This question was asked by
– Sarah

Bought Oracle bulbs from you at Hampton Court show but can’t find them on your website when I look for planting advice & height. Could you send me brief details please? Thanks

Hello there,
Lilium Oracle is an oriental trumpet lily:

Planting Instructions:
Oriental Trumpet Hybrid Lily Bulbs should be planted as soon as possible. Ideally in the Spring but can be planted up until the Autumn.
Find a location with full sun or partial shade with well-drained soil.
Oriental Trumpet Hybrid Lilies can tolerate most soil types, Acidic or Alkaline.
Arrange the Lilies in an odd-number grouping.
If planting in the garden, plant the bulbs about 8″ apart. Space the groupings at least 3 feet apart.
If planting in pots, plant 3 bulbs in a 10-14″ ‘patio type’ pot using good-quality, multi-purpose compost.
Plant the bulbs with 4-6″ of soil above them.

Care Guide:
Lilies can tolerate very cold conditions but they do not like to get wet.
If planting in borders in the garden, the soil must be well drained and, preferably, humus rich.
If planting in pots, make sure lilies are kept moist but do not get waterlogged.
Lilies prefer to be planted in a location with at least half a day’s full sunshine, if it’s a bit too shady they will lean their stems towards the sun.
Lily bulbs do not like to be dried out so they must be kept in soil at all times.
Try to plant your lilies where they will dry out after rain to prevent Botrytis, a fungus that spots the leaves. If you do see brown spots on your leaves, spray with a fungicide recommended for roses.
If planting in pots, it may be an idea to tilt the pots on their side in the winter to prevent waterlog.
When the Lily has finished flowering, cut any seed heads back and allow the foliage to die back naturally. Do not be tempted to cut the stem back until stems becomes hollow and brown.
After a few years of flowering, you may find the Oriental Trumpets Lily produces less blooms, it may be time to lift your bulbs and divide them by breaking off the bulblets. All the bulbs will then need replanting.
To prevent Lily Beetles from damaging your lilies, we recommend using the Lily Beetle Prevention Spray. This Spray (Grazers G4) will also stimulate growth of your lilies.
You can feed your lilies with a Tomato Feed to stimulate and strengthen your lilies when you start to see signs of growth. Make up your tomato feed with half the recommended dilution (written on the instructions on the bottle) and feed once every 3 weeks.

The Hart Family

This question was asked by
– L. M Jeffery

I’ve been buying ‘tree lilies’ from you for the past few years and now the original purchases (High Tea) have made quite large clumps with 4 or 5 flowering stems. They are stunning, but are they likely to continue to bulk up? If they are, I think it might be time to lift and divide them once the foliage has died back. What is your advice, please?

We would advise lifting and dividing your bulbs after 3 to 4 years of planting.
The baby bulbs will take some time to get established though.

The Hart Family