West Sussex, United Kingdom
Martagon lilies.
On a visit to Sissinghurst last summer I was smitten with a display of deep purple martagon lilies rising above a mass of pink hardy geranium. I would love to grow some but the bulbs are quite expensive and I'm worried about lily beetle which I get each year in my potted asian lilies. Are these beetles just as likely to attack martagons and is there any way of protecting them? (I'm prepared to get rid of the asian lilies if it would help)!
- 2 Mar, 2019
Answers
they are sadly, but due to the tall stems and wide spacing of the leaves they are easier to spot and pick off. The ones I have in a shadier part of the garden don't seem to be as badly affected though.
2 Mar, 2019
I have found the beetles are especially fond of the martagon lilies. Also, they don't put on much of a display the first year, taking twelve months to "settle in"
2 Mar, 2019
Neem oil & Spinosad are somewhat effective against the beetle but it's a task to keep up with the correct application.
3 Mar, 2019
Thanks, Bathgate but after the other answers I think I'm going off the idea, sadly, as lily beetle is such a pest and I already have it in the garden.
Thanks everyone for these replies.
Any ideas of what I could use instead, apart from gladioli, to rise tall and stately above hardy geraniums?
3 Mar, 2019
Sidalcea gets to a decent height and has pretty hollyhock like flowers. Delphiniums Ornithogalum saundersiae are also possibles.
3 Mar, 2019
Veronicastrums?
3 Mar, 2019
Verbena bonariensis? It'll be in flower for a lot longer than martagon lilies...
4 Mar, 2019
Thanks for the suggestions. I have quite few self seeded verbena bonariensis around the garden, but it hadn't occurred to me so far, to use it in that way. Sidalcea sounds nice and veronicastrums I am just about to look up! I will probably go for the v b as I already have some. Thank you all for your help
7 Mar, 2019
I can send you a small piece of the sidalcea 'party girl' if you want to try it. send me a pm if you do.
7 Mar, 2019
Lilium martagon is just as prone to lily beetle attack as the Asian lilies I'm afraid...
2 Mar, 2019