franeli posted this pic on another thread...scroll down to see it

And she posted this pic with a diff't lily on another thread. Both gorgeous. Scroll about 1/2-way down the page for franeli's other pic

I adore stargazers. I had them in my condo garden in Charlotte. The smell is intoxicating. It was also the first thing I purchased when I moved in here. I have them scattered all through the perennial bed and the front bed near the front door. They have a very long bloom time.

I went through my albums and made a list of half a dozen links to pics of my combos. I use these to remember what blooms together, for use in future years.

Then I took a second look and realized where you garden. What blooms together in my garden will not necessarily work in zones 5 and 6. I do not mean to mislead you, maybe gardeners in your area can confirm whether these will bloom together there. My experience is that here, asiatic lilies bloom first, then LA lilies, then Orientals, and the Trumpets are last. Generally, not written in stone. Every year is different.

Right click pics to open in a new window.

LA lilies and Echinacea bloom together here.
{{gwi:638556}}

Larkspur, LA lilies and BES.
{{gwi:638557}}

Reminding myself that crocosmia, Stargazer type lilies and Perennial Phlox bloomed together.
{{gwi:638558}}

Persian Shield, Orania lilies and Oakleaf Hydrangea
{{gwi:638559}}

Reminding myself that all these bloomed together: Gladioli, Caladiums, a pink Daylily, Echinacea, white LA lilies.
{{gwi:638560}}

Dazzle with bulbine.
{{gwi:638561}}

Dazzle with nicotiana and BES.
{{gwi:638562}}

I have lily bulbs to plant, thanks for the reminder. This year I'm planting some lilies with roses, among other notions.

Nell

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: christinmk z5b WA (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 12:29

I love lilies, but have a difficult time growing them. I am so envious of the people who have such large ones! I think the problem may lie in the soil. I know many people amend thier soil so it is rich and loose. The dirt here is pretty hard-packed, which I don't thing the lilies like much. There are only a few spots in my garden that they do well; in other places they lilies are considerably smaller and have only a couple of blooms.
I do have a picture of a lily that I really like. The combo was just accidental. Aconitum 'Spark's Variety' and an Oriental Lily (Stargazer??).
{{gwi:638563}}
CMK

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: threedogsmom 6b New Mkt MD (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 13:33

Thanks all, for the pictures !! I have a nice dark blue monkshood and will save a few stargazers for around that guy too. I guess this year I will take note of flowering times for all the new lilies and rearrange the combos as needed after flowering. Nell, I spent some time going through your albums and really enjoyed them! It looks like some of your lilies are in dappled shade but still grow upright without stretching or leaning. Is that the case ? That would increase the number of places I can plant them if I know they can tolerate some shade and still flower/grow strong.
Some plants that are in the sunny areas I am planning to put them are: a dwarf purple butterfly bush, phlox, a light pink knockout rose, a "sunshine blue" Mist shrub, the monkshood, fall-blooming shell pink anemones, a hot pink knockout rose, a Raspberry Mousse toadlily, a false indigo, and spiderwort Sweet Kate. I need to study some more of my pictures from last year to see what is blooming during the times the lilies will bloom. More research !!

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: foxesearth 8b GA/FL line (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 14:40

Not Stargazer, but another really pretty Oriental that I can't remember the name, Christin. I have some similar that I dug in the fall and potted up to try to get them back to size because of the hardpacked soil where they were trying to survive.

Here's a link to last year's thread about the most popular Oriental lilies.

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: Stargazers and Casa Blancas

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: mommyto2 NC7 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 15:13

I love lilies as well!! I have several types and more added in fall. These are some of my pictures.
these are black beauty, stargazer and dizzy
{{gwi:638564}}
{{gwi:638565}}
{{gwi:579164}}

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: christinmk z5b WA (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 15:50

Thanks Nell! I think someone on the GW forum mentioned that to me before, but I keep forgetting. Someone gave me those lilies a long time ago and I did not keep the tag. I have tried to find out thier cultivar name, but have had no luck.

