don't know much about lilies- good site?

I have a flower bed on the south face of the house, between house and sidewalk, about 2, 2 1/2 feet wide by 15 feet or so. I love to plant pansies there every fall to bloom thru winter. In summer, I haven't settled on one thing there. Blackeyed susan(annual) blooming now, but will get unruly soon and dry up. Salvia farinacea got mildew and lost all bottom leaves. It gets hot in summer of course, but is convenient for watering.
Does this possibly make a good place for lilies? I'm liking the idea of tall narrow bloom. I have orange tiger lilies there doing well, and I have several new daylilies that will grow { : ^) Ruby and John} Could I get some range of bloom time going? Or would anyone have another idea? This is a March picture; the house siding is now tan, starting about three feet up.

Sally, I have Early, mid and Late day lilies, they give me color starting mid June for almost 1 1/2 months. Stella d' Ora will give repeat blooms.
How about a nice wire trellis with a Clematis, they like their feet in shade and head in the sun.

Sally, are you talking about Oriental / Asiatic lilies?

Just in case you are ... I believe that that would be a fine spot for them, but here's a groovy site to take a gander at: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/bulb.asp?Cat=LL

This message was edited Jun 21, 2007 9:48 PM

Tiger lilies will grow anywhere. They're invasive in Maryland.

I love Stella d"ora, but a newer variety of them call "Happy Returns" blooms and blooms. I love mine.

I grow lilies for my husband. They are his favorite. He LOVES stargazers. They are becoming common, and for good reason. The fragrance is amazing, and the flowers are sooooooooooo beautiful. They'll grow about aywhere, too.

Blessings on your garden,
Elf

I caught the Oriental Lily bug last year and desperately crave more simply for the fragrance. As a result, I now *appreciate* their beauty as well.

maybe some daylilies with tall orientals in them for the height. I still want a foot or so along the edge open from Sept to May for the pansies. I might be trying to cram too much in as is my wont, or "usual habit."
I didn't plan on having these blackeyed susans here now, but since they all came up and are blooming madly - can't tear them out. That's half my probem here- don't tear out enough. you should see my milkweed jungle. (OK, once done blooming I WILL tear out a bunch)
thanks, ladygardener, I have off and on toyed with a trellis idea there, to make use of the big wall space above. But we just put new siding on and now it would have to stand on its own from the ground...just not sure. Maybe a small trellis... And I'm not sure how cool I can get those feet, with a driveway there along the sidewalk and sun from AM until maybe 4 pm...the lilies ask for cool feet too
wrightie- that's a nice site. I think hart linked to that about an old daffodil, we were comparing old doubles. I have a friend who promised Casa blanca lilies last year, maybe I can bug her.

DLs with dormant foliage won't really start emerging until your pansies are about done, and asiatic or oriental lilies also die back to the ground until midspring, so you could have your cake and eat it too in terms of still planting pansies in that bed, I would think.

Sally, I have a trellis next to our "new" garage can't nail to the new siding either. I pounded a metal pipe into the ground behind the trellis and tied the trellis to it. This is supporting a clematis that is a very vigorous grower. I mulched around the roots and planted a sun-loving coreopsis it front of it.

All are growing well.

Chris

A clematis would be pretty and would give you a longer-lasting show.... but if you want something tall without a trellis, try one of the big "Orienpet" hybrid lilies. A couple of mine were well over 6 feet tall last year (or would've been if I'd staked them), and they were spectacular in August when they bloomed (huge flowers and huge fragrance also).

You might also have enough room in that bed for an arch rather than a trellis... one of those metal ones that's only 12 or 15 inches deep... it would frame out a section of the white wall behind it, and you could use that to showcase a special plant or a piece of statuary, even a fountain or birdbath.

Is that window one that you look out from much, or is this bed mostly viewed from outside the house?

Critter, I like your idea of an arch. And around that window would give some shade inside.

Here is a picture of my trellis supported by the pipe in the back.

What a pretty clematis! Do you know what kind it is? It looks like one of the small flowered (viticella? something like that, LOL) varieties, but maybe the trellis is just lots bigger than I think.

Yes, depending on how the window is situated, you could do an arch to frame out the window, or you could put an arch on the far side of the window to frame out a section of that blank white wall and install a fun focal point.

LOL at how we love to design other people's gardens -- especially when our own start getting full!

The clematis is Dutchess of Albany, I bought it from Bluestone about 4 years ago. The trellis isn't all that big I say 6 foot tall.

good ideas, guys ! chris, great clematis.
It IS easier to give advice than decide for myself, why is that ? cuz I alreadu know all my own excuses for not doing things....

Please check out Sterrett Gardens, located outside Craddockville on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. They grow lilies, exclusively, and have great plants and a huge variety. The website will give you plenty to ponder.

annie- thanks for the tip! a good thing to do when it gets really hot and nasty this afternoon.