Turk's Cap Lilies - Lilium superbum L.
by Carol Senske
Title
Turk's Cap Lilies - Lilium superbum L.
Artist
Carol Senske
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
These are AWESOME wildflowers - stunning in their regal presence wherever they grow. Ours get around seven feet high, and each plant stem has many buds. Little bulblets grow in the leaf axils and fall to the ground to begin new plants. They are also able to reproduce by seed.
They take a year or two to get to blooming age with the baby plants having as few as one leaf the first year. As they age, they become ever more beautiful and full of flowers. We've been coddling our garden for years - gone through drought, hungry deer, borers, you name it, and my husband has faithfully picked the little bulblets off the stems as they ripen and spread them around our property. I, with equal dedication, spray them weekly with Liquid Fence to keep the deer and groundhogs away, and it works. I'm posting some pictures.
They bloom for a good two weeks, going into three because of the number of buds that open in sequence. Look for them to begin flowering in the later half of July (in the mid-Atlantic/Northeastern areas of the USA).
Butterflies and hummingbirds LOVE this plant, and the clouds of swallowtails and a few other butterfly types are at the flowers from early morning until night.
These are worth every bit of care you give them! This is a little read for more info:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LISU
This picture shows part of our lily garden with the ferns and Hypericum bush amongst them. It was taken July 22,2013, in Green Lane, Pennsylvania, USA.
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July 22nd, 2013
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Comments (3)
Bob Orsillo
I like the layers of green and the roof peeking out. I always learn so much from your descriptions MN :) V/F
Carol Senske replied:
I bet you're pretty learned already, but nice of you to say:>). Thanks for the V/F and the very nice comment!