Norm's Nursery: Lily Heaven

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Lily Heaven

Lilies are my favorite bulb for three reasons. The flowers are large and colorful; many are fragrant and perhaps most endearingly, they return faithfully each year, unlike many bulbs.
In a general sense, there are seven kinds of lilies:
ASIATIC have been hybridized to yield a dizzying array of colors, with some exhibiting spots and some not. They tend to be early bloomers.
ORIENTAL have large flowers with pronounced spotting or streaking, are intensely fragrant and get to be a pretty good size.
TRUMPET are the largest of the lily family with, yes, a trumpet shape. Most are fragrant, though not quite as intense as the Orientals. Later blooming, they are prolific, often producing 10-15 flowers per stalk.
ORIENPET are the latest rage, a crossing of Oriental with Trumpet. They combine the best of both worlds - marrying the beauty of the orientals to the hardiness of the trumpets.
TIGER lilies are familiar to most people but did you know they now come in not just orange but also yellow, pink and white? They feature recurved petals, heavy spotting and can be singles or doubles.
LA HYBRID lilies are a cross between Asiatics and Easter lilies and offer bolder colors than the Asiatics. They are larger as well.
TURK'S CAP lilies (Lilium superbum) are native to various regions of the U.S. and resemble smaller-sized Tiger lilies, with their recurved petals and prominent spotting. They too have been hybridized.

Of course this is a simplistic explanation but it will serve its purpose. What follows are photos of various lilies that are either already in my garden (most) or are on their way. Since I have so many (52!) I'm dividing them into two groups. And due to the volume I'm not providing descriptions. Besides, a picture is indeed worth a 1000 words when it comes to lilies.Okay, here they are, in no particular order, though after the first dozen the rest are in roughly alphabetical order by the variety name. Most photos are courtesy of the grower's websites..