The Beautiful Orange Flower You'll Wish You Never Planted In Your Garden

When it comes to bright orange flowers, there are rarely any more beautiful than the vibrant tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium or Lilium tigrinum). They are tall plants with large, bold flowers sure to catch the eye of anyone who walks nearby. They don't only attract people; pollinators also love tiger lilies. However, while these flowers do a great job of bringing certain beneficial animals to your yard, they also have a rather dark side. 

Several stunning flowers can be problematic in some way, such as this beautiful but invasive flower that you want to think twice about before planting in your garden. Tiger lilies are no exception. Though they are gorgeous, they can take over a yard and prevent any other plants in the area from growing, and they can be difficult to control. Even if your tiger lilies seem to be gone for good, don't be fooled; they come back year after year, like other perennials that you plant in your garden once and never leave. Only, when it comes to tiger lilies, this is more of a threat than a promise. 

In addition to being invasive, tiger lilies are commonly infected with a disease known as mosaic virus. Though it doesn't really affect these orange flowers to the point that you can rarely tell if a disease is there, it can spread to other lilies and cause severe damage. The worst part is that there's no cure except for culling, so if these flowers infect your other species of lilies in the area, you will have no choice but to rip them all out and start over. 

Though tiger lilies are somewhat invasive, with the right care and attention, you can get them back under control. The best option is to remove them entirely, but you can also regularly cut them back to tame their growth. Interestingly, tiger lilies don't spread as much via seed but by bulbs and rhizomes. This means that to properly keep them under control, you need to remove the bulbs and the trailing underground tendrils that connect the plants. 

Instead of tossing them straight into the trash, consider other ways to use them. Lilies, including tiger lilies, are edible to people, though you need to keep them far away from cats. Consider chopping up lilies and adding them to your salads for a bit of color. The small buds and young plants can also be fried up and eaten like you would green beans. 

If you haven't planted them yet, this is a good time to stop and consider using a different plant in your garden instead. There are plenty of other lilies to choose from as well, including the stunning low-maintenance ground cover that'll flourish in your shady yard: plantain lilies. It's easy to find other orange lily varieties, to the point that you may not even have a chance to miss these invasive plants. There are also plenty of other similar-colored flowers to consider growing instead, including oriental poppies, sun roses, Gerbera daisies, marigolds, and even impatiens. Don't settle for something that requires a lot of work, is often diseased, and can get out of control when you have so many other options at your fingertips.