George Ellwanger in 1889 wrote, "So extensive and beautiful is the genus Lilium, so varied in form, color and periods of blossoming, that, like the daffodil, a garden might be composed of it alone." There are even more types of lilies available today.
For example, the Asiatic hybrids that the butterflies love, with so many colors for early summer gardens. I love to grow the white ‘Bright Diamond’ together with the dark, almost black variety called ‘Mascara’ with one or two pale pink ‘Foxtrot’ lilies together. Alas, I cannot do it now though, because all my lilies have been devoured by deer.
The tall Chinese trumpets are 4-6 feet and need to be staked and placed at the back of a border. And the perfumed heirloom species lilies have Turk's-Cap flowers with prominent stamens. ‘Black Beauty’ is my favorite with raspberry red flowers with white margins and green centers.
The towering Dutch Orienpet lilies have huge flowers with a fruity fragrance and are sometimes called tree lilies because they are so tall. ‘Anastasia’ has huge pink and white flowers with dark rose speckles, and ‘Frisco’ is also raspberry red and white. (I am drawn to the raspberry-colored blooms).
One can find many mixtures of various types of lilies online and in catalogs. So many varieties of these gorgeous flowers have travelled here from far-away lands to sweeten the air in our gardens.
This is Moya Andrews, and today we the lilium genus.
