At first glance, the Turk’s cap lily does not appear like the typical lily that everyone is familiar with from mourning arrangements and grave decorations. Rather, its pink to purple, dotted petals are curved in such a way that they touch the stem, resembling a turban from a distance. Even the deep green, lanceolate whorls of leaves along the stem form a decorative ornament. With a growth height of up to 150 cm, the Lilium martagon perfectly complements low trees and populates ornamental and natural gardens throughout Europe. Given these enticing attributes, the garden enthusiast will appreciate that the care instructions are so easy to follow.
Table of Contents
maintenance
Like the vast majority of bulbs, the Turk’s cap lily will delight gardeners for many years, as long as their few but essential needs are attended to. In the meantime it has become so rare in the wild that it is under protection. Their heavy, sweet scent may take some getting used to for sensitive noses; long-tongued butterflies love it all the more and swarm around the blossoms in droves. Hobby gardeners who decide to plant the Turk’s cap lily not only enrich their garden with a botanical attraction, but also make a valuable contribution to the preservation of biodiversity.
location and potting soil
Expert hobby gardeners always inquire in advance about the natural site conditions that their new garden plant prefers in order to draw conclusions as to whether they can offer it a similar environment. In this respect, the Turk’s cap lily is characterized by an amazing flexibility:
- Sunny to partially shaded, moderately warm location.
- Gladly in the protection of half-height trees.
- Humic, well-drained, slightly calcareous soil.
- Mildly acidic soil is also tolerated provided it is loose and well-drained.
The Turk’s cap lily is also very flexible when it comes to site conditions. It likes to populate the herb-rich deciduous and coniferous forests of the mountains as well as the meadows in the open. The main thing is that the soil there is loose and permeable enough for it to be able to spread its roots safely.
watering and fertilizing
The Turk’s cap lily should be protected from drying out substrate. It is therefore advisable to keep an eye on their water balance. As long as there is enough rain, there is no need for additional watering. During longer periods of drought, however, reaching for the watering can is vital for the magical lily.
- The potting soil of the Turk’s cap lily must not dry out.
- If there is insufficient rainfall, it is watered regularly.
- With increasing age, the lily takes care of itself thanks to deep roots.
- Give a jump-start in the spring with a special fertilizer for bulb flowers.
- Provide fertilizer or compost every 2 weeks during the growing season.
- As a container plant, the Lilium martagon has a higher water requirement than in the bed.
It is important to note that irrigation water is always administered directly to the root area. If the attractive flowers are wetted with water, there is a risk of rotting. This also applies to the administration of liquid fertilizer when the Lilium martagon is cultivated in a planter.
Graceful vase decoration for a long time
Actually, the Turk’s cap lily would like to develop in the garden in peace, apart from watering and fertilizing if necessary. Thanks to its comparatively stable structure in connection with the exotic-looking flowers, it seduces many a garden lover to cut it as a decoration for the vase.
- As soon as 1 or 2 flowers have opened, the Lilium martagon is ready for vase cutting.
- About 2/3 of the foliage should remain on the stem for it to sprout again.
- If withered flowers are removed immediately, the lily beautifies the home for a long time.
Experience has shown that the time it stays in the vase is significantly longer if the martagon lily is given fresh flower water at room temperature every 1 to 2 days, to which a tablespoon of horsetail tea is added to strengthen it.
Cut after flowering
The more sheltered the location, the longer the flowering period, which begins in May/June and can last until the first frost. If the garden lover is aiming for self-seeding of the Turk’s cap lily, he lets it do so until the inflorescences have completely withered and the seeds have spread out from the capsule fruits as a shaking shaker in the garden. If he wishes to sow the Turk’s cap lily in the garden in a controlled manner or to cultivate it by sowing it indoors, he harvests the seed pods, which ripen on the lilies from September, just before they open. The flowers are then cut back to the ground.
hibernate
Deep in the ground, securely anchored by their traction roots, the bulbs of the martagon lily hibernate until next spring.
- Cover thickly with leaves or straw to protect against deep-reaching ground frosts.
- Place in the bucket in front of a protected south wall and cover the container with foil or fleece.
