If you are new to the gardening scene, it may be a bit daunting to try and select a particular kind of flowering plant or theme of perennial to begin landscaping your property.

There are many factors to evaluate but I like to keep things simple and easy. Choose varieties that are perennial for your growing zone and therefore will require less maintenance. However, be careful of some fast growing perennials because once they get established and growing they are sometimes impossible to stop.

Periwinkle and ivy are two very invasive plants that I will never plant myself and will always recommend against adding it to your garden. It's great for two years and quite lovely, but after that it's everywhere and you are pulling it from your entire yard.

The Giant Oriental Lily has to be my favorite flower for so many reasons, I recommend it to all new gardeners and those who want a low maintenance beautiful showy garden. The bulbs are available for purchase in most areas in spring and fall. They grow quickly and you will get quite a nice display in just the first year from a medium size bulb planted in spring.

The true spectacle of the giant lily isn't seen until the bulb has been left to establish itself for a few years. Each year that it returns it grows bigger, taller and has more and more huge flowers atop stalks a few inches around, that look like they should be a small tree.

Some varieties of giant oriental lily grow 9 feet tall! Most range from 7' to 9' and with good care and some fertilizing you can easily grow them so large you'll need a ladder to cut the flowers for a magnificently fragrant display inside. But it's best to leave them on the stalk to grow and the flowers will last a month or more each.

I recommend planting them along a wall or in front of a hedge where you can see them easily from high traffic windows and doors of your home. They are also a great space filler and it's nice to plant them as a background layer behind lower shrubs in front.

You'll see them, be able to smell them and get to appreciate their beauty several times a day.

One important consideration is giving the stalk adequate support as it grows, it may need a little help in standing straight. It will become very heavy and they will likely be able to hold themselves up under normal conditions but a wind storm will create some serious problems for them and could likely ruin your garden by snapping the stalks right off.

Give the emerging giant oriental lily the shelter and stability of a wall or the wind break of a hedge and they will be fine. If you really have no options and they need to be out in the open, then stick a long, strong stake deep into the ground next to the stalk and then loosely tie them together.

The only other thing that really threatens the emerging lily is slugs. Depending on how much rain you get in your region will determine their size and population.

Slugs love the tasty young lily sprout and will eat it faster than it can grow.

If the new parts of your sprout are not pointy then you have them and they are feasting every night as you sleep. If slugs are a problem in your area then purchase some bait from your local nursery and apply it every week throughout the rainy season of both spring and fall. There are also traps available but they must be cleaned out and emptied of the dead ones. If you use poison bait they usually just disappear and die elsewhere.

Spring is on the way and the fall bulbs have just hit the stores. I hope you love lilies as much as I do.

If you are quick you'll be able to choose from a large selection of colors and heights. You won't regret adding Oriental Lilies to your garden.

The plants will also have the most time to give you best show possible in the first year. Enjoy!

Please comment about your experiences while growing giant Oriental lilies. Thanks!