OPINION: The Asiatic Lily – blooming love for a hundred years

The Chinese love symbolism. It’s evident in their way of dressing, the objects they choose to display in their homes, and even in the plants they select to grow or offer as gifts. Pine trees are a symbol of endurance, orchids stand for fertility, bamboo shoots hint at youth, lotus flowers signify enlightenment and azaleas are a sign of home-coming. It comes as no surprise, then, that there’s also meaning associated with lilies. Signifying unity of spirit, with the belief that they offer 100 years of love, these exquisite flowers are often found at Chinese weddings or in the homes of newly-weds.

 Asiatic hybrids of Lilium are available in South Africa and their origins stem from European expeditions to China, Korea and Japan in the 1800s. These hybrids form part of around 110 species within this magnificent genus. Whether adorning floral arrangements at weddings as a nod to their Chinese symbolism, or placed in vases at home or planted in a flower bed, Asiatic lilies are easily appreciated. Also, because they’ve been hybridised, they’re rather vigorous, resistant to disease (lilies are most commonly hit by botrytis, a fungus-causing disease that manifests as brown spots on the leaves resulting in stunted growth) and tolerant of a wide range of climate conditions.

They may be far from Asia when planted here in their hybridised form, but Asiatic lilies thrive in South African gardens if they’re planted in the correct spot. Imagine standing on the beach on a sunny day, feet protected under the sand in the cool ocean water; body catching rays of sunshine. That’s what lilies love – a location where their soil is cooled under shadow while their stems and flowers are trickled with sunlight. If such a location is non-existent in your garden, plant some groundcover or shrubs around your lilies to create shade for the underground bulbs and roots. A position with less harsh morning sun is best.

Information supplied by Hadeco Bulbs.