- A thick block of wood or polystyrene protects against frost from below.
Since Turk’s cap lilies are completely hardy by nature, the recommended protection for potted plants only makes sense because in severe frost the root ball, including the flower bulbs lingering inside, could freeze through.
multiply
As bulb flowers, Lilium martagon offers the garden lover different variants of propagation, which challenge patience in quite different ways.
sowing
If the hobby gardener is already cultivating Turk’s cap lilies in his green kingdom, he collects the capsule fruits with the seeds in September/October. Once these have dried, the seeds can be removed by gently pressing the capsule. Since they are among the seeds that germinate hypogean, i.e. underground, they are immediately spread in seed pots or a seed tray and covered with about 2 mm thick nutrient-poor seed soil. In a warm, shady place, they are occasionally given a dose of room-temperature watering, while the cotyledons develop underground, invisible to the gardener. As a result, inexperienced hobby gardeners often assume that sowing has failed and, after a few weeks, they are amazed to find that the first real leaves emerge through the substrate.
spring onions
Brood bulbs are formed either in the leaf axils or on the bulbs in the soil, which have all the characteristics of the mother plant. Ideally, they are carefully picked in late summer and immediately planted in the garden soil. Regularly supplied with water and nutrients, magnificent new Turk’s Cap lilies will develop within 2 to 3 years.
Divide onion skins
A lily bulb is a wonder of nature. It is worth examining as it is composed of several fleshy shells that have or are in the process of developing a bud at the base. The knowledgeable garden lover uses this attribute for propagation.
- Divide the lily bulb into several bowls, each with a bud.
- Each bowl is planted in its own pot, filled with a compost-peat-sand mix.
- In the warm, bright place, the substrate is kept slightly moist while the lily develops.
- A cover made of glass or cling film encourages the growth of the young plant.
It is important to note that during this phase the temperature does not drop below 18° Celsius and the substrate does not dry out. Nevertheless, the hobby gardener’s patience is also put to the test with this version of propagation. Even if the Turk’s cap lily is strong enough to be planted outdoors, it can still take 2 to 3 years before the first flowers appear.
plant
Like the vast majority of flower bulbs, late autumn is the best time to plant them in the garden. Alternatively, Turk’s cap lilies can also be planted in the ground in early spring.
- Loosen the soil deeply at a suitable location.
- The addition of compost and horn shavings is ideal as a starter fertilizer.
- The planting hole is about twice to three times the size of the flower bulb.
- The Lilium martagon is placed in the ground with the tip upwards.
Finally, press down the soil well and water well. The planting distance to the next Turk’s cap lily or to a suitable neighbor is at least half of the expected growth width.
diseases and pests
As frugal and adaptable as the martagon lily may appear; However, the pretty flower is not completely immune to infestation by pests or infection by diseases.
lily chicken
The bright red leaf beetle with the black head grows up to 7 mm long and mainly infests lily plants. It is not the beetles themselves, but their larvae that cause problems for the martagon lilies. The first generation hatches in May and feeds on the leaves and flowers until they drop to the ground to pupate. As a rule, the lily beetle produces 2 to 3 generations per season. There are only a few control agents that are available to the hobby gardener:
- Read the beetles early in the morning when they are in a kind of cold torpor.
- Shake the lily and destroy the fallen beetles and larvae.
- Spray affected plants repeatedly with tansy tea.
In addition, environmentally friendly products made from the oil of the Indian neem tree have proven effective in driving away the pests.
Grauschimmel (Botrytis cinerea)
If a gray coating appears on the leaves and flowers, the bacterial disease called gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) has struck. Lilies in wet, windless locations are particularly susceptible. Planting garlic between the lilies has proven helpful. In addition, a year-round, repeated spraying with horsetail broth as a biological control agent is a good idea.
Conclusion
The enchanting Turk’s cap lily looks back on a centuries-old tradition as a garden flower and has established itself as an integral part of garden culture to this day. It is true that it is a bit timid at the beginning when it is resettled. On the other hand, once the Lilium martagon has taken root, it shines in incomparable beauty with up to 50 flowers. It stays in the garden for many years and adorns the system again and again without making great demands on care. On the contrary, they always look new.
