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The Many Faces of Miss Lily

From the exotic Easter lily to the common daylily, this group of flowers has something for everyone. If I were going to recommend a flower to someone who only wanted to grow one flower it would be a lily whether that someone be a beginner or expert gardener. One of the oldest plants on earth, some form of lily has been in our gardens for over 3500 years and is believed to be a survivor from the Ice Age. Since the fifteenth century B.C. beautiful vases found in the ancient ruins on the island of Crete and in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs were adorned with lilies. The beauty of the lily was mentioned in the bible in Matthew 6:28-29 “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Today you will find a lily growing in every garden. The majestic Madonna lily growing as the focal point in a formal garden, the common daylily growing along a country roadside, a wave of pastel orientals…they all have a place in our lives.


Daylilies

Daylilies, or Hemerocallis from the Greek words hemero meaning beautiful and callis for day, have come a long way since our colonial ancestors brought them to America from Europe. The homesteaders wanted some of their favorite flowers to brighten their gardens, but any plant that made the trip from the old world had to be hardy and able to withstand a good deal of neglect. The common orange daylilies that line the rural roadsides of North America are all descendants of colonial gardens. An especially interesting fact is that the daylily brought by the colonists to America was a self-sterile hybrid called ‘Europa’, and can only be introduced into new areas by using sections of the root. So the daylily spread literally in “bits and pieces”.
Although each individual blossom of the daylily, lasts but one day (as the name suggests), a stem usually produces a cluster of buds that open over a long period of time. By planting several varieties, you can extend the bloom season over most of the summer. Virtually carefree, these plants grow in almost any type of soil, from rocky banks to moist soil along the riverbank, in sun or partial shade.
Daylily foliage is long and straplike, with a central vein running the entire length. The plants grow from stout crowns with thick tuberous roots radiating in an outward circle. They can be divided easily to produce new plants and should be divided every few years when the flowers begin to wane. The flowers are composed of 3 broad petals and 3 narrow petal-like sepals that overlap. They can have thick or thin, long or short petals and may be smooth or frilly. Daylilies come in almost every color. Many are bi-colored and even tri-colored. In this chart are the ones I grow or have grown. Click each link to go to the individual flower or click on the first block to take a tour through them alphabetically.


Daylilies

Daylilies

Adah Marie

Dark Ruby

GHW Peach

Magic Dawn

Plum Perfect

Alexandra

David Kirchhoff

GHW Cream

Mary Todd

Potentate

Another Red

Deb’s Double Orange

GHW Rose

Midnight Magic

Purple Waters

Not Another Red

Destined To See

Gordon Biggs

Mini-Grape

Red Magic

Apricot Mini

 

Green Flutter

Mini-Orange

Rocket City

Bama Music

El Desperado

Hall’s Pink

Mini-Yellow

Shady Lady

Big Smile

Fairy Tale Pink

Happy Returns

Moonlit Masquerade

Siloam Ury Winniford

Bi-Tone Pink

Fan Club

Ice Carnival

Nefertiti

Skye Dance

Black-Eyed Susan

Frans Hal

Joan Senior

(no photo)

New Red

Startle

(no photo)

Brick Red

GHW Pale Orange

Jolyene Nichole

Old Orange

Stella-de-Oro

Bright Sunset

GHW Pink

Judith

Old Peach

Strawberry Candy

Canadian Border Patrol

GHW Pink/Yellow

Lady Fingers

(no photo)

Pardon Me

Strawberry Sherbert

Caprician Fiesta

GHW Red

Lake Norman Sunset

 

Texas Sunlight

 

 

 

 

Trahlyta

Chicago Petticoats

GHW Red/Yellow

Longfield’s Twin

Peach and Maroon

Tropical Joy

 

 

Lilium

Several lilies grow from bulbs and are terrific in pots as well as majestic as the focal point of a formal border. They grow on a tall single stem with leaves that may be grasslike or a little wider and more swordlike. The Madonna lily (lilium candidum) makes a wonderful gift plant and can be found in the stores in the spring. It is quite popular as a mother’s day gift and is beautiful for weddings. The Easter lily (L. longiflorum) is very similar. Once the flower is spent, plant them in your garden. They seldom bloom at the right time for these occasions in the garden, but are beautiful year after year with very little care.
Oriental lilies are the result of crossing speciosum lilies from Korea and auratum lilies from Japan. Big, bold, and beautiful they make a huge splash in the garden. Nothing is finer than sitting on the deck on a warm summer afternoon and catching a drift of their sweet scent. They normally grow shorter than the Madonna or Easter lily. Here is a sampling of the lilies I grow. Click a link to see that flower or click the first link to take the alphabetical tour.

Lilium

Artic Ice

Coral Reef

Freedom’s Glow

Moon Temple 

Starfighter

Aubade

Coral Sunset

Golden Stargazer

Muscadet

Star Gazer

Baja

Crème Brulee

Golden Sunburst

Opening Night

Sterling Star

Barcelona

Crimson Elegance

No Photo

Grand Cru

Pollyanna

Tom Pouce

Big Smile

No Photo

Dancing Eyes

Hot Lips

Purple Reign

Trinidad

Black Beauty

 

l. Regal

 

 

Boogie Woogie

Dolly Madison

Lollypop

Purple Sensation

Yellow Blaze

Buena Vista

Dress Rehersal

Loreto

Red Dutch

Yellow Oriental

Casa Blanca

Electric Orange

Lovely Girl

Royal Respect

 

Centerfold

 

 

 

 

Citronella

Emerald Trumpet

Marquee

Savannah

 

Commander in Chief

Fantasy

Midnight

 

 

Connecticut Memory

First Lady

Monte Negro

 

 

 

Crinum, Amaryllis and Other Specialty lilies

One of the first lilies I remember from my childhood grew in my aunt’s yard. It took me many years to learn the name of the Crinum lily. To me it was always Daught’s pink and white lily. It is a member of the Amaryllis family. The flower stalks grow from the center of straplike leaves and it may produce several of these stalks with a cluster of blooms on each. In the south, they can be planted outside. Plant the bulb with the neck above the soil level. It’s leaves will die back in the winter. With the return of spring, it again puts out new leaves and will bloom happily into summer. Give these lilies plenty of room. They will multiply rapidly and the bulbs can become quite large.

The Amaryllis is also commonly know as the Christmas lily because it is grown as a forced bulb so often around Christmas time. This lily grows so rapidly that you can almost see it grow. I love to buy a bulb in October and try to make it bloom on Christmas day. I’ve only been successful once. After it blooms, I plant the bulb outside. Some Amaryllis produce a flower stalk first before it has leaves.

Amaryllis come in many shades of red and white. The white ones are usually more fragrant.

Novelty Lilies

Clivia

White Crinum

Yellow Water Lily

 

 

Ellen Bosenquet

Peruvian Daffodil

Amaryllis

 

 

Pink Crinum

Torch Lily

Lycorice

 

 

Pink Striped Crinum

Pink water Lily

 

 

 

 


I hope you have enjoyed my lily show. Please come back to visit soon.

Critters

Water Garden

Salvia

Roses

Spring Bulbs

Irises

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