Strange Skies, Stranger Soils
Thank you for your purchase from Viridian Verdance.
The flame lily is a flowering perennial shrub of Eliéra’s cold mountain regions, especially the mountains of Telírvess and the Caliváry, known for its large, fluted blue-purple upraised flowers in early spring and its unusual adaptation to late frosts, and makes a bold statement in any garden.
Temperature: The flame lily is hardy in cold and damp weather, but does not do well in warmer climes or in dry soil. Since Galáré is a warm world by comparison to Eliéra, it is unlikely that your local climate would let you successfully grow your flame lily out of doors, although it should grow successfully in a climate-controlled habitat.
In order to bloom, the flame lily requires the stimulus of a hard winter. Thus, you may also wish to grow your flame lily in a contained environment or within an air curtain, in order to expose it to the temperatures it needs without personal discomfort.
Atmosphere: Galáré’s atmosphere is of a similar composition to Eliéra’s, enough so for the comfort of your flame lily, but if possible in the environment in which you grow it, a carbon dioxide enrichment to no more than 400 parts per million would enhance its growth. (Please check compatibility with other flora and fauna before adjusting general atmospheric composition!)
Sunlight: While the flame lily prefers sun to shade, Galáré’s star is younger and hotter than Eliéra’s, and as such, emits more ultraviolet light. Such radiation may be harmful to your flame lily, especially if kept outside, but may do so even within habitats. If your habitat windows do not exclude light wavelengths below 250 nm, please consider applying an UV-blocking coating, or keep your flame lily in a shady spot.
Soil: The flame lily does require many of the trace elements and microbial life presence in Eliéran soil, and is incompatible with the native soil of Galáré and with its non-bluelife biochemistry. It is possible to grow your flame lily in native soil which has been sterilized, admixed with the proper trace element supplements (see our catalog for more details) and successfully inoculated with an Eliéran soil ecosystem culture, or to grow it in E-grade artisoil or an equivalent hydroponic system.
In either case, the flame lily grows on Eliéra in regions in which the soil is enriched by the local cobalt ores, and thus a cobalt supplement (a six month supply of which is provided, with our compliments) is necessary to ensure healthy growth, especially during early spring when the flame lily blooms.
Ventilation: While the flame lily only ignites its characteristic flames while blooming, small quantities of the precursor chemicals are produced all year round, and some find their way into the atmosphere. These chemicals are mildly toxic if allowed to accumulate, with effects including headache, dizziness, sweating, and – in high concentrations – muscular tremors. We recommend, therefore, keeping your flame lily in a large and/or well-ventilated room.
Thank you again for choosing Viridian Verdance. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further assistance.