-mommyto2, thanks for posting pics of your garden, I don't belive I have seen it before. I love your lilies and lush surroundings!
CMK

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: reginaz 5/6NY (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 16:57

In this bed there are asiatic, trumpet and daylily. The date is July 15 and the asiatics are just finishing up while the trumpets are just starting to open. I use them in all my beds because of the many shades of color that you don't usually see in other perennials, and the smell of the trumpets are intoxicating!
{{gwi:638566}}
In this bed, the red asiatic lillies attracts hummingbirds.
{{gwi:638567}}

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: lavendrfem z6 CT (lavendrfem@comcast.net) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 18:43

I'm interested in lilies this year also and have been wondering what to plant with them. I have a lily bed of pink, peach and yellow lilies. My lily bed only gets morning sun to about 1:00 or so, but the lilies seem to do fine. I was considering putting in Aruncus (?) goat's beard - it has wispy white sort of blooms - I thought it would be a nice contrast. I'm also going to plant mixed ixia this year with them. The glads are a great idea! I have plumtart, so I don't think the color will match - oh well, I guess I'll just have to buy more! :)

{{gwi:638568}}

Ixia (the pkg says corn flowers)
{{gwi:638569}}

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: midnightsmum 4b ON (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 19:24

Oh, I love oriental lilies. I must get some for next year!!! threedogsmom - just a heads up: Not sure if they've made their way down to you, you are south of Montreal, and I know 'they' are there. By 'they' I mean Japanese Lily Beetles. They make me think of red VW bugs - bright red, black underneath. They have no known predators in NA. Their young are pea-sized, excrement covered slugs. Once you have them, you never get rid of them. They can over-winter in Canada!! Anywhere. Scared you yet??? Soak any bulbs you get in a 10 to 1 water/bleach solution to avoid this problem. Wish I'd known this 10 years ago, though, oddly, the front garden was a mess, and the river-side garden had none.

Happy thoughts, pretty bunnies....etc, etc.

Nancy.

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: threedogsmom 6b New Mkt MD (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 19:44

Reginaz, your pics are just like what I want to achieve with my pastel sun bed. So beautiful, amazing job with the combinations !! Nancy, if you find the bugs on the flowers, can you spray the bleach solution onto the bugs or do they live exclusively in the soil around the bulbs themselves ? Has anyone in USA had this bug attack their lilies ? Thanks all for the replies thus far !! Keep the pics coming, they are all very inspirational :)

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: midnightsmum 4b ON (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 23:22

threedogsmom - no, yes, yes. You could spray bleach on them, probably kill the plant, but the beetles just drop to the ground, black side up, then scurry away!!! The easy answer, as I said, is to soak the bulbs in the 10 to 1 one water to bleach solution for 24 hours~~ If they are already in your garden, you have whole new course of what to do in your garden. Let me know if you are at the next stage....not impossible...

Cheers.

RE: Using lilies in the cottage garden

• Posted by: gldno1 z6MO (My Page) on Tue, Feb 24, 09 at 5:45

I am glad you asked this question because it made my go back over past year's pictures and I found that a great many of the lilies are gone! I think the two very, very wet seasons may be the culprit. I need to restock.

I am listing a link to a Picasa Album of lilies, past and present, in my garden. I hope it works; never done the Picasa thing before!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lilies in My Garden

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I love lilies, but have a difficult time growing them. I am so envious of the people who have such large ones! I think the problem may lie in the soil. I know many people amend thier soil so it is rich and loose. The dirt here is pretty hard-packed, which I don't thing the lilies like much. There are only a few spots in my garden that they do well; in other places they lilies are considerably smaller and have only a couple of blooms.
I do have a picture of a lily that I really like. The combo was just accidental. Aconitum 'Spark's Variety' and an Oriental Lily (Stargazer??).
{{gwi:638563}}
CMK

Thanks all, for the pictures !! I have a nice dark blue monkshood and will save a few stargazers for around that guy too. I guess this year I will take note of flowering times for all the new lilies and rearrange the combos as needed after flowering. Nell, I spent some time going through your albums and really enjoyed them! It looks like some of your lilies are in dappled shade but still grow upright without stretching or leaning. Is that the case ? That would increase the number of places I can plant them if I know they can tolerate some shade and still flower/grow strong.
Some plants that are in the sunny areas I am planning to put them are: a dwarf purple butterfly bush, phlox, a light pink knockout rose, a "sunshine blue" Mist shrub, the monkshood, fall-blooming shell pink anemones, a hot pink knockout rose, a Raspberry Mousse toadlily, a false indigo, and spiderwort Sweet Kate. I need to study some more of my pictures from last year to see what is blooming during the times the lilies will bloom. More research !!

