you have mail. Kathy

Hello Stephanite, There is a thread in the Far North Forum on lilies, which might interest you. Most lilies like well-drained soil in full sun. The recommended spacing for the taller ones is 30cm apart. In our zone I wouldnÂt get too concerned about shading the base of the plants. OTH Lois Hole suggests creeping Jenny, thyme or lamium. IMHO peach-leaved bellflowers (Campanula persicifolia) go well with lilies. To my mind lilies look best planted in small clumps of the same variety. One looks lonely on itÂs own and too many can be overpowering. The Asiatic lilies are the earliest and easiest of the lilies. They tend not to have any scent. Of those the orange varieties seem to be the most vigorous. I have to lift and divide "Hup Holland" every three years. LA hybrids are a cross between the Asiatic and the Trumpet lilies and are well worth looking for. They have large flowers and are often scented in the evening. One I have is "Donau." The Orientals bloom later in the season, sometimes getting nipped by first frost. Many are strongly scented. Two that I have are "Stargazer" and Casablanca." These two have done well in my garden but donÂt seem to multiply. Zone 3 doesnÂt seem to have a long enough summer for them to multiply their bulbs. The Trumpet lilies seem to fade away after the first year for me. Zone 3 is just a bit out of their range for coming back reliably. I havenÂt tried the Martagon lilies but they like shade and seem to be a bit tickier. Ian Here is a link that might be useful: Lily thread in Far North Forum

Apparently someone added some new spam to an OLD thread (which has obviously been removed.) Wow, I mean old. Glad the spam's removed, and how cool to see such an old discussion still kicking around. It's even formatted differently. (Putting a fake email addy so this post doesn't cause me to get MORE spam.) My favorite lilies are Lycoris and the Asiatics, like Stargazer.

Hi, I will just share a few tips on LilY Canadense, I have had great luck with this plant and have never done anything to it except give it a shake or 2 of Osmocoat plant food in the early spring. I found it in a meadow near a river and took one very small 16 inch tall plant and transplanted it at my home against the south facing wall of my garage. three years later it is a cluster of about 20 with 3 or 4 of the stems reaching over seven feet tall !! The corm seems to love being buried about 6 inches deep in fairly hard packed gravel mixed with a little loam, approx 75%gravel 20%loam 5%clay. I have them planted on the drip line of the roof overhang so it gets hammered with water every time it rains, It loves it !!