The Foxtail Lily

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29389, 16 December 1960, Page 11

The Foxtail Lily

The name lily is given to many plants which, strictly speaking, are not entitled to it The foxtail lily is one example. But whether it is a lily or not is immaterial to the average gardener. It is a most attractive—and unusual—addition to the flower garden. It is seldom seen and seldom offered by nurserymen, but I know a number of these plants in gardens around Christchurch, nevertheless. The name comes from the single spike of flowers that arises from each plant Depending on the sort it can be from three to six feet tall, and in colour from

white through pink to orangyapricot. The flowering season is late spring and early summer, so that you may see plants in flower now. As may be seen by the illustration, the flowers open first at the bottom of the spike, and as these fade new flowers open further up the spike, in much the same way as in a red-hot poker. By some people this is regarded as a disadvantage, since the whole spike does not flower at once, but this is the usual habit of flowering in those plants which have spikes—just think of the lupin or delphinium, for example. The leaves form a rosette at the base, and the flower spike comes from the centre of this rosette. Growth is usually early, and the plant dies down much earlier than other sorts, so it is

dormant from March onwards. It can be transplanted when dormant, between March and August. Once you have seen a root of the foxtail lily you’ll never mistake it for anything else—it looks just like a spider about 12 inches across! The "body” is the fat bud which will produce the flower spike later on, whilst the “lags” are the thick roots which surround the bud, like the spokes of a wheel. Plants may be raised from seed, but these are slow to germinate and to produce a

flowering plant Seeds seem to require freezing before they will germinate, and then take five or six years to flower.

The conditions which the foxtail lily likes are a moderately light soil, good drainage, warm conditions in the autumn to ripen the roots, and protection from wind. This last precaution is very important with the tall, pink variety called robustus, which grows to six. feet tall, but some of the hybrids which are now being raised are not so tall. These hybrids include the Shelford hybrids, and the Highdownensis strain, both of which include' yellow, orange and coppery colours! One last word, however—don’t be annoyed with your nurseryman if he can’t immediately offer these plants. They are in short supply and are well worth waiting for.'