Want to learn about the ornamental properties and garden applications of lilies?
Funds: National Natural Science Foundation of China (31900278).
Kuang Yiming and so on
Lily is a general term for a perennial herbaceous plant of the bulb family. There are many kinds of lilies, large and gorgeous flowers, long flowering period, unique shape, remarkable color and fragrance, and are important bulb ornamental flowers in the world. In recent years, the research on ornamental lily in mainland China has developed rapidly, and has made significant contributions to the cultivation of germplasm resources and excellent varieties of lily in the world, but there are few studies on the ornamental characteristics of ornamental lily and the application of lily gardens in mainland China, so through the study of the biological characteristics and ornamental characteristics of ornamental lily, the application advantages and application effects of ornamental lily in the garden are summarized and extracted, and then its growth habits and ornamental characteristics are understood. Skillfully combine the ornamental characteristics and humanistic connotation of ornamental lilies to create a unique lily garden landscape, which can not only beautify the environment but also improve the effect of ecological, economic and social benefits, and create a more suitable living environment for us, which has certain theoretical value and practical guiding significance.
1 Biological and ecological characteristics of ornamental lilies
Lilies are long-day plants, and the time of light stimulation is too short, which is the main reason why lily plants do not bloom. Most lilies like good light conditions, a few varieties like shade and can grow in semi-swamps, and the vast majority of lilies have very strong cold resistance, and in the process of growth, they will prefer to choose areas with cool, humid climates, resulting in lilies are not resistant to high temperatures, if the climate of the growing environment is too hot, it will have a great impact on flowering. For lilies, the most suitable flowering temperature is 15~22°C. If the winter temperature can be kept at 16~19 °C, especially when the ambient temperature ≥ the critical point of 15 °C, the photosynthetic rate of lilies is the highest, and after exceeding 25 °C, the photosynthetic capacity of lilies will decrease sharply. Although different varieties have different requirements for growth, for most species of lilies, high temperatures are more conducive to flowering, low temperatures are conducive to awakening from dormancy or stimulating germination and flowering, and the growth and development of plants until flowering is also affected by the cultivation temperature. Lily in the seedling and root period most need water, so the water content in the soil is very high, can not be low or too high, especially lily planting is not water, the requirements for clay soil are higher, must achieve wet but not stained, which requires great attention to watering, so that measures according to local conditions, time conditions, seedlings conditions. In order to maintain a suitable oxygen content during the growth of the lily, it is necessary to grasp the water content of the soil and the water accumulation, and drain the water in time after the rain, so as to avoid the bulb from rotting due to lack of oxygen and causing the death of the plant. Soil and substrate pH and permeability are the two major factors in the selection of lily cultivation substrate, and the general pH value is 4.7~6.3, which is conducive to the growth and development of lilies, which is closely related to the biological characteristics of lily's moisture-loving and water-phobic. The suitable pH value of the lily cultivation medium should be maintained at 5.5~6.5. It has fertilizer tolerance, prefers organic matter, has strong ability to absorb and nourish nutrients, and absorbs the most nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, followed by calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, boron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, etc. Among the lily varieties commonly found in the mainland, their biological characteristics are also different, so they have different uses and can play their respective advantages, such as the hairy lily has orange or red tepals and a longer flowering period.
2 Ornamental characteristics of ornamental lilies
2.1 Ornamental lily leaves
The leaves of ornamental lilies are full-margined, without petioles and pedicles, and are incomplete leaves (Figure 1). The leaves are green, scattered, and the leaf type is as large as willow leaves, bamboo leaves, and small as bluegrass. And the lilies will form new bulbs in the ground after flowering, of which each ball generally includes 1~6, and some more. Scales are metamorphosed leaves, in which basal leaves can also grow bulbs, which can be used as seeds, usually the leaves are more horny, shiny, dark green or light green.
1 lily leaf
2.2 Ornamental lily flowers
The lilies are arranged in a raceme, the flowers are apical, the flowers are trumpet-shaped, bell-shaped or open and rolled outward, the color is orange-red, pink and yellow (as shown in Figure 2), there is a green halo at the base, 10~18cm in size, the mutant generation plants and normal plants, usually 6 petals, with a clear fragrance, can be viewed.
