EREMURUS - FOX TAIL LILIES [ASPHODELACEAE]

I tried growing Fox Tail Lilies in the garden a decade or so.....and failed miserably. But for some reason I have decided to have a project of growing them and seeing how successful I am. They're classified as "Difficult" as they originate from the dry grasslands and semi-desert of Western and central Asia so they like fast draining soil, and Sun. While I can't do anything about the amount of Sun we get this year I can do something about the soil.
So, after doing some research, I tried a combination of the slightly differing methods of the Experts. That meant after buying around 15 bare roots of different varieties and buying several bags of grit and sand.


So I decide the best method was to dig a hole about 8 inches across by about 6 inches deep, fill it to around three quarters of the depth with agricultural grit [to get that fast draining] place a single spider like bare root on top and then cover it with a mixture of grit, compost, and sharp sand to the level of the soil. The advised time to plant them is Autumn but it wasn't until a month or so ago that I decided to try growing them so they do say that planting in Spring will have no harmful effects. So I've planted them in the Walk Around Border where there is less competition and more space, and it's going to be interesting to see how, and if, they grow.
Has anyone had success in growing Fox Tail Lilies in an ordinary UK garden??

 

You're right, Anthony. What I did was to make a crown on the grit and then place the bare root on top. I watched several videos and read a few articles on planting them and they all differed on exactly how to do it. Some stressed placing the root on a mound and then covering it up, some in the videos just dug a shallow hole, put some grit and compost in, then the root followed by a covering of soil.
The person I took the most note of was a German Botanist who really knew her stuff and has been growing them commercially for years. The thing is, Anthony, I don't just want to grow them for one or two seasons but I want to see if I can get them to establish properly in the sites I picked for them

 

I've used Parkers and also Garthwaites. Both are good with Garthwaites being more expensive but much bigger roots. Parkers roots were great but smaller [I've just received 9 Cleopatra variety Foxtail lilies from them] and they can take up to 28 days to get to you while Garthwaites are with you within usually a week.