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Genus Lilium (Lily)

Lilium Lilium 'Star Gazer' Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
LIL-ee-um Common Name: Lily
Lilium is a genus of bulbous perennials grown for their very showy, often fragrant flowers. Among the 100 species, there are four main flower shapes: trumpet, bowl, recurved, and funnel. Various lilies bloom from spring to fall, giving rise to early season, midseason, and late season designations. There are 8 divisions of hybrids: Asiatic, Martagon, Candidum, American, Longiflorum, Trumpet and Aurelian, Oriental, and Other, plus one division of all true species. Lilies are useful in woodland gardens and wild areas, as cut flowers, and even in containers or rock gardens, depending on the species.
 Noteworthy characteristics: Showy flowers and potent fragrance. Widely adaptable to many uses.
 Care: Provide well-drained, highly organic soil in full sun, with the lily's "feet" in shade. Most lilies prefer acidic or neutral soils, but some prefer alkaline soils. See individual listings.
 Propagation: In spring, sow seed in a cold frame as soon as ripe or germinate under lights at 65-70°F. In late summer, remove scales, offsets, or bulblets as soon as foliage dies down.
 Problems: Gray mold (in wet, cold weather), viruses spread by aphids, red lily beetles, slugs, snails. Deer, rabbits, voles, and groundhogs may eat the plants, while birds may peck holes in the buds.

Species, varieties and cultivars for genus Lilium

Lilium 'Miss Lucy' Lilium 'Miss Lucy'
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The first true double-flowering Oriental lily, this plant has delicate pinkish white blooms that open in July and August. They are as stunning in the mixed border as they are in the vase. Each bloom has 18 beautiful petals, making it unique among Oriental lilies.
Lilium 'Star Gazer' Lilium 'Star Gazer'
(Lily) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Often used by florists, 'Star Gazer' lily has bright crimson flowers with purple spots and dark edges. These lilies grow to about 3 feet tall, so they generally don't need staking.
Lilium candidum
(Madonna lily) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

One of the oldest garden flowers, the madonna lily has bright green hosta-like basal rosettes appearing in winter and shallow-rooted bulbs that give it a distinctive appearance. In late spring, it thrusts up leafy torches topped with pristine scented blossoms in a raceme of 5 to 10 trumpet-shaped flowers.
Lilium formosanum Lilium formosanum
(Formosa lily) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

From late August through early October, this lily bears eight or more 10-inch-long, deliciously scented, pristine-white trumpets (sometimes blushed pink on the outside) upon each stem. After the flowers fade, the stalks turn upward, opening elegantly as the seeds ripen and the pods dry to form a weather-resistant candelabra to adorn the winter garden or to use in dried arrangements
Lilium henryi × Lilium speciosum var. rubrum
(Orienpet lily) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The brilliant blooms of these hybrid lilies boast the fragrance of Oriental lilies and the vitality and large size of trumpet lilies but with “hybrid vigor”—more strength and disease resistance and a higher tolerance of extreme cold as well as hot and humid conditions than their parents. Plants can reach a height of up to 8 feet and are covered with an abundance of blooms from July to mid-August, when many lilies have already faded. Scores of hybrids are available with varying blooming time, fragrance, form, and color, including 'Anastasia', 'Catherine the Great', 'Scheherazade', and the ever-popular 'Leslie Woodriff'.