Hi I want to try and grow some lilies here in the desert. Tell me which lilies will hold up to the heat best? Are there any southern growers of lilies?
Thanks ,
Marie
Which are the best for the heat?
You're pushing the zone a bit for lilies, but don't we all like to do that on occasion? :)
I hope other southern growers will chime in but I think asiatics and OT might be best for you.
Yeah I have issues with pushing zones I have some small hostas growing and I pushed the zone for those too.
I think LA hybrids would be a good choice, and probably LO hybrids too. Vossner in Texas, zone 8 or 9, has good results from them. I agree that OTs and Asiatics would be likely to succeed too.
Marie, I don't know if you have enough cold weather (chill hrs) to promote good perennial lily growing. You need at least 90 days of 30 something degree weather and it looks like your average is less than 60 days. Lookie here:
http://www.accuweather.com/us/az/tolleson/85353/forecast-normals.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipchg=1
Having said that, and being one to push the zone limits myself, I would suggest buying lilies that you see at WM/HD/Lowes. They usually carry ones that should perform in your area. There is a lily that is native to AZ, lilium parryii and that should do well for you. Also anything that is crossed w/ l. parryi, (if there are such hybrids, I dunno). Lilium parryii is aka as lemon lily but beware: there is a lemon lily that is a daylily so use botanical names to avoid confusion. You don't say if interested in growing inground or potted. Potted would probably be more successful for you. Also, you may want to think of them as annuals for your area.
As Neal said, orienpets have done well for me. Asiatics are supposed to be best for warmer climates but they have not done well for me. I did get some this fall and will give them one last chance. Finally, I'm still "testing the lily waters" so not qualified to make sweeping statements.
here is lilium parryi. don't know if this will work but seems worth trying. Seems to grow in elevated areas, but who knows, it might have adapted to lower areas in AZ.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/buggycrazy/SPECIES/LPARRYI207.jpg&imgrefurl=http://buggycrazy.vstore.ca/product_info.php/pName/l-parryi-lemon-lily&usg=__Yh7aiIWYLgJYeqaIxsofck_auCM=&h=305&w=447&sz=87&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=JgoI1vdOPqfmNM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlilium%2Bparryi%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
My area actually is a little colder than the rest of the valley but 90 days worth of cold is pushing it. Maybe I will try buying some and potting them up and see how that works.
B & D Lilies / Snow Creek Daylily Gardens have what they call a Heat Buster collection. The listed lilies might give you ideas as the lilies you might like to try. This is the link.
http://www.lilybulb.com/ot07.html
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the link!!
Marie,
In addition to the suggestions given, I second gemini's recommendation of the LA lilies. I know I probably get significantly more cold than you do but our summers are as hot as vossner's if maybe not quite as humid - and the LA's for me bloom in May and really put on a heck of a show. Huge, waxy, fragrant and substantial flowers. The OT's have done best for me of the later blooming lilies - the "heat buster" collection to which dlefferts refers above is made up of OT's. I have tons of them and they come back strongly every year. In your area I would recommend afternoon shade. The OT's here bloom throughout June; the LA's and Asiatics mainly in May. The LO's I tried for the first year did well also but bloomed mainly in May with the Asiatics and LA's.
Good luck!
Steve
Lilium formosanum and Lilium philippinense should do fine. Of course with any lily, there will be copious watering involved where you are.
Steve and Leftwood thank you so much for your input.
marieortiz
I have tried all kinds of lilies here in hot and humid East Texas zone 8b. All I have tried have come up and bloomed and returned the next year.
I've had tiger lilies, trumpet lilies, orientals, LA hybrids, Orien-pets, and Asiatics. My favorite performers are the LA hybrids and the tiger lilies.
It is best to give them some afternoon shade or the petals edges get brown crispy. One that did NOT fry in the sun was RED ALERT which I think is an LA Hybrid. It was in full all day sun and it stayed deep lush red. My tiger lilies don't burn either. Neither did my stargazer oriental lilies.
Beautiful picture MPF. What other bulbs do you grow ( looks like several different ones in your picture) I think I am going to dig a shaded bed with better drainage and try again this spring. My winters can be in the 20's which yours probably is too . But my summers reach 115.
Hi marieortiz,
I grow German bearded reblooming irises, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, tritonia, babiana, muscari, lycoris radiata, dahlias, liatris and daylilies in addition to the lilies. Yes, my tulips and hyacinths DID return for me!
I have (in the past) also tried acidanthera, cannas, tigridia, crocosmia with decent results.
In the background of that picture you can see irises, gallardia, sedum, and rudbeckias (both perennials grown from seed).
In your heat, I would strongly recommend these annuals and perennials:
Salvia
Gallardia (easy from seeds)
Rudbeckias (easy from seeds)
Mexican Heather
Angelonia
Echinacea
Gaura
African Daisy
Gazania
Mexican Hat (easy from seeds)
Zinnias (easy from seeds)
Here's a cactus flowered zinnia for you (seeds from Wal Mart!)
Love that zinnia. I think I may have some seeds of that one. I have some hyacinths returning too this year. I was quite surprised but I think they are in a place that stayed dry all summer which is good for them. I may try some more.
Oh, thank you for the pic of Red Alert. I ordered it for the first time and installed it and this really gives me something to look forward to..
Donna
Monte Negro is a good dark red Asiatic. It is shorter than Red Alert and it doesn't have as many blooms on the stalk, but it is still very nice.
I think that Monte Negro is beautiful. I started out very pastel and pink and am slowing moving toward more saturated pinks and reds. I was sent Acapulco by B&D as a test and I loved the way it popped against my greenery. Many of my lilies are in grass beds (hides the stems) but I'm finding it's fun to have some lilies that jump out and say "hi there!" in my cool colored garden. It's fun to experiment. I ordered Red Alert from B&D. I think that they are just an outstanding company.
Here's one more that pops out at you and demands attention. Kiss Me Kate. Came back nicely the second year and multiplied well. She is an LA Hybrid.