Figure 2 Ornamental lilies of different flower colors
3 The humanistic connotation of ornamental lilies
3.1 Historical origins
The mainland is the country with the largest number of wild lily resources in the world and the longest history of research and development of lily germplasm resources. In the Nandu Fu from 78-140 AD, the first description of the lily appeared in Asia. This suggests that lilies have been cultivated on the mainland for at least 1,000 years. According to historical records, lilies were used in 720 AD to pay tribute to the rulers of the Ryukyu region of Japan. Beginning in 1743, the hairy lily, which grew in Siberia, was introduced to Europe. The famous lily was discovered by the Englishman E.H. Wilson in 1903 in the Minjiang River basin of Sichuan, and tens of thousands of bulbs were excavated and brought to England many times. Later, Wilson worked at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University in the United States, and successfully cultivated the king lily in Boston, USA.
3.2 Humanistic Identity
From ancient times to the present, the lily has always been one of the important metaphors for the literati and artists to describe its high wind and bright festival quality. In China, lilies have an extraordinary meaning for the newlyweds, so they are often used as wedding flowers to express the blessings of the newlyweds for a hundred years of good harmony and growing old together. On festive days, people often use it as a gift to relatives and friends to show blessings. In the West, it is also regarded as a symbol of purity and respect. As early as 1,000 years ago, lily plants were used to decorate the roofs of royal palaces in Central Asia. Of course, lilies of different colors also have different meanings, and the most classic white represents the purity, solemnity and respect that people are familiar with. The brighter pink, whose flower language is the same as its color, is often used to describe young women, representing purity and loveliness. Yellow lilies, like peonies, symbolize wealth and nobility, and are now often used to wish a patient a speedy recovery. Among them, the least common black lily will give people a sense of loneliness and self-appreciation, so that people only dare to look at it from a distance and dare not play profane, so its flower language is mysterious and arrogant.
3.3 Cultural connotation
The lily was considered a symbol of purity and fragrance in ancient China. From the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the present, the literati of the mainland have used lilies as the theme, and many poems about lilies have been circulated. Among them, the lily is the most loved by our Qianlong Emperor, the lily alone wrote 6 poems, in addition, the lily is often Li Bai, Su Shi and other guests, the most eye-catching, is Bai Juyi's "to the late blooming night flowers to the emperor Fu Langzhong": "Move the evening school for a month, the flower is more than half a year late. The red blossom is autumn, and the green is dark. The white dew drops are not dead, and the cool breeze blows more freshly. Who is willing to care in the future, only I and the king. "The nobility of the lilies is vividly described.
4 Application of ornamental lilies in garden landscape
4.1 Advantages of ornamental lilies in garden applications
4.1.1 Rich ornamental shapes. Abundant ornamentality is a characteristic of ornamental plants, and there are many kinds of lilies that can be used in gardens. There are tulips, hyacinths, etc., which have the characteristics of ornamental flowers, and there are ornamental leaves or flowers and leaves with the same view, such as hosta, yucca, etc., and there are a variety of variations to choose from; there are relatively tall ones such as torch flowers, lilies, yuccas, etc., and there are also low plants such as daylilies, lily of the valley, grape hyacinths, etc.; and even within the same species, there can be varieties with different ornamental points such as flowers, leaves, tall and large, low and low, etc., and this also provides more choices for horticulturists. In addition, different species of lilies have different flowering periods, and bloom in four seasons to spend their own peak blooming periods, providing continuity to the landscape.
4.1.2 Wide adaptability to the environment. According to the different planting environment, lily ornamental plants can selectively select lily varieties suitable for the environment, such as shade-tolerant to semi-shade-tolerant such as hosta, lily of the valley, lily, etc., and sun-loving such as tulips, hyacinths, torch flowers; Drought-tolerant ones such as daylilies, hostas, anchovy orchids, etc., and cold-tolerant ones such as hostas, anchovy orchids, and polygonatum bamboos.
