Plant Lilies with.....?

I just planted about 25 Lilies in my backyard circle garden. I planted 5 bulbs each of Acapulco, Mona Lisa, Muscadet, Star Gazer, and Black Beauty. I planted each type in a clump, and all the clumps are in one big drift at the back end of my circle. My question is... what can I interplant now that I realize that I will have nothing there in spring and fall?

Annuals, perennials? More bulbs? What are your interests?

Moby- Here goes:

I would plant anything peach, purple, blue or pink. It was supposed to be a peach and reddish purple garden, but everything seems to have turned out pink and blue. It is a Western exposure, with a sort of terraced Italian look. I have two Junipers and a Cameo quince at the back of the garden in front of a 4 foot tall retaining wall, I have edged that retaining wall with Germander, and have two Albertine Roses sort of spilling akimbo over the wall. Oh, and honeysuckle. This is the background.

In the middle section there is a white Deutzia, and a blue Caryopteris shrub. I have Coral Poppies, Delphiniums, two Heritage Roses, a Sharifa Asma Rose, and an Abraham Darby Rose. Malva Zebrina has seeded itself pretty thoroughly through the middle part of the garden. Lilac Perfection Dahlias were also mixed in this year.

The Lilies are now planted in a blank spot on one side of this middle part of the garden

There are some Shasta Daisies and Alpine Strawberries on the edge, along with some Snow-in-Summer and Catmint planted on top of the tiny retaining wall in front of the garden. There is no more room here to plant.

I don't care if I use annuals, perennials or bulbs. I have Cosmos and Cleome seeds collected and would like to plant tall Anemones somewhere in my yard. I would like to try salmon or apricot colored flowers, maybe Yarrow? Also red- purples- maybe Swingtown Iris?

Any ideas off the top of your head would be greatly appreciated! I just want something that will help pull the garden through the times when the Lilies aren't blooming, or even might also complement the Lilies. Is that asking to much?

LOL Not at all.

I tuck lilies behind and between my daylilies. Daylily foliage fills in the space nicely. In front of the daylilies are Spring bulbs (daff, tulips, snowdrops, etc.) By the time they're done the daylily foliage hides the dying foliage of the bulbs.

Any other space is filled in with whatever annuals I may buy on a whim. Lantana, Cuphea... I love snapdragons and lisianthus. The Rocket snaps are tall, and I also get some short ones too. For the Lisianthus, I prefer the Echo series as they are doubles and the blooms almost look like a rose.

One of the blue Lisianthus

Lisianthus Echo Rose

Moby - those Lisianthus are sssoooo beautiful! I have always wanted to try them. I read somewhere on DG that the blue ones are the best. How tall do they get?

They are about 20" tall. The blues really are beautiful and the white ones are a stunning bright white.

Here is Heidi Blue Rim which is a single

A dwarf (6 - 8 in.) new for this year ~ Florida Silver (it's the white with purple center)

Do they bloom all summer?

Yep, and they seem to bloom in waves. That's one of the reasons (excuses?) I like to have several.

Moby, do you start your lisianthus from seed? It is hard to find them around here and then they are sold individually and are pretty expensive. Usually I order plugs from Green Mountain Transplants but I would like to start them from seed. I have read that they take a long time to reach blooming stage - something like 6 months. Have you had any experience with growing them from seed?

Nooo....I understand they're a little persnickity and I don't have the patience anyway.

I don't recall what I paid for them. Not cheap but not terribly expensive, just a bit more than a regular pack of annuals. One of those necessary expenditures, you know. :)

If I'm looking for something in particular, I ask at Earl May Nursery if it's available from their growers. A lot of the summer help are kids who frequently don't know much about plants so it pays to get to know the 'head person' who does the ordering.

This has inspired me to try Lisianthus. I see they are an annual; do they accept some shade?

Green Mountain Transplants sells plugs of several varieties of lisianthus in a lot of colors for .55 each. It is a good deal. The few places that carry them in my neck of the woods sell individual pots for around $4 which is way more than I can afford. The plugs for GMT are small with very healthy roots but it does take them a little while to get to bloom size which is why I would like to start my own earlier. It would also allow me to have lots and lots of them - you can't ever have too many lisianthus. They are wonderful as cut flowes - they last several weeks in a vase. I think I will try starting them from seed this winter and see how they do.

Here is an article with info and some links ~ http://www.dontveter.com/howtogrow/eustgran.html

Great article, Moby. Thanks for that link. The information is really helpful. I wish I had read it earlier; I could have potted up this year's plants and wintered them over. I just pulled them up a week ago. I still have the last of the blooms in a vase. =^(

i have them planted all over but my favorite is the lilies and roses together!

That's a great lisianthus site! I am going to have to try them, too, and would like to try the plugs from Green Mountain transplants. I wonder how many plugs you have to buy?

There aren't very many good pics of lisianthus in Plant Files http://davesgarden.com/pf/search.php?search_text=lisianthus&Search=Search

(that I can find) Moby, so I hope you add yours...

