How to Grow a Purple Prince Lily
The purple prince lily is a hybrid of the trumpet and Asiatic lilies. It produces a huge deep purple flower with a green throat in early summer. Purple prince is often called a lily tree because the plant can get 6 feet tall. The purple prince is an "orienpet" hybrid which indicates the cross of the two varieties. The advantages of orienpet lilies are their improved hardiness combined with the fragrance of the Asiatic lilies. Raised beds prevent rot in planted lily bulbs and the flowers need organic soils. Lilies can be grown from seed but they will not produce for the first two years. Plant lily bulbs for earliest displays. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Compost
- All purpose fertilizer
- Purple prince lily bulbs
- Mulch
- Stake
- Twine
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Weed a raised bed in a sunny location. Use a shovel to break the dirt up down to a foot. Mix in a 10-10-10 fertilizer which will feed the bulbs during the growing season. The amount to use will depend upon the size of your bed and number of lilies. As a general rule use 1 lb. for each 25 square feet.
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2
Dig in 5 inches of compost to enhance drainage and provide good soil texture. Planting of purple prince bulbs takes place in fall in most locations, although you can plant it in late winter or very early spring if you are in a warm region and soils are workable.
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3
Set the bulbs three times their own length into soil and cover them. The purple prince lily is a large plant and bulbs should be placed 1 foot apart. Spread 3 inches of mulch over the bed to protect the bulbs from freezing temperatures. Pull the mulch away from the bulbs in late winter before the sprouts begin to show.
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4
Stake the plants to keep the heavy blooms from toppling the stems. Use twine around the plant loosely to corral splaying stalks. Remove spent lilies as they occur to enhance the appearance of the plant but also to remove dead weight.
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5
Cut out the stems when the flowers are finished but leave the foliage. The foliage will continue to gather solar energy to produce plant starches for storage in the bulb. This is important to provide energy for the following season's flowering.
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