Each backyard needs to be graced by lovely lilies. Thankfully, there’s a lily in virtually each coloration, form, and measurement, and the bulbs are straightforward to plant. Listed below are our favourite kinds of lilies with pictures that will help you determine and select. The primary query is, “What’s a real lily?”
What’s a True Lily?
Most of the crops we name lilies, resembling lily-of-the-valley, calla lilies, water lilies, and even our beloved daylilies, technically aren’t lilies at all.
True lilies belong to the genus Lilium, a big and diversified group of crops consisting of near 100 species that vary broadly of their colours, sizes, flower types, and bloom occasions. The North American Lily Society has separated them into 9 totally different divisions primarily based on the form and place of their flowers and their dad and mom’ origins.
Asiatics and Orientals are the preferred of the true lilies.Trumpets, martagons, native Turk’s caps, Madonnas, and Easter lilies additionally develop effectively in our backyards.Then, there are a mess of hybrids on the market. Crosses resembling Orienpet (what you get while you cross an Oriental and a trumpet) or LA hybrids (bred from Easter lilies and Asiatics) take the most effective from every father or mother plant, leading to some spectacular flowers.
A phrase of warning: Earlier than you fall in love with lilies, remember that each one components of a real lily are extraordinarily poisonous to cats!
10 Varieties of Lilies
1. Asiatic
Asiatic hybrids are early bloomers through the backyard season, flowering in a variety of colours from June to July in my backyard. They’re additionally the simplest lilies to develop as a result of they’re adaptable to many various rising circumstances.
Botanical Title: Lilium asiaticaBloom Time: Early summerHardiness Zones: 3 to 9Colors: Numerous shades of pink, purple, white and bicolorsShape: Cluster or outward-facing flowersHeight: Solely 2 to 4 ft tall, compact progress
Most Asiatic lilies are with out scent and have up-facing flowers. Due to their compact measurement, they are perfect for containers and the backyard. They’re additionally fast to multiply.
Some favorites are ‘Yellow County’, darkish purple ‘Blacklist’, and bicolor ‘Perpetually Susan’ to call only a few. With 5 to 9 blossoms on every, one stem makes a bouquet!
2. Martagons
Martagon lilies (L. martagon) are amongst the earliest of the Asiatics to bloom. They’re typically referred to as Turk’s caps as a result of their petals curl again, and the flowers face downward, resembling a flowery turban.
Botanical Title: Lilium martagonBloom Time: Late spring to early summerHardiness Zones: 3 to 8Colors: Shades of yellow, gold, and orange.Form: Downward-facing flowers with recurved petalsHeight: 3 to six ft tall, slender stems
Native to Europe and Asia, Martagons are tall, dramatic lilies that can every have dozens of blossoms in June and July. They don’t seem to be followers of scorching, humid circumstances or soggy soil and like a location partially shade. Martagon lilies are long-lived and can kind substantial clumps.
‘Golden Morning’ begins flowering in late Could. Rising 3 to 4 ft tall, it blooms in shades of one other early bloomer: ‘Arabian Knight’ has recurved, darkish crimson petals with golden facilities and mahogany spots. ‘White Henryi’ is an previous favourite that blossoms for 4 weeks later in the summertime. It’s 4 to five ft tall and is disease-resistant. There are lots of different coloured martagon lilies, together with pink, lavender, orange, and deep crimson, together with contrasting ideas, spots, stripes, and different markings.
3. Easter Lily
Longiflorum lilies are referred to as the Easter lilies. Pure white, they’re usually compelled into bloom for the vacation. The big, white, trumpet-shaped flowers are additionally aromatic. Whereas every bloom solely lasts a number of days, the plant normally has sufficient unopened buds to final a few weeks if saved underneath vivid gentle. After Easter, it may be planted outdoors, and underneath the fitting circumstances, it is going to blossom once more for you yr after yr.
Botanical Title: Lilium longiflorumBloom Time: Late spring to early summerHardiness Zones: 5 to 9Colors: WhiteShape: Lengthy, trumpet-shapedHeight: 3- to 6-foot–tall sturdy stems
Whereas the bulbs are winter-hardy in Zones 5 to eight, Easter lily crops don’t do effectively in scorching, humid climates. Try this story about methods to do it.
4. Madonna Lily
A real heirloom, Madonna lilies are considered one of many first crops cultivated by people as a decorative and later used medicinally. Native to the Mediterranean area, this species is an early bloomer within the backyard.
Also referred to as Candidum, the Madonna Lily has been a backyard favourite and image of purity for over 2,000 years and is usually depicted in artwork and literature. It has an imposing look with glistening pure white trumpets dealing with outward and vivid yellow pollen.
Botanical Title: Lilium candidumBloom Time: Late spring to early summerHardiness Zones: 5 to 8Colors: Satiny whiteShape: Trumpet-shaped, 3- to 4-inch–lengthy petalsHeight: 4 ft tall
5. Trumpet Lily
Trumpet hybrids are descended from Chinese language Regal lilies (L.). They bloom in July and August. Their flared, trumpet-shaped, waxy flowers could also be outward-facing or nodding. The flowers can grow to be so heavy they may want staking.
The flowers are exceedingly aromatic. Two previous standby’s from the Nineteen Fifties are nonetheless in cultivation. ‘Pink Perfection’ has 12-inch–lengthy, flaring flowers on 4- to 6-foot tall crops. ‘Golden Splendor’ has 6- to 8-inch–lengthy, deep yellow trumpets additionally on 4- to 6-foot–tall crops.