Tabasco, GMT sells a large variety of annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs in either 32-plug flats or 72-plug flats. You can mix and match which varieties you buy but they have to be the same size. You can't put the 72-plug size plants in a flat with the 32 plug size because they won't fit. LOL

The plants are well rooted and the prices are excellent. They also sell a few lilies, cannas, dahlias, etc. I buy at least one flat each spring with a mix of annuals and perennials. I usually transplant the plugs into individual pots until they get big enough to hold their own with the established plants in my beds.

woodspirit -- lisianthus do like a lot of sun as they are native to the lower Plains states. Mine don't get sun until mid-day and into the evening. You can always try a couple; the worst that could happen is that they might lean toward the sun or be less floriferous.

Gardening wisdom holds that if you aren't killing a few plants, you're not challenging yourself. :)

NoH2O--About GMT--looked them up on watchdog--what do you think about the comments?

http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/29/

They would be a great source for lots of companion plants for good prices if they are back on track...

i would order again and again from them!!

The year 2004 was disastrous for GMT and their customers. The move really messed things up and communication skills have never been GMT's strong point. Every year my order will contain a few substitutions because they ran out of/had crop failure on what I ordered. They usually deliver a week or two later than I request. There is no little or no feedback to let you know that they have received your order. It is next to impossible to get someone on the phone to answer your questions or concerns. Ordering online is difficult because you have to manually add up your selections to make sure they equal 32 or 72 and come up with the correct $ total. These are the problems I have encounter with GMT and you would think that would be enough to keep me from ordering from them again. However, they have such a good selection of plants that are so well rooted at such reasonable prices that I will continue to order from them. Despite the problems I have had I am overall very pleased each year with my order.

t ~ try this link: http://davesgarden.com/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=lisianthus&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&Search=Search

Thanks, NoH2O and notmartha, that sounds like a pretty good analysis and point of view.

Good opportunities seem to be there for excellent pricing, but you have to be willing to 'go with the flow' I guess.

I would like to try them in spring.

You must have a pretty big garden if you are buying by the "72's", btw! If you ever want to split an order, let me know and I'll run up to Cols. and pick it up. t.

Thanks, Moby, much better lisianthus pics on your link. I am a klutz on Plant Files...I wonder why your search was so much better...t.

I don't think you did anything wrong on the PF search, but knowing that I did have some pics in there, I tried Eustoma and came up with a longer list. Then I tried 'lisianthus' again and came up with the same longer list. I think PF has a mind on it's own some days.

Tabasco, I just have the typical suburban size lot. But I am a crammer. LOL I get a fair amount of annuals, like the lisianthus and coleus, from GMT to put in pots. I used to order a lot of things from Bluestone but I just don't have room for 3 of anything anymore so I do an order from GMT instead. I would definitely be interested in splitting an order with you in spring. How's your memory? LOL Go to their website and order a catalog. When you get yours and I get mine let's try to remember to Dmail each other about splitting an order.

OK It's a deal. If you want to make an order in spring from GMT, I'll be happy to help you fill it out. Then run up an pick it up.

I saw lots of good choices on their list but couldn't find a place to order a catalog or list. I think I'm going bonkers...

Try emailing them or phoning them for a catalog. It is a pain to try to figure out your order online - there is so much to choose from and each flat has to work out to exactly 32 or 72 unless you want to pay a lot extra. The other alternative is to print out the order form which is very large. They have always sent me a catalog in snailmail. Maybe they won't do that this year.....I will have to wait and see. I hope I won't have to print out the order form but I have to have a written form to figure out my order and to have a hardcopy of it for future reference.

Moby, I will try them. I have some areas along the side of my driveway that has a fair amount of sun.
notmartha, I haven't seen you in awhile and am glad to see you are here (or I just missed you in different forums).
I may try GMT too if I can get my sister-in-law to go in with me.

I plant a mix of perennials in front and around my lilies. They like to have their 'feet" covered & I'm happy to oblige. Their height puts the blooms right up where I need them. I use daylilies, iris, black-eyed Susans, Speedwell, dwarf asters, yarrow & whatever else suits my sun or shade situation. My goal is constant blooms from April to November.

This is one bed in July with lilies & daylilies + in bloom.

Same bed in late August.

Same bed in September.

Same bed in May with iris blooming & infant daylilies/lilies.

April section of the bed with tulips in bloom.

Wanda, you do a magnificent job of keeping your beds lush and full of blooms all season long. It is not an easy thing to do. I am very impressed. When will you be available to rearrange my beds?

Wanda, does your university still sponsor The Perennial Gardner? With that lovely woman, whose first name escapes _______ Strohbean? We used to get that on NC public television but they don't carry it anymore. GRrrrrrr

Wanda, thank you for your lovely pictures. You have given me some great ideas! Iris and Yarrow seem very suitable for my space. Thanks!

What is the frothy plant along the edge of the house, behind the pink lilies in the first picture?

Is the blue flowered plant in front (pictures 2&3) bachelor buttons?

I had thought Alliums might interplant nicely, but wasn't sure. Would the lilies hide the Allium foliage enough as it turns yucky?

This message was edited Nov 10, 2005 9:08 AM

Ivy1, are you considering large or small flowered alliums? The small ones are great little naturalizers and the foliage is small and grassy and just sort of disappears without being unsightly.

Wanda, your gardens are amazing! You've captured the look I'm going for and done a fantastic job. Keep those pics coming-a sight for sore eyes at this time of year.

Neal.