Posted 8:35 am Thursday, May 24, 2012
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Is Gloriosa Lily The Perfect Vine?
By DEE BISHOP
Smith County Master Gardener
Do we have the perfect vine for you!
If you, like so many of us gardeners, have tried vine after vine only to find them becoming thugs that take over everything, rejoice! Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba x Rothschildiana) may be just what you need. This little vine is a tuber that was planted in early spring. It has popped up quickly and is already blooming, a big thrill.
Gloriosa lily is a small vine, to 6-foot, according to the book. We shall see. It is supposed to bloom all season. I think it will grow taller than 6-foot because we have such a long growing season. It will die down in winter; so can't become a monster (can it?).
Just look at these lovely blooms, ours are garnet and yellow; although the catalog showed them to be orange and yellow (that's why they are in the orange section of the Rainbow Border in the IDEA Garden).
Smith County Master Gardener
Do we have the perfect vine for you!
If you, like so many of us gardeners, have tried vine after vine only to find them becoming thugs that take over everything, rejoice! Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba x Rothschildiana) may be just what you need. This little vine is a tuber that was planted in early spring. It has popped up quickly and is already blooming, a big thrill.
Gloriosa lily is a small vine, to 6-foot, according to the book. We shall see. It is supposed to bloom all season. I think it will grow taller than 6-foot because we have such a long growing season. It will die down in winter; so can't become a monster (can it?).
Just look at these lovely blooms, ours are garnet and yellow; although the catalog showed them to be orange and yellow (that's why they are in the orange section of the Rainbow Border in the IDEA Garden).
Gloriosa lilies need good well-drained soil. They can be allowed to climb up through shrubbery since they are not thick or heavy. I can imagine these little vines growing up on a 6 to 8-foot tall obelisk in a flower bed that needs a focal point.
Ours are scrambling up the fence in the orange section (not orange, but so beautiful). They could be planted at the feet of a large Flowering Quince that is yearning for a little shade in summer.
What we will be watching for:
— Will it take summer heat and continue blooming?
— Will it truly bloom all summer through fall as it says?
— Will it stand our winters and become a true perennial?
We will see and I will let you know. In the meantime, take a journey to the IDEA Garden in the Tyler Rose Garden and take a look at this lovely little vine.
Dee Bishop is a Smith County Master Gardener. She writes about things blooming in Tyler Rose Garden.
Ours are scrambling up the fence in the orange section (not orange, but so beautiful). They could be planted at the feet of a large Flowering Quince that is yearning for a little shade in summer.
What we will be watching for:
— Will it take summer heat and continue blooming?
— Will it truly bloom all summer through fall as it says?
— Will it stand our winters and become a true perennial?
We will see and I will let you know. In the meantime, take a journey to the IDEA Garden in the Tyler Rose Garden and take a look at this lovely little vine.
Dee Bishop is a Smith County Master Gardener. She writes about things blooming in Tyler Rose Garden.
