Tuesday, September 02, 2008

The Blackberry Lily

Blackberry Lily in Bloom

Blackberry Lily Seeds

The blackberry lily (Belamcanda) is a wonderful perennial for the garden both for its bloom and its seed pods.  Related to the iris, this plant seems just about bullet-proof – just be sure to give it some space as it likes to reproduce. However, it does so in a well-behaved way via rhizomes which do not spread quickly. Like just about everything else that we plant, blackberry lilies like good drainage; plant in part to full sun and water them during their growing season. The flowers appear in summer; each flower lasts for only one day but, as more continue to open, the garden will have blackberry lily blooms for weeks. When the blooms fade they are eventually replaced by seed pods which look just like blackberries when they split open. The seed bearing stems make great additions to flower arrangements, but I love the look in the flower beds. In my garden the seed pods have just started to appear within the last week or so, although the flowers bloomed weeks and weeks ago. Blackberry lilies look best planted in clumps or used as a border plant.

With their yellowish orange faces spotted with small red blotches, blackberry lilies make a cheerful addition to the garden. If you find someone who has them growing, ask them to share!