Lilies: The Summer Garden Showstoppers
Turn up the excitement in your garden with these vivid and attention-getting blooms that often are the brightest and boldest come June.
The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is home to a wide variety of “lilies” from Oriental to Pineapple to Water and even the unexpected: Torch lilies. Many plants share the common name of “lily”, but while they may not be true lilies, they have similar attributes that give them this moniker. A few examples of our summer “lilies” are daylilies, toad lilies, water lilies, pineapple lilies, torch lilies, surprise lilies, foxtail lilies, blackberry lilies and of course the true lilies. Stop by this summer to see these amazing plants showing off their vivid rainbow of colors in many of our gardens.
Make a statement with Torch Lilies
The Torch lily, Kniphofia, or red-hot poker as another fun common name, needs full sun to produce dense foliage, strong stems and lots of flowers. It can survive in a range of soil types from sandy to loam and even tolerates salt spray. Here in our zone 5b, we treat Kniphofia as a tender or short-lived perennial. They require good drainage and you need to protect the crown of the plant in the winter by tying up the foliage. Cold, wet winters in dense soil or a heavy layer of mulch over the crown can cause plants to rot. Apply a slow-release plant food in spring every year or scratch in some compost. Then put down a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch 6 to 12 inches away from the crown to help conserve moisture and keep soil temperature even.
While Torch lily tolerates heat and drought once it’s established, Leslie Hunter, horticulture manager of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, has found that plants flower better if you water during dry spells, and that deadheading encourages rebloomers to keep producing. Leslie has been trialing Torch lily varieties for years to find ones that will thrive in the humid summers and tough winters of her zone 5 Midwest garden. ‘Hot and Cold’ has been a favorite because it’s so flowery and has survived winter for several years, but the Popsicle and Poco™ series have done well too. Watch the video (when you scan the QR) for deadheading how-tos and winter survival tips! This excerpt originally appeared in an Active Interest Media Company Garden Gate magazine.
The Water Lilies are Extra BIG in 2025
The Botanical Garden has added new varieties of color to the water garden’s lily collection this year including a burgundy mottled foliaged variety called ‘Starbright’, the very fragrant ‘Perry’s Fire Opal’ and the prolific bloomer ‘Pin Waree’. In addition, don’t miss the Victoria cruziana, or the Santa Cruz water lily with its giant leaves that can reach up to 6 feet across. This water lily is a close cousin to the widely known Amazon lily, Victoria amazonica, but can tolerate cooler water temperatures. While our visitors love the lilies, none love them more than our collection of tadpoles and frogs that inhabit the water garden. Look for the little green guys hiding in plain sight and sunning on the lily pads all summer long.
Are Pineapple Lilies, Lilies?
Pineapple lily, Eucomis sp, is a flower bulb but it is not a pineapple nor a true lily. Pineapple lily plants have flower stalks that form tiny, star-like blooms that open in a cylindrical raceme from the bottom up, and finally develop a little crown of leafy bracts, like the feathers on a cap. Pineapple lilies grows best in warmer, somewhat humid areas, require full sun to dappled shade, coarse well-draining soil, and thrive in temperatures that consistently stay above 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Eucomis x Safari Adventure, picture courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc. + Eucomis “the Hut”
Pineapple lilies are hardy to Zone 6 so we treat them much like we do our dahlias tubers, lifting and storing the bulbs over the winter in a cool but not freezing space. We use pineapple lilies in our seasonal outdoor displays as well as in the Gardener’s Show House as a potted speciman. Eucomis x Safari Adventure will be on display in the Sign Bed this summer.
Oriental Lilies
The large, showy blooms of lilies add colorful elegance to the early to midsummer yard and garden. Grown from true bulbs, lilies are perennial flowers that will return year after year and require minimal care, provided they are planted in the right place and have a little elbow room. Here at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, we grow many hybrid cultivars called orienpets, a cross between oriental and trumpet lilies, that tend to weather our midwestern temperature swings.
How to plant and Grow Lilies from Better Homes & Gardens
Boasting some of the brightest and biggest petals in the plant kingdom, not to mention potent perfumes, lilies unfold their gorgeous blooms from early summer to early fall. There are several types to choose from, including Asiatic, the enticingly fragrant Oriental, and longiflora hybrids. Each offers an array of colors and forms. Keep in mind, lilies are toxic to cats. Learn more here.
How Many Lilies Can You Find at the Botanical Garden?
Stop by any day or for our Happy Hours in the evenings to see what’s in bloom. Music in the Garden is also a great time to wander around and see what lilies are showing off this summer!
