Tiger lilies one of first Asiatic bulbs planted in Indiana

Tiger lily has downward facing flowers. (C) Birute Vijeikiene/Fotola.com

When I first started writing about gardening, I thought the orange daylilies, sometimes called ditch lilies, were tiger lilies.

The late great Marge Soule of Soule’s Garden on Indianapolis’ southside, set me straight. A ditch lily is a daylily from Asia (Hemerocallis fulva). It spreads by seed and rhizome and has naturalized in all but about a dozen states. Each blossom lasts one day, a trait that gives the perennial its common name.

A tiger lily is a true lily. A hardy bulb originally from Asia, it spreads by seed and tiny bulbs and has naturalized throughout the eastern United States, including Indiana. Old House Gardens Heirloom Bulbs (http://oldhousegardens.com/) says this was the first Asiatic lily to be planted in the United States.

A most unusual characteristic of tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium, sometimes listed as L. tigrinum), is its ability to make aerial bulblets or bulbils.These shiny brownish-black beads form between the stalk and leaf axil. When they are ripe, they fall to the ground. They can be planted about 2 inches deep for more lilies.

Tiger lilies form bulbils along the stem. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Full size bulbs can be found in online or through mail order retailers for fall planting. Full-grown plants are sometimes available at garden centers. Tiger lilies get 3 to 6 feet tall and do best in well drained soil in full sun, although they tolerate light shade. The downward facing blooms last several days in mid summer.  Tiger lilies can be cut for indoor enjoyment.

Although humans eat tiger lily bulbs, especially in Asia, all parts of the plant are toxic to cats, causing kidney failure and death.