Catching up with lilies

Don’t despair – you can still have lilies blooming beautifully in your garden this summer.

Even if the soil is too wet or too frozen, unpack a pot and plant a few lily bulbs in it. Plant three or four healthy bulbs in a decent-sized pot, and keep them somewhere frost-free. Keep the compost watered and happy until it’s time to move them into the great outdoors, then plant them in the beds and borders where you want them to bring a dash of exotic summer colour.

Alternatively, keep them in the pot and give yourself a movable feast.

Nowadays, the majority are grown in this way because the gardener can provide them with the ideal conditions – a well-drained, fertile soil and a sunny position.

They will flower slightly earlier than those lilies grown in open ground, but they will require more care and attention. Always try to plant the bulbs as soon as you get them, incorporating plenty of well-rotted leafmould or manure, and a helping of coarse sand to improve drainage. And a bit of bonemeal will be much appreciated.

Use crocks (pieces of broken clay plantpots, not the fashion footwear) to cover the holes at the base of the pot, then plant the bulbs two inches below the soil/compost surface. Water well.

After the lilies have finished flowering, pop the pots into a cool greenhouse where they can be kept dry until it’s time to bring them out again the following year. Lift them gently, renew the compost and the cycle begins again. After a couple of years of this, plant the bulbs in the open garden and buy new for containers.

Remember that lilies look their best when they’re not alone. These are not the Greta Garbos of the garden – they thrive in the company of other lilies, so grow them in groups, and if they can be left undisturbed in a border, they will show their gratitude by increasing in number to form colourful clumps which will annually steal the show from their less-exotic rivals.