4.1.3 Gardens are used for a variety of purposes. The garden use of the lily family varies according to its ornamental state and environmental adaptability. For example, shade-tolerant ground cover can be used hosta in the understory and forest edge, jade bamboo, deer medicine, etc. can be placed at the forest edge, and low daylily varieties can be used as slightly sunny slope ground cover; for example, tulips with different flower colors, flower types and plant heights can be used as the main scenery in the flower landscape, fritillary, lily, etc. can be used to expand the space vertically, daylily, hyacinth, etc. can be used as foreground or edging materials; tulips, mountain wheat winter, etc. can be planted in pieces to create landscaping, hosta, lily of the valley, grape hyacinth, etc. can be planted in clusters to beautify the space, etc.; Lily of the valley, hosta, lily, etc. can form an idyllic flower landscape with other trees and shrubs, while tulips, daylilies, hyacinths and other colorful flowers can create a blooming flower landscape with gorgeous colors to attract people, or you can choose plants to prefer dwarf, neat varieties to form regular molded flower beds.
4.2 Ornamental lily plant configuration in the garden landscape
Plant landscape design is including the orderly collocation of trees and shrubs and grass 3 levels of plants, in terms of plant color, priority is given to the selection of plants with similar styles to create landscape, in the selection of plant varieties, priority is given to the color matching of plants, in order to achieve a coordinated, rich main style of garden landscape effect. According to the morphological characteristics of lilies, the selection of suitable plant varieties must meet the following three conditions: first, the plants configured with them can meet the ecological habits of lilies and provide a cool growth environment for them; second, it is necessary to avoid excessive growth of the root system of the plants with plants, which occupies the resources required for the growth of lilies, so that the growth of lilies itself is hindered; third, the characteristics of the configured plants should be suitable for the posture and plant type of lily varieties. The principle of color matching of plants needs to be followed is the theory of color harmony, which is an important basis for coordinating plant colors in landscape configuration, and the color, brightness and purity of each part of different plants will change with the different growth stages of plants.
4.2.1 Combination configuration with arbors. Since most of the lily plants are shaded
Plants, Liliaceae have strict requirements for soil, temperature, and humidity, so in the shade environment of large trees, Liliaceae plants can grow more luxuriantly, and create reasonable conditions for them to coordinate with each other to create a harmonious and symbiotic ecological landscape. Adhere to the principle of color unity, the common trees in the botanical garden can be classified according to the color, and the existing lily species planted are matched, among which the representative tree is ginkgo, which belongs to the deciduous tree, which is light green in summer and yellow in autumn, and can be matched with the yellow ornamental lily to achieve the visual unity and complementarity of the color, and the overall warm yellow tone makes people feel warm and happy; or the orange ornamental lily with similar color is configured, and the gradient effect is not abrupt for long-distance viewing; the tall ginkgo biloba is green as a whole in summer, and can be matched with lilies at will, Shandandan and ornamental lilies of various colors make all kinds of lilies become a beautiful landscape in a piece of green. The same is true for other green trees, including white plums, vitex, etc., which are more versatile colors, and it is not easy to make mistakes with all kinds of lilies at will.
4.2.2 Combination with shrubs. The shrubs in the garden are three main colors: red, yellow, and white. In addition to the color combination of white and yellow trees mentioned above, red shrubs can choose pink ornamental lilies to plant in the bushes, red and pink are similar, and the gradient effect is from top to bottom, neutralizing the red of purple leaf plum and rose, and brightening the pink of ornamental lilies, complementing each other. The phenological period of these shrubs overlaps with the peak flowering period of ornamental lilies, which can create a beautiful and lifelike garden landscape in early spring and midsummer, unlike the height difference of trees, ornamental lilies can be planted in these shrubs at will, improving the color saturation of the landscape and enriching the monotonous shrub landscape. The common problem of lilies is that the height of the plants is insufficient, so it is necessary to use other plant elements in landscaping, such as forming flower beds, flower landings and flower belts with shrubs, contrasting each other in terms of color level and plant texture, so as to make the landscape more infectious.
