Flame Lily
A Quick Guide to the Flame Lily
The flame lily is a member of the lily family; these are a climbing flower that originates in South Africa. The flame lily is also known by names such as flame of the woods, and climbing lilies.
The flame lily is a highly toxic flower that is fatal even to adults if it is ingested; the toxin will also irritate the skin if the tubers are handled without using gloves. The toxin in these flowers that is so poisonous is colchicines. If any of the toxins are swallowed, the symptoms of poisoning will become evident within 2 to 6 hours. If you become ill and suspect that you have ingested any of the flame lily poison, you will need to contact your healthcare professional, or a poison control center immediately.
The flame lily is one of the most unusual and exotic flowers in the world; it is also the national flower of Zimbabwe, Africa. This type of flower is very popular to use in flower arrangements, as well as growing in flower gardens.
The blooming season for the flame lily is mid summer. These flowers will grow to be about 5 inches across and are very colorful. The foliage of this plant will climb up a fence or trellis to a height of 8 feet. They will grow best in warm weather, but after the flowers bloom, they quickly die, but are replaced with more blooms.
The zones that are best to grow the flame lily are 7 to 10; you will need to live in an area that has a nighttime temperature that does not go below 60F, If the temperature gets below 60F, it will interfere with the growth and blooming of the flowers; anything below 50F will kill these flowers.
The soil for planting the flame lily will need to be very rich in organic material, but at the same time it needs to drain well, as well as quickly. Any standing water can rot the roots of this plant. You will also have to plant these flowers in full sun, or at the very least, in an area that only has light shade.
When planting the flame lily tubers, you will need to plant them about 2 to 3 inches deep in a horizontal position. After planting the tubers, place some compost on top of the soil and water. To help ensure that your flame lilies are healthy, you can feed them fertilizer throughout the growing season.
If you would like your flame lily flowers to bloom earlier, you have the option of starting them indoors. This should be done about 6 weeks before you would plant them outdoors. Use large pots and plant about 3 tubers per pot.
During the fall you will want to trim back your flame lily vines almost to ground level. If you have them in a pot you can simply reduce watering until the plant has dried up; at that point you can store it in the dry pot until spring when you will begin watering again.
If you have planted outdoors, you can remove the seedpods as soon as the plant has completely dried up; store them in a dry place until spring when you can plant them outdoors.
If you like to cut flowers and use them for flower arrangement in your home, the flame lily is a wonderful choice; they will live in a vase of water for about a week. Remember that these are highly toxic flowers and you should only handle them when you are wearing gardening gloves; always wash your hands and arms as soon as you are done handling this plant.