Yes, we knew you were in love once you lay your eyes on this oriental lily. The spectacular Roselily may even become your new favorite as anoutdoor plant.
The lily oriental rose lily is a double-flowering cultivar, and the best part is, it’s pollen-free. The hybrid lily plant has a pleasant fragrance and no pollen to make you sneeze.
Another striking thing is the lily blooms last for four days or longer. So, you can appreciate a longer vase life.
A Unique Lily Oriental Rose Lily
While botanists refer to the plant as a double oriental, this cultivar has 18 flower petals more than your other single-flower cultivars. Another fact is the name comes from the rose-like appearance when the flowers open.
The truth is that the first generation consisted of two types of cultivars the ‘Roselily Belonica’ with a light pink bloom and the ‘Roselily Fabiola’ with soft pink-white flowers. The second generation you find now is made up of eight cultivars with upright-facing blooms:
- ‘Roselily Annika’ (white with green stripe)
- ‘Roselily Carolina’ (white)
- ‘Roselily Celina’ (pink)
- ‘Roselily Elena’ (pink)
- ‘Roselily Felicia’ (light pink)
- ‘Roselily Isabella’ (rich pink)
- ‘Roselily Natalia’ (light pink)
- ‘Roselily Thalita’ (red)
When you grow the Samantha in the garden, it grows up to 30 inches tall and is suitable as an indoor plant. In addition, you can grow them as containerized perennials, potted plants, or flower arrangements.
Samantha Lily Care
When it comes to theLiliumplant, caring for the Samantha lily is similar to taking care of your other lilies. When summer arrives, you see a kaboom of blossoms with gorgeous patterns and swaying scents.
Soil Mix
Your Samantha lily prefers moist, well-drained soil. Growing your lily in sand or clay helps add organic matter to the mix like peat, leaf molds, or compost.
You can work some organic material about a foot deep into your planting bed to keep the ground loose. Alternatively, you can buy aLiliumpotting mix.
Lighting
You will love the plant because it is a steady yet shower performer year after year. Keeping the foliage and rootsin the shade with full sunfor six hours is essential.
When you protect your outdoor plant from the afternoon sun, they flourish, but they do not hold up well in strong winds.
So, depending on where you live, the west side of the home is ideal to receive the sun they need with less heat in the afternoon.
Planted close to walls, your lily is protected from the wind that can snap the stalks.
Watering Needs
When it comes to watering, planting your lily on a slope away from the foundation is best. Inappropriate drainage and not using the proper potting medium causes problems in your plant.
Drainage is essential when growing these plants. So, mix in some crushed granite to loosen the ground.
During the summer, if grown as anindoor plant, your lily needs regular watering, and best to check the soil to see if the top inch is dry.
When in the garden, you can provide the foliage with one inch of water every week. So, keep the ground moist but not wet. You can also add a layer of mulch up to six inches thick.
Temperature
Temperature plays a vital role in the production of your oriental lilies. Therefore, you will need to manage the temperature at various stages of the production of the flowers.
As soon as you plant your lily, the soil and air temperature are essential. The best is to preserve a temperature of 55° F.
At these temperatures, growth takes place in two weeks but can take longer when lower. After unfolding, you need to provide the correct air temperature and thrive when grown warm.
So, an optimal temperature is 68° F for development, which applies to night temperatures. The production time for the Roselily can range from 95 up to 125 days.
Fertilizer Necessity
When you plant your lily, you need to add fertilizer but continue feeding them a high phosphorous fertilizer like a bone meal for long-lasting blooms.
Planting a top-dressing bulb needs a slow-releasing feed in early spring to help them grow strong. For excellent results, you can apply worm casting, compost tea, or fish emulsion with nitrogen plant food.
But do not overfeed as it can lead to fewer blooms but lush foliage.
Propagation
As the Roselily series comes fromtissue culture, it is not practical to propagate them. Further, the parent plants are patent applications for any form of propagation and are prohibited. So, you will need to get your hands on some bulbs or fully mature plants.
Growth Zone
You can grow them in theUSDA hardiness zones three to eightin partial to full sun when grown in your landscaping.
Planting Oriental Lily Bulbs
You can plant these lilies all year round, but the best time is in spring or fall. Also, when you grow the bulbs, handle them with care as the scales break easily.
You can space your bulbs about ten inches apart and place them in a six-inch deep hole for planting in the garden.
Next, add some fertilizer, place the bulb inside the hole with the roots facing down, and cover it with the ground. Water the bulbs well and add a layer of mulch to keep them cool.
Once the bulbs start to shoot, you can use a 1-2-1 fertilizer, and when they grow, stalks add a stake to protect them from the wind.
If you want to prevent seed pods from forming, you can remove the dead blooms, and if the stem turns brown, you cut them down to ground level.
Overwintering
Okay, you only need to do this depending on where you live. If you live in a cold place, the best is to bring the bulbs indoors.
- After the first frost, lifts out the bulbs by digging them up.
- Check the bulbs for root rot or diseases.
- Place the bulbs on a tray and leave them for a few days to dry.
- Dust off the bulbs using a fungicidal powder and place them in a dark place for storage.
You can replant the bulbs in late spring. If you plan to leave your plant outdoors, only do this in milder climates.
Also, leave the plant to die back by itself and improve the soil drainage by raising them above the water level.
Next, cover the ground with some mulch and replant them in late spring.
Orient Lily Varieties
‘Star Gazer’
The lily is an eastern Asia species with large flowers that are fragrant and bloom in mid to late summer.
‘Black Beauty’
The bloom is opaque to raspberry red and grows seven feet tall.
‘Casa Blanca’
The lily is a hybrid that blooms white flowers standing four feet tall.
‘Mona Lisa’
It is another hybrid lily standing up to 18 inches tall with a similar color to the ‘Stargazer’ without white.
Diseases & Pests
The main pests are the red lily leaf beetle, slugs, and snails. You can use insecticidal soap for the beetles and will need to use other options for the latter. The other concern is gray mold, a fungal disease, and reducing the humidity and providing better ventilation helps.
