Blackberry lily

Questions about blackberry lily

Does blackberry lily need sun or shade?

Blackberry lily grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does blackberry lily grow in?

USDA zones 5 to 10. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does blackberry lily flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid July to mid August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should blackberry lily be planted?

16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many blackberry lily plants do I need?

At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, repeated along the bed at intervals; a slender one reads better as a clump of three.

In the bed above, the planner used three in three groups.

Is blackberry lily poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The underground stems (rhizomes) and leaves can cause drooling and stomach upset if eaten.

Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like blackberry lily?

These come closest to doing what blackberry lily does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Sea holly: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; blue, not orange, wants dry soil.
• Blazing star: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in narrower, purple, not orange.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat blackberry lily?

They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.

Will blackberry lily spread?

It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Short-lived, but keeps going by self-seeding. Thin or move seedlings where they are not wanted.

What flowers after blackberry lily?

Blackberry lily is over by mid August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does blackberry lily look like in winter?

Blackberry lily dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.

Is blackberry lily good for bees and butterflies?

Blackberry lily is visited by butterflies.