Lilies are popular perennial flowers. In almost every garden you can find this royal flower. The beauty and perfection of this plant will not leave anyone indifferent. Today, there are tens of thousands of varieties. According to international classification, 9 groups of lilies are distinguished. The most common among gardeners are flowers of the Asian group. And for good reason. They are resistant to diseases, winter-hardy and unpretentious in care, even novice gardeners can grow them.
Lilies of the Asiatic Group
This large group has more than 5 thousand varieties. Dwarf lilies up to 49 cm high, medium - up to 129 cm and giant lilies - more than 150 cm. The smell of the flowers of this group is barely perceptible, they practically do not smell. But the beauty of the flowers fully compensates for this. The most common varieties of this group: Lady Jane, Sweet Surrender, Pearl Jennifer, Red Velvet, Aelita, Iowa Rose, White Twinkle, Pearl Justine and, of course, a charming representative of Asian hybrids - Pink Smoke. About her and will be discussed in this article.
Pink lily - preparing the place and soil for planting
Like many representatives of this group, pink lily prefers open areas. It can be grown in partial shade, but not next to the trees. The place must be protected from the wind. It is advisable to plant a lily on a hill, as it does not tolerate waterlogging. It prefers loose and nutritious soil - fertilized sandy loam soils and light loam.
It is better to prepare the soil in advance, you need to thoroughly approach this issue, since pink lily grows without transplanting for at least 3 years. To add peat, sand, humus and organic fertilizers to heavy soil. It is important not to overdo it with organic matter, because from an excess of fertilizer, pink lily will grow.
Planting lilies
The preferred time for planting is autumn; next year, the bulbs will take root well. In spring, planting is performed as soon as the soil is thawed. Asian hybrids are transplanted every 3 years, as they grow daughter bulbs very quickly.
The depth of incorporation into the soil depends on the composition of the soil. Usually pink lily is planted to a depth exceeding the diameter of the bulb by 3 times. In light soil, lilies are planted deeper than in heavy soil. Depth of incorporation of low-growing varieties - 10 cm; medium - 15 cm, high - 15 - 20 cm. Very small bulbs are buried by 7 cm. The variety of lilies affects the gap between plants: large varieties after 25 cm, small varieties - 15 cm.
When planting, make spacious holes so as not to damage the bulbs when planting the soil. It is better to make a small mound from the soil at the bottom of the hole, place a bulb on it, carefully spread the roots and sprinkle with earth.
Care Features
Pink lily is unpretentious in leaving. All care consists in timely weeding and loosening of the soil. You need to feed flowers only if fertilizers have not been applied during soil preparation. Watering should be regular, the soil should be moderately moist. To preserve moisture, the soil around the flowers can be mulched. It is advisable to water the plants in the evening hours and under the root, in order to avoid the appearance of burns on the leaves and diseases.
Breeding
There are several ways to reproduce lilies, but the simplest is dividing the bulbs. Pink lily very quickly grows bulbs. For her, dividing is not only an easy way of propagation, but also a necessary process, since dense nests influence the flowering of plants: the flowers grow smaller, and even the plant ceases to bloom.