The fire lily (bot. Lilium bulbiferum) is a wild plant widespread in Europe, but has unfortunately become rare and is therefore protected. With its orange-red flowers, this easy-care plant is also a great eye-catcher in your garden.
How do I properly care for a fire lily?
The care of the fire lily includes a sunny location, evenly moist and slightly calcareous soil, planting the bulbs at a depth of two to three times their size, regular watering, fertilizing during the growth and flowering period and removing spent inflorescences. The plant is hardy down to -17 °C.
The right location
The fire lily feels really comfortable in a sunny and warm place, and in nature it also prefers sunny locations such as meadows and scree areas. However, the soil should not be too dry, but rather slightly moist. It can be calcareous, but it also tolerates slightly acidic soil relatively well
Planting the Fire Lily
As with many other bulbous plants, the planting depth is very important for the fire lily. The bulb should be buried about two to three times as deep as the size of the bulb. Plant in late spring when the risk of frost has decreased. If flowering decreases, you should transplant the fire lily.
Water and fertilize correctly
The soil around the fire lily should be relatively evenly moist, so watering depends very much on the weather. Avoid prolonged drought, especially during flowering. You should fertilize your fire lily from the first shoots until the end of the flowering period. Normal fertilizer for flowering plants (€14.00 on Amazon) is completely sufficient.
Cut the fire lily correctly
Pruning is not absolutely necessary for the fire lily. However, it is recommended to remove the flowered inflorescences so that the plant does not produce seeds. But only cut off the leaves when they have completely withered, because the onion needs the nutrients it contains.
The fire lily in winter
Even in winter, the robust and easy-care fire lily does not require any special care. However, it makes sense to protect them from excessive moisture. It is frost hardy down to around -17 °C.
The most important things in brief:
- perennial herbaceous plant
- easy to care for and undemanding
- durable and robust
- Location: preferably warm and sunny, partial shade possible
- Soil: permeable, humus-rich, slightly calcareous, not too dry, prefer slightly moist
- hardy to approx. – 17 °C
Tip
Don't get a fire lily from the wild. This plant has become quite rare and is a protected species.
