Lilium 'Black Beauty'
lily bulb
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained soil enriched with leaf mould ora loam-based potting compost, such as John Innes no2
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Stunning sprays of scented, turkscap, blackish-red flowers with green centres and white margins appear in midsummer. The flowers make a fabulous display at the back of the border, or grouped in a container. This great summer-flowering bulb is universally loved because of its showy flowers that light up the garden, but like all lilies, is susceptible to lily beetle. - Garden care: Lilies can be planted at any time from early autumn, to mid-spring. Planting in autumn often helps them settle in and become better established before they start to put on their new spring growth, but spring planting is a better option if your soil is heavy and wet during winter. Choose a sunny spot, preferably where the plant receives a little light shade at its base, and plant each bulb 15-20cm (6-8in) deep in a well-drained soil, enriched with well-rotted organic matter or leaf mould. Space them at approximately 30cm (12") intervals and provide support before the flowers appear. Deadhead the faded blooms promptly and cut the dead stems back to ground level at the end of autumn.
Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink'
gaura
Long-lasting pink flowers. Copes wth drought
Cosmos atrosanguineus 'Chocamocha'
chocolate cosmos
Smells deliciously chocolatey
Campanula glomerata 'Superba'
clustered bellflower
Rich purple flowers in June
Agastache 'Black Adder'
hyssop
Distinctive violet, bottlebrush flowers
How to control pests
Containment, rather than complete eradication, is the key to pest management in an organic garden. A certain number of pests have to be tolerated because they are food for the predators – kill all the pests and there is nothing...
Read full articleLily beetle
Be on the look out for Lily beetle on prized blooms from June onwards, says Plant Doctor Helen Derrin I would forgive the beautiful lily beetle almost anything apart from eating my lilies! Despite my best efforts, they seem to return...
Read full articlePlant spring bulbs
Spring bulbs, such as daffodils and hyacinths, can be planted whenever the soil conditions allow. As a rough guide, cover them with about twice as much soil as the bulb is deep: so that a 5cm (2in) deep bulb would need a 15cm...
Read full articlePlanting bulbs
Bulbs are ideal for anyone who rates themselves as 'keen-but-clueless' because they are one of the easiest plants to grow. Provided you plant them at the right time of year at more or less the right depth, they will reward...
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