c
ulture onnection
c
perennial
solutions
Oriental Lily
‘After Eight’
With a sweet, heady scent and enticing
pink blooms, this Oriental lily will delight
consumers at all hours of the day.
By Paul Pilon
W
ith their fl amboyant impressive display of color at
and sweetly scented retail locations.
blooms, Oriental lilies
defi nitely draw con- Propagation
sumers’ attention in It is not economical or prac-
garden centers. In the past, Ori- tical for growers to propagate
entals were primarily grown and Oriental lilies, grow the bulbs to
marketed as potted plants that were maturity and then produce a fi n-
sold around major holidays such as ished crop. All Lily Looks lilies
Easter or Mothers Day. However, are patented varieties, and any
Oriental lilies can be easily pro- propagation without license
good contact between the growing
duced for other markets and fi t the is strictly prohibited. Commer-
mix and the bulbs and improves the
commercial perennial trade well. cial growers obtain fully mature,
uniformity of the crop.
‘After Eight’ is a genetically precooled, ready-to-plant bulbs
‘After Eight’ is most commonly
short Oriental lily introduction of ‘After Eight’ and other Oriental
produced in 1-quart to 1-gallon con-
from Lily Looks. It bears numerous lily cultivars to pot into their fi nal
tainers. The number of bulbs needed
intense pink, fragrant fl owers on containers.
varies with container size, customer
short, sturdy stems. In containers,
specifi cations and the price point of
it commonly reaches 14-18 inches Production
the product. Small container sizes,
tall while in bloom and remains Precooled, frozen bulbs are packed
such as quart containers, usually con-
less than 24 inches tall in the land- in peat moss, which helps retain
tain one bulb each, whereas larger
scape during subsequent years. some moisture around the bulbs
container sizes, such as gallon pots,
‘After Eight’ is one of four exciting and prevents them from drying out
often contain up to three bulbs.
cultivars currently offered as the during storage and shipping. It is
Oriental lilies perform best when
Sunny series, marketed under the important to defrost bulbs gradu-
they are grown in a moist, well-
Lily Looks umbrella. This series ally by thawing them out at 50-55° F
drained, porous growing medium
includes ‘Sunny Borneo’, white with for several days before potting.
with a slightly acidic pH of 6.5-6.8.
light-pink blush; ‘Sunny Bonaire’, Frozen bulbs can be stored for up
Most commercially available peat- or
a soft pink; and ‘Sunny Sulawesi’, to two weeks in a cooler at 34-36° F
bark-based growing mixes work well,
a bright white. Each cultivar pro- or for longer periods when they are
provided there is adequate drainage.
duces an abundance of fragrant kept frozen. Warmer storage tem-
The bulbs must be planted deeply
blooms on strong short stems. peratures cause the bulbs to sprout
with a minimum of three inches of
Photos: Zabo Plant USA
With its compact growing, ‘After prior to planting and may result
growing mix above the bulb. There
Eight’ is well suited for production in breakage while they are being
should also be a minimum of 1 inch
in greenhouses and nurseries, and removed from the peat moss; once
of growing mix under the bulb. Place
can be produced and marketed the tender shoot is broken from the
the bulb near the center of the pot
throughout the year. It is commonly bulb, the bulb is useless and should
with the bulb pointed upward, not
sold as a potted plant, used in patio be discarded.
sideways, to help the stems come
pots or fl ower boxes for seasonal Once the bulbs have thawed out,
up near the center of the pot. When
interest, or as a landscape peren- they can be separated from the peat
planting multiple bulbs in each con-
nial. These lilies can be produced moss. Take care not to remove the
tainer, it is recommended to space
in sunny locations throughout scales of the bulb during sorting.
them accordingly and point the bulbs
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 10. Many growers submerge the bulbs
at a 45-degree angle to the outside of
With their ease of production, in water for at least 10 minutes to
the pot. This provides proper stem
numerous growers are adding Ori- bring them to a uniform moisture
spacing and adds balance/fullness
ental lilies to their perennial pro- level prior to planting. Once the
to the container. A proper planting
grams; ‘After Eight’ and the other bulbs are rehydrated, they should be
depth is important to provide ade-
genetically short Sunny series cul- planted immediately. An alternate
quate stem root development (the
tivars fi t nicely into grower’s pro- method would be to water them in
majority of the roots grow on the
duction systems and provide an thoroughly after potting; this allows
stem between the bulb and the top
42 GPN February 2010 www.gpnmag.com
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