Lilium Formosanum
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…
And yet, I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these
Matthew 6 vs 28-29
White lilies begin to bloom around Sabie during the spring and summer months each year. These are Lilium Formosanum. They look wonderful – they smell wonderful too!
Urban legend has it that a lady buried on the Long Tom pass about 25 to 30 years ago had expressed a wish, that when she died, lilies should be planted around her grave. Her family, chose to plant the beautiful white Chinese lily, Lilium Formosanum.
Lilium Formosanum
From late August through early October, this lily bears eight or more 10-inch-long, deliciously scented, pristine-white trumpets (sometimes blushed pink both on the inside and the outside) upon each stem. After the flowers fade, the stalks turn upward, opening elegantly as the seeds ripen and the pods dry to form a weather-resistant candelabra to adorn the winter garden or to use in dried arrangements.
Native to Taiwan, Formosa lilies grow easily from seed sown in early spring, often blooming that same year. Self-seeds freely.
Lilium Formosanum
This Chinese plant found a very compatible home in the soil and climate of the escarpment. It flourished. Naturally, as nature encourages, it propagated itself. The seeds of the Formosa lily being papery and light are easily blown along by wind, or the `whoosh’ of passing timber trucks that carry the seeds along the roads around and off the Long Tom Pass. Each year the beautiful flowers can be seen further and further away from the pass, and small clusters can even be found as far afield as Hoedspruit and towards Tzaneen.
Lilium Formosanum
The good news is that being Non-indigenous these flowers can be enjoyed quite legally in our homes, so there’s no need to hide the fact that you’re picking them! This lily thrives in sun or shade, in the ground or in pots. They work and play well with others, including tropical and woodland plants, suiting most garden situations.
Wild flower expert Jo Onderstall has been watching the spread of these lilies over the past years and says that although they are classed as a weed, they appear to be totally benign, having no adverse affect on the surrounding environment. Should this situation change , then steps would need to be taken to eradicate them, but this does not seem to be likely in the foreseeable future, which is great news !
Apart from Sabie, the whole Escarpment, Lowveld and Bushveld regions offer so much in the way of a variety of beautiful flowers. there are veld species, exotics, indigenous. or cultivated garden species. There is always a flower in bloom, whatever the season.
A Snippet from the pen of Ginny Cormack.
Join us on a Flower Safari throughout the region, in groups of from 10 to 45 patrons for a flower feast. We can also faclitate Flower tours to Namaquland and the West coast.
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