Lilium martagon

'Martagon Lily'

[České středohoří 390 m., Czech Republic]

Liliaceae: an upright bulbous perennial that grows in woodland and scrub. The flowers are around 4-5cm across, reddish purple with darker spots, the perianth segments are extremely recurved, pendent and in open spikes from June-July. The leaves are glossy dark green and in whorls. A familiar garden plant that is naturalised occasionally, but possibly native in a few locations in Southern England. Native to Europe to Western Asia.

USES:

The bulb can be cooked; this is often dried for later use. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes.

The bulb has diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant properties. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris.

Prefers a good leafy soil in sun or semi-shade, but prefers its roots to be in the shade. Said to grow better on calcareous soils.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long. Grow on in cool shady conditions. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people leave them in the seed pot until they die down at the end of their second year’s growth. This necessitates sowing the seed thinly and using a reasonably fertile sowing medium. The plants will also require regular feeding when in growth. Divide the young bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 in each pot, and grow them on for at least another year before planting them out into their permanent positions when the plants are dormant. Difficult!

Prefers a good leafy soil in sun or semi-shade, but prefers its roots to be in the shade. Said to grow better on calcareous soils.

Please beware that it takes 3 - 5 years to flower from seed!

HARVESTED: 2019

APPROX. 20 SEEDS