Candy Lilies "Pardancanda"

The lovely background is provided
by my Giant Variegated Reed

I found some Candy Lilies at my all-time favourite Garden-Centre (The Potting Shed), and I just had to bring them home! They have minty-iris like foliage, and long lime stalks that support multiple small lily/orchid like flowers. My flower colour is a bi-coloured peachy-orange and pink-yellow bloom. After they bloom for a few days they twist away into a cocoon of sorts and develop a seed pod that burst open with shiny black lily-seeds. A very delicate looking plant, a great collectors plant to show off in an area, bees and pollinators love them! I can't wait to grow a massive clump, maybe collect some different colours. It's not uncommon to have multiple colours develop from one plant.

Beautiful fresh bloom from my Pardancanda

Candy Lily will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 8 years.

This perennial does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder zones. This plant can be propagated by division.

After bloom, pods, and a new flower in the centre

A new flower ready to pop open!

Some more brilliant examples of "Pardancanda"... I might have to start a collection...

To buy your very own Candy Lilies, you can visit your local garden centre (a good one, not a grocery store or a box store) or order a mixed bag online. Online nurseries also have unique colours and variations available.

My Potting Shed Haul

In my last post I raved about The Potting Shed in Dunnville, ON. What I didn't add was my haul from that garden-shopping trip! I had a small budget, and there was so much to choose and consider, my main goals were; Quality, Size and Collection. In general the quality and size at The Potting Shed are above average, and I don't have to worry about choosing an unhealthy plant. They also stock plenty of unique and rare varieties that are hard to find anywhere else in the area.

Here is a photo of my haul, sitting at the side of the house, in the "Bike Walk-in Area" construction zone. Its protected from any intense sun and I can water them all in one place, before direct plantings. My haul included: Giant Variegated Reed, Hosta "Final Summation", Hosta "Alakazam", Hosta "Rainbow's End", Hosta "Variegated Mouse Ears" and a pot of Candy Lilies. The other plants you're seeing are a haul from a Zehrs garden centre clearance; Hosta "Abiqua Drinking Gourd", white echinacea, and "Big Bang" Coreopsis.

This is the super tall flower stem to Hosta "Final Summation", it actually ended up flowering on three separate stems over the course of the summer. It has gorgeous semi-shiny foliage and lavender flowers.

My placement for my three mini-esk Hosta varieties in my small shade garden, it's getting very cramped in there, I think I'm going to have to expand my shade garden.

The lilies I ended up buying...

I fooled myself, and my blog post from earlier! I do think that the varieties I stated were gorgeous, but not the variety I had on my mind, I was slightly (very much) off. Anyways... isn't she lovely!? It's a dwarf Lilium Hybrid called "Lollypop". When I got there I had a 50% coupon on the small perennials, so I picked four pots with the largest plants and three blooms per stock. Two aren't even blooming yet, the woman at the cash questioned this and I giggled... because three is better than one and twelve is better than three?!

I haven't exactly decided where she will go yet...