This week’s Crown of Flowers is bursting with vibrant pollinators.
Welcome to this week’s Crown of Flowers, highlighting a stunning Pollinator Crown, crafted to attract and nourish some of our most vital garden visitors.
A feast for the eyes and the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds!
● Bee Balm is a pollinator favourite with its bold, tubular flowers, sweet nectar and aromatic foliage. The red blooms of Monarda didyma and the lavender flowers of Monarda fistulosa create a striking contrast, adding depth and vibrancy in the garden.
● Swamp Milkweed is the true star of any pollinator garden. This essential plant plays a crucial role in supporting monarch butterflies, providing the perfect host for their larvae.
● Butterfly Weed with its bright orange blooms, is a magnet for butterflies and bees. Its long-lasting flowers add a fiery splash of colour to the garden, ensuring a continuous parade of pollinators throughout the blooming season.
So far, I've spotted four Monarchs this year, all in our pollinator plantings. I adore these vibrant blooms and the life they bring to our gardens.
What else is blooming in the garden this week?
Lilies! It’s Lily Time!
Lilies are probably some of the most popular flowers utilized by gardeners and florists! These incredibly versatile and easy-to-grow bulbs provide colour and impact. When planted in rich, well-drained soil that benefits from shaded roots and sunny heads, lilies will punctuate your garden with colour and ask for very little in return.
Planting for maximum impact is important when it comes to lilies. They are leggy, quite tall, and can look awkward in the landscape if not sited well with other plants around them. Consider locating them within mixed plantings, particularly with perennials that flower in early spring and can use a bit of brightening mid-season.
Colour Palette:
● Pair warm-coloured lilies with Monarda (Bee Balm) and Black-eyed Susans for a vibrant, radiant look.
● Combine cool lilies with Purple Veronicas or Salvias to create a serene, calming garden.
There are a wide variety of lilies to choose from. Let’s explore some of the groups based on their general flowering times in the garden. These are some of the lilies from my garden, other than the species lily. Thanks to local lily grower, Gratrix Garden Lilies, my lilies are thriving and bringing beautiful blooms to my outdoor space.
● Martagon Lilies: Also called Turk’s Cap lilies are early bloomers. They have downward-facing blooms and are shade tolerant. Turk’s cap lily towers over the rest of the garden, which is fortunate because its graceful, nodding blooms are best viewed from below. Its height makes it well suited to the back of a border.
● Asiatic Lilies: These lilies often flower in late spring to early summer with bright, vibrant colours, but little fragrance.
(northernontarioflora.ca photo)
● Species Lilies: These wild lilies bloom at various times depending on the species, adding unique shapes and a natural touch to
your garden.
● Trumpet Hybrids: These lilies bloom in mid-summer and are known for their large, trumpet-shaped flowers and strong fragrance.
● Oriental Lilies: Known for their large, fragrant blooms, they typically flower in mid to late summer.
● Tree lilies (Orienpet hybrids) are essentially a cross between Oriental and Trumpet lilies, resulting in plants that have the best features of both types, including height, flower size, and fragrance. They also bloom in mid to late summer.
● Tiger Lilies: with their distinctive bright orange blooms and dark spots, flower in mid to late summer. They are known for their striking appearance and ability to add a dramatic touch to any garden.
Facts and Tips for Gardeners
● While many people associate lilies with a strong fragrance, not all lilies are aromatic. Oriental lilies, such as ‘Stargazer’, are renowned for their intoxicating scent, which can fill an entire garden. On the other hand, Asiatic lilies are celebrated for their vibrant colours but typically lack fragrance.
● The lily beetle (Lilioceris lilii) is a common pest in Ontario that can cause significant damage to lilies. While it’s challenging to eliminate completely, there are effective management strategies: Regularly inspect your lilies and remove any beetles, larvae, or eggs by hand. Apply neem oil as a natural insecticide to deter beetles. Introduce natural predators like parasitic wasps, which can help control the beetle population.
● The European lily beetle arrived in North America in the 1940s and quickly became a major pest in Ontario. By the early 2000s, it posed a severe threat to the region's lily farmers. Through diligent pest management and education, farmers and gardeners have successfully controlled the beetle, safeguarding the lily industry's recovery and growth.
● The best time to transplant lilies is in the fall, after the foliage has died back. This allows the bulbs to establish roots before winter, ensuring they’re ready to grow vigorously come spring. If you miss the fall window, early spring before new growth begins is your next best option.
The long history of lilies
Lilies have a long and storied history, dating back over 3,000 years. They have been cultivated since ancient times, appearing in art and literature from civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese. Lilies were highly valued not only for their beauty but also for their symbolic meanings and medicinal properties. The Madonna lily (Lilium candidum) is one of the oldest cultivated lilies and has been revered for centuries.
(Photo via wikipedia.org)
The Lily
By William Blake
The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble Sheep a threatening horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.
(Photos by Monika Rekola unless noted otherwise).
Monika Rekola is a certified landscape designer and horticulturist, passionate about gardening and sustainable living. As a budding homesteader and garden writer, she shares her love for recycling, repurposing and birdwatching. Monika is dedicated to ecological gardening, aiming to balance our delicate ecosystem. Contact her at [email protected].
