Hot Summer Lilies

I don’t know enough about lilies. I am not talking about
daylilies, or toad lilies, or lily-of-the-valley, but true garden lilies –
members of the genus Lilium. The lily family used to be one
the largest with cousins that included that daylily and the lily-of-the-valley
along with asparagus and even yucca. But the clan has been split up.

That doesn’t mean that lilies present few choices for the
garden. Within the genus Lilium alone are many species and varieties that are
very well suited to gardens. The lilies are grouped into five divisions: Asiatic Lilies, the most
colorful and earliest to bloom; Trumpet/Aurelian Lilies the tallest (up to 8
ft.) with heavily-scented trumpet-shaped flowers; Oriental Lilies sometimes
called the queens of the late summer garden; Interspecific Hybrids, which are
bred from the others; and the species, which are striking enough in their
natural state.

I like the idea of lily stems pushing up through other plants to
bloom well above them, but the garden lilies do not share this opinion. They
suffer when their stems are confined and air circulation diminished. I’ve lost
a few to fungal diseases. So, next fall, I am going to dig up my bulbs and
transplant them in more open spaces with well-drained moisture retentive soil
and as much sunlight as I can grant them. I’ll do this with new bulbs I plan to
purchase in September, as well. You all know I love the late spring species
Lilium martagon, and grow them from seeds. At this time of year, standouts
include the speckled orange species L. henryii, shown
below with the trumpet varieties ‘White Henry’ and ‘African Queen’ –
yellow-orange with deep purple stripes on the backs of the petals.

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