I've grown canadense in Oregon, which is much cooler and less humid in summer than Maryland. I don't let the soil get too dry or too hot in summer. Keep the soil shaded with mulch and annuals and perennials. All my species lilies seem to like being grown with lots of other plants. But the lily stems do need to get several hours of sun each day, so don't let the companion plants get too tall. In your state, I would be tempted to provide afternoon shade. I feed them with NPK fertilizer from spring to midsummer, plus dolomite lime and trace element fertilizer occasionally. They usually last a few years for me, and then peter out. My guess is that grayi would grow under the same conditions. I don't have any experience with monadelphum. Wage total war on slugs, mice, gophers, moles...the usual suspects. They will annihilate your plants before you ever see them in the spring.

Thanks for the reply Lilydude,

I'm with you on the "slug wars". I've had those little #$%^&*@#! munch the tips off my lilies before, as you said, I even knew they were coming up. Now I go out there first thing in spring and make a perimeter of slug bait around my lily beds.

Ed McRae's book notes the same thing for growing Canadense in Oregon, (diminishing in a few years). He speculated on reason's (lack of summer humidity and virus) but didn't seem to be that definitive. It seems like the reverse of the difficulties found on the east coast trying to grow the west coast natives.

Your advice on companion plants is well taken. It makes sense that species lilies would need them more since plants don't grow alone in nature. I've started introducing Maryland natives to my garden - so I'll have to hit the spring native plant sales this season with an eye to "lily compatibility".

Do you grow your Canadense from seed? I'm trying that for the first time and have 4 little bulblets. Hopefully they'll leaf out after their winter chill.

-Helen

I grow all my species lilies from seed. After you plant the seeds, canadense requires four months warm, then four to five months at 40F before it will germinate.