Photographs of Perennial beds with Lilies. Please.

I am interested in seeing your garden photographs of lilies in a mixed border setting. I need ideas of plant combination that work well with the much beloved lilies. This would be helpful to me, so that this fall I can integrate a whole mess of new lilies in my existing perennial beds. I love the up close and personal shots of individual varieties that appear in this forum, but I want to see how you plant your lilies a garden setting. Also please note any bad combo's that have happened your way (bad scent combinations or habit conflicts or bad neighbors, etc.) Thanks, Patti

I alternate Iris with Lilies....it keeps the varieties seperate(Both Iris, and Lilys). Golden Spirea looks nice in front of both.
I have seen another garden that did alternating peonys with Lilys....That was on an outer edge of their property ...In Full Sun.

Here is part of my garden now. It doesnt bloom much till the 4th of July.

Thanks, this is what I need to see. I have some golden spirea and that should be a nice spot to plant several orienpet satisfaction (raspberry with yellow heart) from van engelen that I just ordered. I spy an astilbe and wonder if there are lilies that like to be on the shady side? It looks like you have a luscious red one behind it. Patti

Menkids, You must post a picture when this part of your garden is in it's glory. I have cleared a new bed for Iris and day lilies and can now see that I can add clumps of lilies and mounds of nepta and peonies and still retain the feeling of a mixed border.. Thanks, Patti

Here is a pic from 2004 late june. I had planted a white silvia in front of the lilies. Its still there, but I should put purple back in. The white get taller, and fall down....leaving a hole. Later the hole fils back in and reblooms. I find astilbe to grow in both sun and shade so I have it through out my lily bead.

The hard part in designing a bed is deciding what you want. Do you want the lilys to bloom at the same time as other flowers? If so, then color is important. If the dont bloom at the same time...color is not important.(easier) Then you just have to deal with folige color and the heights of the plants. Here I tryed to make the colors work....orange orienpet, yellow yellowfluff, and purple cone flower. Unfortunately....the coneflower (1st year) did not reach its purple color while the other two were in bloom....maybe this year? We shall see. Notice that here the lily is in with plants all about the same height. I put the lily in front...of course.
Mick

Menkids, your yard and beds are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. Is that your real dirt in that flower bed in the second picture? I'm so jealous. The soil here is awful.

LOL Yes real dirt...In Iowa we are quite lucky that way.

I'm jealous. Want to trade? No need to lime your lawn with my dirt because it's 75% limestone rocks. Lots of nice fossils in there too. LOL

I find some of the best companion plants for lilies are roses, campanula, clematis, astrantia and phlox. This is regale with phlox in the background.

This is Lilium Montana with astrantia and lilium regale behind.

Another view of Montana with daphne and eryngiums in front

This is lilium Pink Perfection with alstromeria, buddleia and eryngiums

This is a classic tiger lily with late summer flowers - taken at Drummond Castle in Scotland

And some white martagon lilies in a long border at Wallington in Northumberland

Galanthophile, your gardens are fantastic! The white martagons are gorgeous. I especially like the combination with the astrantia. My poor lilies seem to end up where ever I have a little space for them. Not always the best combinations that way. I have some planted with columbines and daylilies. Others behind some Iris. Most just tucked in here and there.

Susan


This message was edited May 22, 2006 6:10 AM

Patti--thanks so much for asking about the lily and good companions for her. I am hoping to find some nice combinations, too. I am struggling trying to create a 'painterly' mixed border-- a fun but frustrating challenge for me!

And, Oooh, Galanth! Wonderful pictures of lilies in mixed borders! Thanks so much for posting. And I especially loved the Pink Perfection with the thistle (?) beside it. No doubt about it, the English have a gift for mixed borders. So imaginative!

galanthrophile. I am trilled to see astrantia used with the Montana and enyngium. Both plants I love but have always failed to find the right combination for them. I recently dug up my enynguim and moved it to my Vt garden as it never had a good home in the Nantucket garden I will be off looking for a dark astrantia that I saw recently but did not buy because I couldn't envision where I would plant it as well as another enynguim. I spent a couple weeks in Scotland last Oct. The gardens even as late as it was were still a trill to see, though the focus of the trip was to visit old family spots (Islay, Mull, Tarbert Harris) with my very spree 90 + Mom and husband who was involved in the World Masters Rowing event in Glasgow. We are going to Switzerland with Mom in Oct this year. She is off to St Louis in a couple of weeks and will be visiting the Botanical Garden there. I am jealous as I hear it is a treasure. The white lilies with the spurge at Northumberland is wonderful. I think I will try a early white lily with mine in light shade next year. Thanks . Patti

My lilies float over the top of daylilies, asters, iris and whatever else I have in my beds. They love to have their feet covered, so I'm obliging.

This was my lilybed last year.

And another from last year -

From last year.
Inanda

This year I have resolved to take more 'whole garden' pics and not just close ups.

Moby, The lily law is...... you have to
do both

Inanda with w broken back from shovelling

This message was edited May 27, 2006 1:17 PM

How about that. You can't edit to add a picture.
Boogie Woogie.

This message was edited May 27, 2006 1:20 PM

Very beautiful pictures, everyone....you have all given me some great ideas. I like planting my liliums with daylilies

Moby,

I do the same thing you do with the hollyhocks as a backdrop - I like how it looks.

I am getting some great ideas from your pictures, keep them coming. Steveftworth, I ran out and popped in some hollyhocks( creme de cassis) behind some lilies I planted yesterday after seeing you photo. I have a bunch of single black nigra hollyhocks that I started from seed that I will be able to drop in behind some black beauty lilies next week. The hollyhocks won't make much of a statement this year but I think I will love it next summer. Moby I like the bee balm with the pink lilies another good pairing and I just happen to have a big patch that I can add some Mona Lisa which should bloom about the same time. It is one I don't have, so I will but it on a fall order. Thanks, please observe Inanda's photo law. Patti

That sounds great, Patti - and you have such a great climate for growing everything...nice and fairly mild year around! I am jealous of you. It has been over 90 every day for the past 10 days here. Surprisingly, not much is "burned" and everything looks pretty nice still. My OT, trumpet, and Asiatic lilies as well as daylilies, and even hollyhocks seem to have great heat tolerance.

I just finished the lawn and took these a few minutes ago.

Here's another

One more from another angle

My Silk Roads will be blooming next! You can see it behind the daylilies towards the right, taller than the rest. These have perennialized really well for me all around my house.

BTW the daylilies in the picture are "Mary's Gold" in their second summer from Oakes. They get really tall for daylilies and have huge 6" flowers and are incredibly bright.

This message was edited May 27, 2006 6:39 PM

This message was edited May 27, 2006 6:40 PM

This is not a good picture but shows Moby and I have obviously similar taste in flowers - since we have almost the exact same things in our pictures! Your picture above looks a lot more orderly and cleaner thanmine does however.

The front bed with Silk Roads almost ready

Steve, we do have the same excellent tastes. ;)

Inanda ~ Yes, Ma'am!!

Iris are blooming and lilys are budding.

How pretty! I love the pale pink and blue iris together. I never would have thought the two colors would look so nice together.

Me either...LOL. The package of Lilys were all supposed to be Pink. Figure that!!

Great photos and ideas everyone! My lilies are not blooming yet, but very close. Here is some tall Valerian that blooms behinds my lilies. I love the smell of it.

Susan