Gloriosa Lily Flower Facts

With their fiery pink petals and truly unique upward facing petals, the gloriosa lily is a much desired flower for many occasions including weddings.  A bouquet of gloriosas bundled together is more than enough to make any bride smile as she takes a trip down the isle.  If you are considering having your florist add gloriosa lilies to a bouquet for you, you might want to learn a bit more about these flowers since it will help you provide them with the best possible conditions to maintain their fresh appearance.

The flower is native to the more tropical parts of Africa such as Zimbabwe.  It still has a relatively short history of cultivation but, these days, can be found in countries like Holland and Australia.  For the most part they are sold as stems that include both fully opened flowers and some buds.  This is so that you have a full, beautiful bouquet for a longer period of time. 

Because they are naturally found in a tropical environment, it is important to keep the environment around the vase similar to that.  You can do this by making sure that there is always enough fresh, clean water in the vase.  Top up the water as you see necessary and change the water regularly.  You will also need to add floral preserve to the water so as to ensure that the closed buds will open to display beautiful flowers just bursting with colour.  Also, because of their natural tropical home, these flowers should never be placed in any kind of fridge.  Feel free to spray them gently with water every so often to increase the humidity levels around the flowers.

If you live in an area that you believe suitable for the growth of gloriosa lilies, you are welcome to try growing them in your own garden.  Gloriosas are grown from tubers.  When you plant the tubers in your garden, it is very important that you keep the soil nicely moist.  Dry conditions are not suitable for these flowers and too much water will cause the roots to rot.  A balance is needed in order to help them thrive.  If the air is quite dry, you can create a humid environment for your gloriosa lilies by running a tube with holes next to them.  Connect the tube to a hose and allow water the water to run.  As the water reaches the holes, it will spray out in a mist and, along with the high summer temperatures, this will increase the level of humidity.

Finally, gloriosa lily plants need quite a bit of room to grow so they need to be planted at least 6 inches away from each other and any other plants.  You want to make sure that each plant has enough room to grow sufficient roots so that the plant is properly fed and hydrated.  The soil in places like Zimbabwe is extremely fertile so, in order to create the same ideal environment.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nf4000/5738770747">Nick Fedele</a>