Trumpet Lily African Queen
If you landed here expecting to find Humphrey Bogart or Katharine Hepburn, sorry! this African Queen will not cope with getting waterlogged.
Perhaps not as exciting, however the Trumpet Lily (Lilium African Queen) is still a show stopper.
performance in our garden
In March of last year I potted up three of the Trumpet Lilies (African Queen).
This was when we were still living in Aberdeen. I placed the tub in a sheltered sunny position. The blooms opened in mid August, becoming a little damaged due to an unseasonal cold spell.
When I planted these bulbs little did I realise that in nine months time we would be uprooting and heading down to Cheshire.
No way was I going to leave these beauties behind, we arrived in Cheshire in early December, the tub containing African Queen sat outdoors throughout the Winter and virtually was forgotten about, whilst having a nosey around the garden in late February I noticed that growth had already started.
In the second week of July the blooms of African Queen started to open, and continued flowering well into August.
Quality of the blooms were excellent, mind you constant destruction of the Lily beetle was essential, never seen these pests in Aberdeen. It was pointless leaving Myra to dispose of them as she is unable to destroy any insect, she simply flicked them off the plant. Solution was simple, given Myras good eyesight she would point to the offending bug, I would get them between my fingers and squeeze.
We are considering introducing more Lilies to the garden for next year. However I am not too keen on using a pesticide If you know of any safe procedure in dealing with Lily beetle I would be keen to hear from you.
plant information
The Trumpet Lily African Queen has large scented blooms with a unique colour, often described as burnt orange.
Growing to a height of 120cm/4ft, often a bit taller than this.
Your bulbs can be planted between October and April, three or five bulbs together approximately 45cm apart give the best results. African Queen like most other Lilies are best planted deep, at a depth of at least 15cm. To help with drainage and to keep the slugs away from the bulbs place a little sharp sand at the base and also above each bulb when planting.
Position your Lily bulbs in part shade or full sun. Soil should be free draining and on the alkaline side. It is recommended that in the growing season you should regularly give a liquid feed high in potash. Stand back and admire the blooms in July and August.
When we planted African Queen we also placed another three varieties of Trumpet Lilies in pots. Below are pictures of them growing successfully in our Cheshire garden this Summer.
Trumpet Lily Pink Perfection
Pink Perfection this year was the most floriferous of the four, all of them have a fantastic fragrance.
Trumpet Lily Regale.
Regale in the first week of July was the first to open its blooms. This one has been a firm favourite with gardeners for many years.
*** Lilium Regale ***
Golden Splendour
Golden Splendour started to bloom in the last week of July a little later than the other three. Well worth the wait though, the fragrance of this one was intoxicating.
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In the last week of August we decided that we would indeed go ahead and make more changes to the back garden.
I did suggest in my last post that a large chunk of the lawn had to go.. We came up with a couple of ideas, the first one would have made the garden much more formal looking. However we decided to go with our second option and create a large central herbaceous bed.
I am very happy with the result and although it is a small garden, it gives that walk around feel, with a feast of plants wherever you cast your eyes.
I really like perennials and will look forward to seeing them coming into fresh growth in early Spring.
It was hard work digging and clearing all those sods of grass. The soil in our garden is clay and very heavy so I didn’t make much attempt to clear the soil from the sods. In previous months I had been dumping unwanted material from the garden in our woodland area, which would break down and probably be advantageous. There was no way that I could do this with my unwanted grass so I had to hire a skip. I use the term (OUR woodland area very loosely)
Well, after topping up with two tons of fresh top soil, it is now, more or less fully planted, using plants purchased in 2ltr pots, at my age I make no apology for going down the route of instant gardening. Pictures below show the build up to how it is now looking in the second week of September
If you happen to leave a comment I will be sure to visit your site and do the same
Thanks Kim, drop by again sometime.
Just stumbled onto your website looking for ideas for my garden….your garden is beautiful! I don’t have a lawn just paving and gravel and was at a loss until I saw the colour and drama you have achieved. Thank you for sharing.
Very lovely! I’ve been looking at ‘African Queen’ and thinking of ordering it. It looks so gorgeous! I also love your instant garden, very pretty choice of design. 🙂
Its true enough Angie, buying plants online is only worthwhile if your purchasing a few of them. The new bed does make a difference, in fact it has transformed what was a rather boring wee garden.
Lilytastic! Alistair. You’ve a few wee beauties there. African Queen is just gorgeous and she would look lovely in my front garden. I must see if I can source it here locally – I check the store on line and nothing else grabs my attention so cost of p&p wouldn’t be worth it.
I love the new bed and it does make a heck of a difference. You’ve got the garden looking so good already – it’s obvious to see between your new garden and the old one – your gardening style. Very nice!
Hi Debs
The smaller garden is turning out to be just the size we now need, after having had second thoughts about it in the early days of our move.
Alistair, your new perennial bed is wonderful. I like that it creates a nice path to leisurely follow the progress of your garden. Your collection of lilies is gorgeous. African Queen would not be denied her glory, even if she did have to be uprooted to a new but equally beautiful kingdom.
Had to find a way to get more plants in the garden Janet.
Hi Alistair, I am more in Myra’s camp when it comes to dealing with lily beatles, which explains why I don’t grow lilies, stunning though they are! Sounds as if you have the perfect partnership going there though.
Your Island bed looks as if it has always been there, it works really well, and I don’t think you should apologize for going the “instant” route at all, that area will give you both so much pleasure over the coming years, and goodness knows you have done your time on the intensive gardening side of things! Look forward to seeing it strutting its stuff next year, and how lovely to have so much less grass to mow.
Thanks Jennifer, I must say, I am surprised at how much satisfaction even a small garden can give.