4.2.3 Combination with herbs. The herbaceous plants in the garden are the most numerous, with the widest range of colors, and they are similar to the height of lilies, therefore, when configuring with herbaceous plants, more attention is paid to the harmony and chic of colors, which can create a unique garden landscape, highlighting their ornamental characteristics and their own morphological characteristics. Red herbs can be selected to create a sea of flowers with similar pink ornamental lilies and red shandandan. The flower landscape may be planted together in the flower bed; the white herbaceous plants can be randomly matched with the types of lilies of various colors; the yellow can not only create a unified landscape with the yellow ornamental lily, but also can be complementary to the red Shandandan, because the contrast between the two is strong, the saturation is very high, so that the color is bright and infectious, so that the landscape color is rich in changes, and it is suitable to be planted in the flower bed and the forest; the blue-purple herbaceous plants can also be planted in a large meadow with the yellow ornamental lily piece in accordance with the principle of complementary colors, and the color is rich in changes, forming a significant contrast to attract the eyes of tourists, or with the pink ornamental lily to form a transition from purple to pink, so that the landscape is neat and regular。
4.3 The application form of lily in the garden
Ornamental lily has the advantages of rich ornamental traits, wide environmental practicability, and diverse garden uses, and the clever use of ornamental lilies can create a rich garden landscape. In urban squares and leisure green spaces, lilies are planted at the edge of the green space or individually created into flower landscapes to make them look chic and elegant, tranquil and harmonious. In the beautification of residential quarters and courtyards, slopes, steps, corners, or mountain stone sketches are used to form a structure similar to a steep slope by using the height difference of the ground, and hanging plants are planted to hang down from a high place and lilies are planted below, so as to form a classical courtyard scene by using spatial vision. It is also a very good choice to plant lilies among the wild flowers that are rich in wild roots.
4.3.1 Application in floral and garden planting. The flower landscape can not only observe the natural beauty of individual plants at close range, but also feel the group beauty of plants in the environment from a distance, and can also add natural landscapes, landscaping forms and biodiversity to the garden. The color and shape of ornamental lilies and their convenient planting and maintenance make them one of the main plant materials to create lily garden flower landscape, and also an important material for garden flower configuration.
The Wildside of Buckland Monachorum in Devonshire, England, is Keith Wiley's private garden and one of the most influential gardens of the 90s of the 20th century. Its natural planting attracts many gardening enthusiasts, and its colorful, lush, structured plant design establishes a unique botanical aesthetic in the wilderness. The garden design is divided into 3 areas: Canyons, Courtyard, and Lower garden.
Figure 3 Application of lilies in floral landscapes
4.3.2 Application in flower beds. The flower bed selection of flowers requires the first bright color, followed by the beautiful shape of the stem, and the ornamental lily just perfectly meets its requirements, and according to local conditions, in the regular flower bed, it is attracted by highlighting its bright color, such as pink ornamental lily and Shandandan. When selecting the rest of the plants in the flower bed, you can consider adopting a configuration pattern that combines lilies as the main flower, ground cover plants and other perennial flowers as supplements, so that the colorful ornamental lilies not only contrast with the bright green of the ground cover plants, but also complement each other with the root plants, echo each other, and create a lush landscape. Inspired by the famous compositions of the famous Dutch Fauvist painter Mondrian, the designers of ulip Garden have designed 76 rectangular tulip beds of various sizes to give the garden a new look this season.
Figure 4 Canyon Gardens
Figure 5 Courtyard
Figure 6 Canyon Gardens
Figure 7 Tulip Park
4.3.3 Applications in ground cover. Compared with cement, masonry and other hard covering, the use of plants can greatly reduce the pressure of spectators, make people more willing to get close to nature, and it is also an effective way to meet the desire of urban people to return to nature. For ground cover plants, the requirements are low, can cover the ground and are simple to maintain, and also require ornamental leaves, flowers, fruits, etc., which are just in line with the ornamental characteristics of lilies, so lilies are one of the ideal ground cover plants.