Botanical Title: Lilium regaleBloom Time: Mid to late summerHardiness Zones: 4 to 9Colors: Pink, plum, apricot, white, gold, yellow, and chartreuseShape: Giant, trumpet-shaped petals, 3 to 4 inches longHeight: 4- to 7-foot–tall stems
6. Orientals
Intensely aromatic Orientals bloom in July and August for a late summer time present. They’re hybrids of species present in China and Japan. Orientals have among the showiest flowers, which could be large—as much as 12 inches throughout.
Botanical Title: Lilium orientalBloom Time: Mid to late summerHardiness Zones: 3 to 8Colors: Pink, pink, white, and salmonShape: Giant flowers with open, star-shaped, recurved petalsHeight: 3- to 8-foot–tall stems
There are additionally some dwarf cultivars that develop solely 18 to 30 inches tall—good for container tradition. The blossoms will not be solely colourful, but in addition many have spots, stripes, and different markings on them.
The favored pink and white ‘Stargazer’ lily is an Oriental that grows solely 2 to three ft tall. The all-white ‘Casa Blanca’ has large flowers, as much as 10 inches throughout, and grows 3 to 4 ft tall.
7. Orienpet
Orienpets are interdivisional hybrids made by crossing an Oriental lily with a trumpet lily. They mix the most effective qualities: perfume, massive 8-inch aspect flowers, and long-lasting efficiency. They bloom about 2 weeks sooner than Orientals.
Botanical Title: Numerous Lilium species hybridsBloom Time: Midsummer, 2 weeks sooner than OrientalsHardiness Zones: 3 to eight; variesColor: Varies relying on parentage
‘Scheherazade’ is 3 to 4 ft tall, and its blossoms boast barely recurved crimson petals with gold edges. ‘Purple Girl’ is a huge Orienpet rising 6 to eight ft tall.
Native Lilies
Fairly a number of lilies are native to North America. Most bloom from the tip of June by early July.
8. Turk’s cap lilies (L. superbum)
Discovered rising wild in states east of the Mississippi, these native lilies look just like martagons however have totally different dad and mom. Rising 3 to six ft tall, they produce as much as 50 nodding, orange or crimson, noticed flowers with strongly recurved petals. They’re good for naturalizing in moist, dappled shade in Zones 4 to 9.
Botanical Title: Lilium superbumBloom Time: Late spring to early summerHardiness Zones: 4 to 9Colors: Orange or redShape: Downward dealing with flowers, recurved petalsHeight: 3- to 6-foot–tall stems
9. The Canada lily (L. canadense)
A northern native, this is likely one of the solely lilies that doesn’t thoughts boggy circumstances. Hardy in Zones 3 to eight, it grows 4 to 7 ft tall and has yellow nodding flowers. Bees and butterflies are drawn to them, and this lily is principally pollinated by the ruby-throated hummingbird.
Botanical Title: Lilium canadenseBloom Time: Early to midsummerHardiness Zones: 3 to 8Colors: Yellow, orange, redShape: Trumpet-shaped flowersHeight: 4- to 7-foot-tall stems
10. Wooden lily (L. philadelphicum)
This lily is right for dry websites and is drought tolerant. Rising 6 to 24 inches tall, it bears single, reddish-orange, noticed, up-facing blossoms in July and August. Native to the japanese U.S. and Canada, it’s hardy in Zones 3 to 8.
Botanical Title: Lilium philadelphicumBloom Time: Mid to late summerHardiness Zones: 3 to 8Colors: Pink/orange, purple spottedShape: Bell-shapedHeight: 6- to 24-inch–tall stems
Rising Suggestions
The place to Plant
The perfect location to develop your lilies ought to get no less than 6 hours of solar a day, ideally morning solar with dappled afternoon shade. Most lilies received’t tolerate moist ft so they need to be planted in well-draining soil or a raised mattress. They like impartial to barely acidic, humusy soil that isn’t too excessive in nitrogen.
When to Plant
The bulbs could be planted within the spring or fall. Since they lack the protecting papery masking that different kinds of bulbs have, they should be planted instantly or saved moist till they are often planted; in any other case, they are going to begin to shrivel and grow to be broken.
The way to Plant
Plant them no less than 12 inches aside to reduce the probabilities of illness. With so many kinds of lilies to select from, you possibly can develop early, mid-season, and late-blossoming varieties to have pretty lilies in bloom all season lengthy. Like different bulbs, lilies retailer meals for subsequent season’s bloom, so maintain the inexperienced leaves rising for so long as you possibly can, and don’t take away the foliage till it’s utterly dry.
When to Minimize and Harvest
True lilies make glorious, long-lasting lower flowers, with every blossom lasting for a number of days. Minimize the stem when the primary flower opens, and the opposite buds will open later within the vase water. Relying on the variety of flowers, one stem can final for effectively over a week.
Pests and Issues
Sadly, the voles additionally love devouring the bulbs. To have the ability to develop any of the true lilies we needed to construct a particular raised mattress with {hardware} fabric tacked throughout the underside to display screen out the bulb-eating voles. To maximise the 3×8-foot area we disobeyed the foundations and packed the bulbs in as carefully as potential, about 6 inches aside.
Apart from the voles, essentially the most troublesome pest is the lily leaf beetle. It’s referred to as the “crimson terror” by lily lovers for the harm it does to the crops and to growing buds. It seems like an oval-shaped, crimson ladybug with none spots. It has black legs, a head, and antennae. A local of Europe, it appeared in New England gardens within the Nineties. Researchers on the College of Rhode Island are engaged on discovering a protected, organic management for them by experimenting with totally different parasitic wasps, however for now, the most effective management is to handpick each the beetles and their slug-like larvae early within the season. This generally is a disgusting job because the larvae have the charming behavior of masking themselves with their dung!
See our full information on planting, rising, and caring for lilies.
What we gardeners received’t do for the love of lilies!
