When you walk into a garden center or outdoor store, you may first notice the smell that lingers in the air. Some flowers attract birds and butterflies, from delicate pinks and whites to deep purples. You may not know this, but one flower smells like candy or a candy bar. It's called Blackberry Lily. This is what you need to understand about the Blackberry Lily.
Growing From Seed
Blackberry Lily seeds are easy to grow in pots, but you can also grow them from seed. The best way to propagate these plants is by cuttings, which take time and patience. You'll need to ensure that the soil is kept moist and the room's temperature is ideal for germination. Once you've started the process, it's not too difficult to complete.
Seeds are best started indoors in spring or summer. The ideal time for planting outdoors is late spring or early summer during warm temperatures. Plant your seeds 1/4 inch deep in a container filled with potting soil. Keep the soil moist, but let it dry out between waterings. Wait until sprouts appear before transplanting into larger containers filled with potting soil or individual plant pots if desired.
Hardiness Zones
The Blackberry Lily is not a hardy plant and will not survive a freezing winter. It does best in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 through 10 but tolerates temperatures below -15 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 Celsius).
Maturity Size
Blackberry Lily is a perennial that reaches 2–3 feet tall and spreads to 4 feet in diameter. It has waxy, purple-tinted leaves that grow from the center of the plant. The flowers are fragrant and white with purple veins. It blooms in summer and then dies back to the ground each winter. This perennial makes a good groundcover or container plant if it is well-watered during dry weather.
Potting
A great way to pot your Blackberry Lily is to use an old-fashioned clay pot with a hole in the bottom. You can find these at any garden store or local thrift store.
Fill your pot with soil and place your Blackberry Lily in the center. Once you have placed your plant in its new home, go around the outside of it with more soil and put some small rocks on top of that. This will help prevent water from getting out of the pot and causing damage.
If you want to add some extra nutrients to your soil, you can add some compost or manure. Mix this into your soil and any other fertilizer on your plants.
Light Requirements
The Blackberry Lily is a low-light plant that needs some light source to grow. This plant is unsuitable for growing in full sunlight but can tolerate some afternoon shade. The ideal light conditions for a Blackberry Lily are in direct sunlight or bright artificial lights. Indirect sunlight will provide the best results, while bright artificial lights will be good enough to grow the plant but not long enough to stress the plant out.
Water Requirements
The Blackberry Lily is a relatively easy plant to care for but requires some attention. The most vital thing to remember is that the plant needs plenty of water. It should be kept moist all the time but not wet. The leaves can become crispy and burn quickly if the soil dries out completely.
If you have trouble getting your plants to grow, adding fertilizer could help them. You can use any organic fertilizer that you have available. Just ensure it has been mixed thoroughly before adding it to your watering can or container so you don't get any leftovers when watering your plant next time.
Soil Requirements
Blackberry lily prefers well-drained, medium-textured soil and will tolerate full sun to light shade. It grows in rich, moist soils and does not like dry, sandy soils. If you have heavy clay soils that are wet during heavy rains, digging a trench and laying straw or other decomposed organic matter into it to help support the roots is best. The Blackberry Lily prefers acidic soil with a pH of 6-7.
Pests and Disease Problems
The most common pests that attack this plant are aphids which suck the honeydew from the leaves of blackberry lilies. Aphids can transmit viruses, bacteria, and fungal spores to other plants. In addition, they can carry viruses that cause diseases such as tobacco ringspot virus and potato virus X. These viruses can be transmitted by aphids to other plants in your garden and cause devastating diseases such as black blossom streaks. You should use beneficial insects like ladybugs or lacewings to control aphids on your blackberry lily plants to avoid these problems.
Pruning
Pruning is a significant step in the care of an indoor plant. It is essential to prune your Blackberry Lily when you see that it needs it, or it will start to grow too tall, which will make it difficult to keep watered and could even damage the plant.
Pruning can be done at any stage of growth. The first thing you should do is remove any dead leaves. If there are only a few dead leaves on the plant, you can cut them off with scissors. Next, cut off any branches that are too long, thin, or weak looking (this includes stems). Once these things have been done, you should be ready to take care of your Blackberry Lily.
Companion Plants
Companion plants can grow in your garden to help control pests, attract beneficial insects and promote pollination. Some of these companion plants include:
Nasturtiums: these brightly colored plants are a great addition to any garden and provide nectar for bees and butterflies. They also repel aphids, beetles, flea beetles, and caterpillars.
Marigolds: these bright yellow flowers attract butterflies in the summer. They also repel many pests, such as tomato hornworms and grasshoppers, by producing nectar that discourages them from eating it.
Lemon Balm: This fragrant herb attracts hummingbirds to your garden but can also be used as a repellent for snails and slugs.
How to Transplant
Step 1: Dig a hole in the ground half as deep as your plant's pot.
Step 2: Remove the flower from its pot and gently lift it from the container. Set it on the prepared bed, ensuring it is well-watered and covered with soil.
Step 3: Place your new Blackberry Lily into your dug hole. Fill in around the edges with soil and water thoroughly.
Step 4: Cover your new plant with soil, leaving only 6 inches of stem exposed above ground level to allow air circulation and drainage.
Mulching
Mulch the Blackberry Lily to help keep its roots cool and moist. Use a 3-4 inch layer of shredded leaves or straw. You can also use an organic garden soil amendment like Peat Moss or Perlite for an even more enriching environment for your Blackberry Lily plants.
The Blackberry Lily is a beautiful plant that is easy to grow. When you take the time to care for them, they reward you with flowers that smell like candy and look like blackberries. They're also quite elegant and have a soft feel to them.
