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The Sensational Casablanca Lily
Incredible Beauty
| The Casablanca Lily is the standard for white lilies. It has gorgeous,
silky blooms that grow to a diameter of 10" or more.
Red stamens form a stunning accent against the white blossoms.
One of the most popular lily varieties, Casablanca has
world-famous enormous pure white flowers of incredible beauty!
This one in my back yard, here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, is past the six foot fence.
It has six
outward-facing blooms, each one 8-9" in diameter and is truly a breathtaking sight! |
It's often hard for me to decide whether to leave them growing so we can view them from indoors, or to cut them and
bring them in to fill the house with their sweet and spicy fragrance.
Unparallelled Fragrance
Add its marvelous fragrance and robust, broad-leaved stems, you’ll see why the Casablanca lily is a long
time garden favorite.
It grows four feet and taller, and blooms in August. Oriental lilies, like the Casablanca lily, do best in acid
soil with temperate, moist summers.
These lilies are easy to grow as long as you give them these few extra
considerations.
You can use mulching, and plant with lower growing plants to give shade to the roots.
Their flowers are enormous, their fragrance heavenly, all making the extra efforts worth it when the blooms
appear in late summer. |
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Get Started Growing Casablanca Lilies
| Handling of Bulbs
Though they are called “bulbs”, lilies actually grow from tubers composed of
fleshy scales and have no protective covering.They never go completely dormant, like true bulb flowers, so they need
to be handled carefully. They can lose moisture very quickly. |
Timing and Spacing
Lilies can be planted anytime before the ground
freezes. Commonly called an Oriental Hybrid Lily, this perennial flower bulb can be planted 3-4 bulbs per square foot.
Lily bulbs should be planted 4" to 6" deep.
This is not critical, but helps them stay cool in the
summer and you can even plant them a little deeper. It likes its face in the sun and its feet
in the shade and will grow in most soil types.
Lilies like a little elbow room, about a 6" radius per bulb.
This will assure that each bulb will get enough sun.
The initial appearing stem grows roots above the bulb, even before it shows above the soil.
Roots above and below the bulb solidly anchor the plant when bulbs are planted a bit deeper.
Location and Drainage
Select a spot that dries out quickly after a wet day. Lilies can be bothered by a fungus that spots the leaves if
the weather stays cool and wet.
The fungus doesn't hurt the bulbs, but can reduce the leaf area that should be
manufacturing sugar to grow a bigger bulb for next year. The Casablanca lily is hardy in
zones 3-8.
Excellent drainage is important for lilies and raised beds afford this more easily. Choose a spot with at least
half a day of sun. Full sun is fine, and is better for mass plantings.
Raised beds also accomplish deeper planting. Loosen the soil a bit below the bulb level, and place at ground level.
Pat down the soil 4" to 6" or more on top, and sit back and wait for the magic.
My Source for Lily Bulbs
I purchase my Casablanca Lily bulbs from Breck's, and I always get large, healthy bulbs with developed buds ready for
planting. You will too.
I know these bulbs will bring you beautiful lilies each summer, bigger and better with a stronger display year after
year.
I also love the great sales in the fall. I encourage you to try them, they have a no nonsense guarantee. I know,
I had to get replacements for my astilbes last year and the process is fast and easy. Get your own
Casablanca Lily
bulbs from Breck's.
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