Every so often I allow myself the splurge of buying an English gardening magazine. They can be quite expensive at between $7 and $9 per issue, but I especially love the BBC's "Gardener's World" and I find them now and then in large city bookstores. But I had the chance to subscribe to The English Garden magazine which is actually geared to North American audiences, so for six issues at $35, I splurged a little on a subscription.
There was a particular issue that
had an article about “Turk’s Cap” lilies and touted them to be a great addition to a shady garden. I am used to lilies needing full sun, and since I have a lot of shade in my yard, I read on.
Turk’s caps are thus named because their petals curl back towards the stem. I guess someone many years ago thought they resembled the hats Turks wore. They have another name, martagon, and I prefer that term to the less politically correct Turk’s cap.
Martagons are types of lilies found originally from Eastern Europe to Mongolia, so they were wide-spread in origin. They are not typically found in today’s gardens as most gardeners plant lilies in full sun, and the martagons really prefer at least some shade in the heat of the day. Let me describe this lily in hopes you will be as intrigued as I am.
They can have as many as 30 blooms on tall stems that tend to bob and wave in a breeze. I would plant it out of the way of our serious summer winds, though, as the stems are less sturdy than the other lily varieties. Once they have become established, they are easily grown and will self-seed. The bulblets growing from the seeds can be lifted and moved to other areas or into pots where they will flower after seven or eight years. I am not sure I have the patience for that, but it sounds like a nice idea.
These plants grow from bulbs that like warm soil, but they also need a cold winter to allow them to flower. But if they grow well in British gardens, I feel they will grow well here, too. They like woodland areas with dappled shade. They may need a bit of a chill in the fridge before planting in the fall.
Martagons come in a variety of colors but most range from a strong pink to purple with black spots near the pistils. They are not strongly scented but they are visually so pretty that you won’t miss a strong perfume.
Of the five species lilies in this group, many named cultivars have been created. The common martagon, Lilium martagon, is the plant from which all the other hybrids descend. It is considered the most spectacular and important, with its delicate pink petals that curve backwards until they touch the top of the plant. The L. tsingtauense is a native of China and Korea and is a very intense orange. These flower petals do not curve quite as much as the other martagons and are shorter than most of the martagons. It is used to breed new colors and shorter lilies into the group. L. hansonii has more upright flowers of the yellow color range. This plant was used to hybridize lilies in the late 19th century. L. distichum is an orange variety and has fewer flowers than the others. But with its hardiness and ability to tolerate deep shade, this one is worth a look as well. The L. cattaniae is a very spectacular deep red lily.
There are many very pretty cultivars available now, generally bred from one of these five original plants. Short or tall, wispy or sturdy, there is a martagon for every shade garden. Unfortunately, summer is not a good time for planting lilies. But that will give you time to research the martagon you prefer and be ready for ordering in the fall. I can highly recommend contacting The Lily Garden in Vancouver, WA (360-253-6273) to request a catalog or go to their website at www.thelilygarden.com and do your research there. They have a wide selection of lilies, including several – but not all – of the ones mentioned here.
And the next time you find yourself in a bookstore, shop for an English garden magazine, too. I can almost guarantee you will learn something you didn’t know about gardening.
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