 bulbs is probably best, probably about 18″ in diameter.
I hope this helos
All the best
Graham
Are you able to cut the liliy trees down when they grow to big?
Hi Rowena, thank you for your comment. We would not be recommended cutting your tree lillies to control the size of your plant but only to cut once they have finished flowering. Cutting tree lillies whilst in flower will disrupt growth and may cause them to die. It is best to leave them until they die back naturally, wait until the tree has gone brown and then cut back in Autumn. Hope that helps. Best wishes, Terri
Bought and planted a tree lily mix from Thomp & M in 2012. They did well in both growing seasons since.
However they seem to be a great attractant to snails, with the little blighters climbing up the stems. From a distance the blooms look well but close up you can see that the leaves are eaten away.
Tried all sorts of remedy’s as the surrounding plants (usually bedding plants) are relatively unscathed. Any answer?
Hi Keith, thank you for your comment. Yes the snails really love them unfortunately. Obviously slug pellets are the easiest remedy but not necessarily the most environmentally friendly. Try using a thick layer of crushed egg shells or a mulch of spiky holly leaves. If all other remedies fail, then you may find it more successful to lift the bulbs and grow them in containers . You can buy copper tape to go around the top of pots and this oftens helps to dissuade slugs and snails. https://www.thompson-morgan.com/garden-supplies/pest-and-disease-control/snail-copper-tape/t46414TM Hope that helps, Terri
Wow! Got to get myself some of those. I got Starburst a couple of years ago and extremely happy with the results.
Well, our nine tree lilies showed a lot of promise, lots of growth and flower buds. Then we went away on holiday, leaving at home a daughter who promised to water the plants. Of course she didn’t. Still the lilies, though with shrivelled up buds, were still growing strong. I cut off the buds and have great hopes for next year. Though, I think I will ask a willing neighbour to water instead!