Lilies: New to this Forum, 1 by DCarrington

DCarrington wrote:
There are an awful lot of forums and I didn't know this forum was here until someone from another forum told me about it.

I'm glad there is a Lily Forum!

I just ordered this Oriental Lily and want to share it with all of you. It's a beauty.

"Miss Lucy" is the name and it has quite a unique history behind it.

Info:
By a pure stroke of luck, New Zealand grower John Blay discovered this new lily growing among his crop of soft pink 'Marco Polo' Oriental lilies. He contacted his Dutch associate, Pieter Hoff, who was amazed with the new flower. He named it ‘Miss Lucy’.

An avid historian, Mr. Hoff contacted the Dutch national museum, The Palace Het Loo, which is one of the Queen’s palaces in Apeldoorn, Holland. While visiting, he was intrigued by the story of William of Orange and Mary Stuart. As a celebration of their marriage, they commissioned the building of the beautiful palace. Princess Mary always kept the inside rooms filled with beautiful cut flowers and collected many new introductions in her day for her outstanding gardens. During the 17th century, royalty came from all over Europe to visit and admire her castle and gardens. To continue the tradition of new introductions in Dutch
horticulture, it seemed only fitting to Mr. Hoff that this new amazing lily be grown at Palace Het Loo. Today, if you visit The Palace, you will find ‘Miss Lucy’ growing in large antique urns all around the grounds. Its delightful fragrance fills the indoor salons for the pleasure of the visitors.

‘Miss Lucy’ is a unique, multi-petalled lily that doesn’t have any stamens; this is a great advantage for a cut flower! Stamens produce the pollen which can mar a table setting or accidentally stain an outfit. Cut flowers also
last longer in vases when there are no stamens,
so an arrangement of ‘Miss Lucy’ lilies can often live up to twelve days in your home! ‘Miss Lucy’ lilies can be container-grown or planted directly in your garden. According to Mr Hoff, “Lilies grow in every soil type, in the sun or part shade, and do not need any fertilizer. With a height of 40-48", they are the perfect garden plant. They flower for weeks because the plant branches and carries many flowers. Their soft pink color harmonizes with every border combination. Each year the plant will flower more profusely.”

Darrell