The Blooming Tiger Lilies Along My Pergola

August 6, 2019

The Blooming Tiger Lilies Along My Pergola

My long and winding pergola is full of striking orange-colored tiger lily blooms.

This pergola, located on one side of a carriage road near my Tenant House, goes through several transformations during the year. In late spring, a palette of bold purple and white alliums covers the area, followed by the delicate shades of lavender and blue from the flowering clematis vines that wrap around each of the granite posts. Now, hundreds of brightly spotted tiger lilies line the garden bed for all to see - and they are thriving.

Enjoy these photos.

: Tiger lilies, Lilium lancifolium, bloom in mid to late summer, are easy to grow and come back year after year.

: Native to China and Japan, these robust flowers add striking beauty to any border. I love how they look with their bright and showy orange colored blooms.

: In early July, this pergola is filled with waist-high lily stems.

: By mid-July, some of the lily stems are already about four to five feet tall. During this time, it is the bold green of all the foliage that stands out.

: Here is the border a week later – hints of creamy orange and yellow lilies have emerged.

: As the days progress more orange buds appear and open. During this time, it’s a gorgeous surprise each and every morning. This pergola gets tons of light, which is great for lilies. For best growth, plant lilies in an area where they can get at least six to eight hours of sun per day.

: And here is the pergola this week – look at all the gorgeous tiger lilies.

: These flowers are very hardy, and most stand well on their own, but to give them some support, we added stakes along the border and strung some natural jute twine along the length of the pergola about six inches above the row of boxwood.

: Tiger lilies are also not fussy about soil as long as it is well-drained.

: Tiger lilies are covered with black or deep crimson spots, giving the appearance of the skin of a tiger.

: They also have large, down-facing flowers, each with six recurved petals. Many flowers can be up to five inches in diameter.

: This year, we also have pops of Angelica gigas, which have broad, fingered foliage and deep reddish-purple stems. The rich coloration extends to the six to eight-inch broad umbels of flowers that top these five to six-foot-tall plants.

: Angelica gigas bloom from summer to fall showing off their deep burgundy colors. It looks great in this garden against the bright orange colored tiger lilies.

: Here is a view from overhead. Angelica Gigas is biennial, meaning it blooms in its second year and produces foliage its first. We first planted these from seed in my greenhouse from a few flowers I grew in the cutting garden and then added them to this bed.

: There are still a few white lilies in this bed – adding more interest to the long floral display.

: And there are still more lilies that have yet to open.

: Mature bulbs can produce up to 10-blossoms per stem, growing larger and more productive each year.

: I grow many different types of lilies in my gardens – and, this year, they’re all thriving. It’s a delightful display of summer color for everyone who visits my farm.