Hi Alistair, Trumpet lilies are on my fall bulb wish list and so your post is very timely. I will certainly remember your tips like planting them deeply. The new central bed was a great addition, and as you say, creates that walk around feel. You have done a wonderful job planting it up. It looks as though it has been there in the garden for quite a while.
I will give it a try Jane, I may have to carry a paving slab around with me.
Mr TG finds size 8 flip-flops are perfect for dealing with the ol’ lily beetles. Give it a go, far less mess than squidgling twixt ones fingers.
Loving the huge new central bed.
We had been planning on planting Lilies in the borders Rick. However with our soil being very much clay, we are having reservations regarding drainage, as the existing borders last Winter were extremely boggy.
Couldn’t agree with you more regarding the lilies Alistair, I grow the same varieties myself and find them all really good. The introduction of your center bed has transformed what was already a massive achievement inside twelve months into something special. I can’t wait to see what it will all look like in a couple of years.
Hi Frances,covering the grass with paper and cardboard and filling with topsoil would have been more sensible. but I haven’t any patience, not proud of it though.
wow what a quick change Alistair, I thought my instant gardening in the birch garden by bringing divisions etc. from other parts of my garden was good but yours is incredible, I’d spend longer just planning, it looks wonderful,
that’s the difference living on the mainland to island life, any decent top soil here would need to be brought in and so push the cost up astronomically, I know it’s not your thing but you could have stacked the turfs upside down and they would have broke down to a good loam for use on beds and in pots,
it’s a bit late now you have done it but another way to save digging out turfs is to cover the grass with paper and card, create a raised edge and fill with your topsoil, the grass dies off and breaks done with the paper and card to create a more loamy soil, I’ve only learnt this in the last couple of years and it works well,
I love the lilies, Frances
Hi Sunil, when you work full time you just don’t have the time to get these jobs done quickly. Still a lot of pleasure comes from taking things more slowly.
Helene, you really know how to get the best out of a small garden. With inspiration from yourself, I can now look out the back window and see past the size of the garden. Thanks for the information regarding treatment for the Lily beetle, this will definitely be tried.
Hi Carolyn. I dont like hanging around once I get something in my head. You must read the comment from Helene regarding treatment for the Lily beetle.
I knew the lawn was going but that was quick ans those plants look like they have been there forever, beautiful. I have had some dwarf orange lilies for a while and was going to add more. The first batch I bought turned out to be full of lily beetles so I pulled them all out and threw them away. The dwarf lilies remain and so far no beetles.
Oh, to me, African Queen is much more exciting than Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn! It has actually been on my wish-list for a while 🙂 I love lilies, probably one of my favourite plant, and I have around 150 in my tiny garden and 50 more on order for next spring. This summer I only found 4 lily beetles and no grubs at all, the reason for that is that I use ‘Pireco foliar for insects’ from Bakker.co.uk http://www.bakker.co.uk/product/pireco-foliar-for-insects It can only be bought from them and their sister company http://www.spaldingbulb.co.uk/product/pirecopireco-soil-insect-repellent . It is a “Highly concentrated liquid compound containing herbs in a base of water and soy oil’. The repellent is absorbed by the roots and leaves of the plants, making them stronger and more resistant. Alters the taste and the smell of the plant, only discernible to insects. The insects will refrain from eating the plants and leave the treated area. Useful insects like bees are not affected.”
I have used this product for the last 5-6 years and it is very effective against a range of pests, not just lily beetles but also spider mites and aphids. You can pour it on the ground so it can be taken up by the roots, I find that most effective, but you can also in addition, spray directly on the leaves, that doesn’t last so long though. When poured on the ground, the effect lasts for 3-5 weeks, making it a great product for a busy gardener. In the early spring, when the aphids are most active, I have found this product is not so effective, perhaps because the water uptake of the plants is lower as they have much smaller leaves, but as soon as the leaves are fully out the effect is more noticeable also on aphids. I use it once a month from mid March to mid September in my garden and I could not have lilies without them, I used to go crazy patrolling them in the past, killing up to 30 lily beetles a day! I warmly recommend this product, it is a bit expensive but so worth it, it doesn’t alter the scent of the lilies for us humans, and it doesn’t harm the plant or any insects, it just makes the plants unattractive to the insects that want to eat them – sounds too good to be true? Well, all I can say is it works in my garden!
I loved your new central bed, it looks beautiful and fits very nicely in with your borders. Next year it will look stunning 🙂
Hi Alistair, my you have been very busy this season! I love the shape of the central bed, it’s a lovely ellipse and beautifully planted. It’s amazing what you’ve managed to do in such a short time, while I’m still fiddling about with landscape fabric and bits and pieces. I love the African Queen Lily, I had one in the previous garden that left behind. The bulbs aren’t too expensive so it might make an appearance in the garden in a few years.
Yes, the planter which we have had for over twenty years now has pride and place under our south facing front window.
Did you find another special spot for it? It is impressive.
Hi Donna, by the time we got around to planting up the new bed we felt that the planter was too imposing and we replaced it with a standard holly.
Thanks Pam, I reckon with our gardening style, formality will always show even when we dont try.
Glad you didn’t leave the trumpet lilies behind, Alistair. They are stunning. Love your new central bed. It gives the garden a whole new ‘feel’. It still looks quite formal I think … probably due to the neat cut edges which are impossible to achieve here with all the rocks. So ‘if you can’t beat ’em’ we edge with rocks, but I much prefer your look. Your garden is beautiful! P. x
I also love trumpet lilies Alistair and African Queen has a beautiful color. I adore how your garden has transformed. You give me the push to keep going to get mine more in order…it is a wild wooly beast now. I love the planting bed in the middle of the lawn…really stunning with that planter.