Here is a link that might be useful: Stargazers and Casa Blancas

Not Stargazer, but another really pretty Oriental that I can't remember the name, Christin. I have some similar that I dug in the fall and potted up to try to get them back to size because of the hardpacked soil where they were trying to survive.

Here's a link to last year's thread about the most popular Oriental lilies.

Nell

I love lilies as well!! I have several types and more added in fall. These are some of my pictures.
these are black beauty, stargazer and dizzy
{{gwi:638564}}
{{gwi:638565}}
{{gwi:579164}}

Thanks Nell! I think someone on the GW forum mentioned that to me before, but I keep forgetting. Someone gave me those lilies a long time ago and I did not keep the tag. I have tried to find out thier cultivar name, but have had no luck.

-mommyto2, thanks for posting pics of your garden, I don't belive I have seen it before. I love your lilies and lush surroundings!
CMK

In this bed there are asiatic, trumpet and daylily. The date is July 15 and the asiatics are just finishing up while the trumpets are just starting to open. I use them in all my beds because of the many shades of color that you don't usually see in other perennials, and the smell of the trumpets are intoxicating!
{{gwi:638566}}
In this bed, the red asiatic lillies attracts hummingbirds.
{{gwi:638567}}

I'm interested in lilies this year also and have been wondering what to plant with them. I have a lily bed of pink, peach and yellow lilies. My lily bed only gets morning sun to about 1:00 or so, but the lilies seem to do fine. I was considering putting in Aruncus (?) goat's beard - it has wispy white sort of blooms - I thought it would be a nice contrast. I'm also going to plant mixed ixia this year with them. The glads are a great idea! I have plumtart, so I don't think the color will match - oh well, I guess I'll just have to buy more! :)

{{gwi:638568}}

Ixia (the pkg says corn flowers)
{{gwi:638569}}

Oh, I love oriental lilies. I must get some for next year!!! threedogsmom - just a heads up: Not sure if they've made their way down to you, you are south of Montreal, and I know 'they' are there. By 'they' I mean Japanese Lily Beetles. They make me think of red VW bugs - bright red, black underneath. They have no known predators in NA. Their young are pea-sized, excrement covered slugs. Once you have them, you never get rid of them. They can over-winter in Canada!! Anywhere. Scared you yet??? Soak any bulbs you get in a 10 to 1 water/bleach solution to avoid this problem. Wish I'd known this 10 years ago, though, oddly, the front garden was a mess, and the river-side garden had none.

Happy thoughts, pretty bunnies....etc, etc.

Nancy.

Reginaz, your pics are just like what I want to achieve with my pastel sun bed. So beautiful, amazing job with the combinations !! Nancy, if you find the bugs on the flowers, can you spray the bleach solution onto the bugs or do they live exclusively in the soil around the bulbs themselves ? Has anyone in USA had this bug attack their lilies ? Thanks all for the replies thus far !! Keep the pics coming, they are all very inspirational :)

threedogsmom - no, yes, yes. You could spray bleach on them, probably kill the plant, but the beetles just drop to the ground, black side up, then scurry away!!! The easy answer, as I said, is to soak the bulbs in the 10 to 1 one water to bleach solution for 24 hours~~ If they are already in your garden, you have whole new course of what to do in your garden. Let me know if you are at the next stage....not impossible...

Cheers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lilies in My Garden

I am glad you asked this question because it made my go back over past year's pictures and I found that a great many of the lilies are gone! I think the two very, very wet seasons may be the culprit. I need to restock.

I am listing a link to a Picasa Album of lilies, past and present, in my garden. I hope it works; never done the Picasa thing before!