Figure 8 Application of lily in ground cover
4.3.4 Application in rock gardens and special gardens. The rock garden uses the combination of mountain stone materials and lily varieties to show the mountain stone landscape rich in natural gas, the lily plants make the original bare surface of various forms of rocks vibrant, and the historical accumulation of rocks makes the lily varieties that originally only had ornamental characteristics full of humanistic atmosphere, and the rock landscape created will be a milestone in the history of the development of the rock garden. The research on the construction of the lily garden is a key point in the construction of the special garden in recent years, the lily is rich in flower color and variety, the ornamental is strong, the lily is planted in various varieties, and all kinds of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are matched to create different forms of garden landscape, including flower landscape, flower bed, flower sea, etc.
In parks or scenic spots with lilies as the theme, such as Jiangsu Donghai Xishuanghu Lily Park, Beijing Flower Port, Zhengzhou Botanical Garden Lily Garden, etc., the colorful lilies are like a murmuring flower stream and colorful clouds in the sunset, adding a different style to the park green space. The Jiangsu Donghai Xishuanghu Lily Park built by Sino Company is also the largest lily theme park in the country, and it is displayed through the four main methods of ribbon, color block, flower sea and flower landscape, with outstanding results. Beijing Flower Port will plant lilies in the two scenic spots of Lily Valley and Lover's Valley in the park, with rich varieties, modern techniques and international standards, creating an extraordinary exhibition of fine lilies. The lily picking festival held at the Beijing Flower Port has gradually developed into a lily cultural festival. Every summer, the lily garden of Zhengzhou Botanical Garden becomes a sea of flowers, the lilies planted in the garden are colorful, the fragrance is striking, and the flower colors are light yellow, white, orange, pink, etc. Due to the different flowering periods of different varieties of lilies, the flowers open one after another, and the viewing period can reach about half a month.
Figure 9 Application of ornamental lilies in lily gardens
5 Analysis of the application effect of ornamental lilies
All kinds of varieties in the lily family have bright colors, a wide variety of varieties, a cross flowering period, and the plant height is consistent. Flower lands and flower beds can also surround lily varieties around trees, replacing the monotony of the soil and the monotony of flower pots, and the shade under the trees can also provide a cool growth environment for lilies; Flower beds and flowers, or planted in roadside flower belts, dot the green belt into a string of colorful necklaces, so that vehicles and pedestrians stop and relax in the fast-paced life. Taking advantage of the staggered flowering period of different lily varieties, we can choose lily varieties suitable for growth in the appropriate season, so that the local area forms a gorgeous scenery all year round. However, different lily varieties also have different ornamental characteristics: lily plants are generally higher, the stalks are not only thick and straight, and generally have a large number of flowers, bright flower colors, and the flowering period is also long, so it is suitable for planting in various types of greening or creating characteristic flower landscape planting, and can be planted with lilies in various garden landscapes. Shandandan, the flower color is bright red and bright, the flower type is delicate, and it can be used for decoration and planting in the middle of the large lawn, slopes, steps, corners, etc., so as to add to the pastoral interest of the environment. Orange and yellow ornamental lilies are similar in height, flowering time and flowering period, and can be used together according to different colors to meet visual needs in the same season in garden applications to create flower landscapes, flower beds and patches in the same season. Pink ornamental lilies are relatively low in height compared to orange and yellow ornamental lilies, but the stems are stout, the number of flowers is large, the flowers are large, and the color is warm and romantic.
This study systematically studied the biological characteristics, ecological habits, cultural connotation and other related characteristics of ornamental lilies, which provided a certain theoretical basis and guiding significance for the planting of ornamental lilies and their application in landscape gardens. Different lilies have different biological characteristics and ecological habits, and their ornamental characteristics are also different. Through in-depth study of the similarities and differences between them, combined with cultural connotations, excavating their landscaping advantages in the garden landscape, selecting appropriate plant species, and creating new garden landscapes, such as lily seas, flower landscapes, cut flowers, flower beds, etc., all have reference significance and guiding significance.