It's all about the Species

Love it. It's quite striking.

Interesting color!

Wow - Lilium fargesii is awesome!!

What a fantastic selection of species lilies. I think I would swap all my hybrids and replace them with these gorgeous plants. Alas I have lost my langkongense and my favourite of them all testaceum. I have never seen it for sale since. This is leichtlinii. It's about 6 foot tall.

I don't know why I didn't take any pics of my L. leichtlinii this year. I guess I have enough already.

This is another Lilium lankongense from a different source.

That's always one of my favorites. :)

Leftwood,

Do you have any tips for growing lillium auratum? Should they be grown in pots? I've coveted them for years, and I have a fridge I could keep them in over the winter. Or, like the formosanum longiflorum crosses I grow, do you simply restrict their water supply and force them into dormancy that way?

Thank you.

Donna

Leftwood -- Thanks for the species pix and the discussion! I am also a species fan.... Unfortunately, so are the rabbits. They seem to prefer pumilum, davidii, and cernuum. Maybe it's the narrow leaves....

For those interested, the Species Lily Preservation Group (SLPG) sells about 10-12 different species bulbs each spring to its membership ($12/year).

How do you become a member ? can any one be a member ?
Gloria

Lilium auratum is certainly cold hardy enough for my zone 4 gardens; the bulbs remain in the ground all winter. This past winter, they received almost no mulch. Although mine grow in an ammended clay based soil, drainage is very good, although I wouldn't say excellent. As with so many perennials, yes, I do think a dryish winter soil is key. I have never needed to restrict water to force dormancy. Fall color (yellow) happens naturally, although much later than most plants. However, in general, I water much less than most people, in all my gardening. Only you would know if this is true, Donna, but perhaps you are discouraging dormancy by watering more than needed.

In my opinion, pot culture brings with it a whole nother set of possible pitfalls. Obviously, many people grow lilies in pots successfully, but for me it just seems more of a hassle. Remember though, that being the species that Lilium auratum is, it does like cool feet. A characteristic not easily achieved in summer time pot culture. The type of soil and watering is less forgiving, too.

Avignon, I think you may have something there about narrow leaves. Given the choice, "my" rabbits seem to prefer them also. Last year, rabbits ate all my Liliium papilliferum plants(narrow leaves), but left Lilium lankongense (wider leaves) right next to them alone.

Re the Species Lily Preservation Group, yes anyone can join. Here is their website: http://www.species.lilies.org/ I now recall that their bulb sale is in the fall. Maybe joining now would be a good idea. Annual membership expires each December 31st.

It looks like if you want to join, you can click on the "Membership Application" link and then the "OR PRINT A MEMBERSHIP FORM TO MAIL TO US" link, print it, and mail it in. I don't think the electronic sign up is working.

If you are considering joining just for the bulb sale you may want to contact them first. I am doubtful that they will have a sale this year, maybe next. When Eddie McRae, the previous conservator passed away they had to start over from scratch growing new bulbs from seeds.

The good news is, there are now two conservators, one being in Canada (Nigel Strohman, I believe). So Canadians will have easy access to the bulbs.

True enough, pard. Contacting them first would probably be a good idea. I'm optimistic, though. Last fall bulbs were available so I would think this year would be at least as good. They were really scrambling last year.

I don't have the complete list anymore of what was available, but I ordered and received the following from Nigel last fall: cernuum, pumilum, leichtlinii, davidii unicolor, davidii willmottiae, martagon album. I think there were about twice as many species available.

If I hear about bulb availability I will post the info here. Perhaps others could do the same?

I was thinking that I could get some realy good info on the Plants /how to grow and what would do the best in z5 and stuff like that !! cant find any groups in Michigan / Midland area
Gloria

Gloria -- Well, I have a few ideas. Depending on your interest and time available you could do a number of things to find and pursue the information you are looking for. First, the Internet is a wonderful thing.... If you're looking for species that grow in your area, the Lily Nook has a short article on what grows in southern Canada and those would grow in z5 too: http://www.lilynook.mb.ca/Articles/Species.html
(You might try L. michiganense -- I bet that would grow in Michigan!) Also, the North American Lily Society (NALS) site: http://www.lilies.org/ has various articles on growing lilies. The regional societies (see links on the NALS site) have some articles too.

I see for $8/year you can join the Michigan Regional Lily Society: http://www.mrls.org/ and by doing that you should have access to lots of information and interesting people.

Good luck!

thank you so much i will look in to all of these ;0)
Gloria

Enjoyed all the specie Lilly pictures! They are all beautiful but my favorite is Leftwood's (probable) Lilium majoense. I was send one early Spring that might make its first bloom next year, can hardly wait for it! Thanks Janet!
The old foliage is dying off now and it's making a new leaf, wonder if that is good or bad news and if that leaf is going to stay green over next winter?

This is my first year with Lilium speciosum album just starting to bloom now. I'm in love with it! :)

My first year too with Lilium macklinae. It made one flower, but sadly got munched by one or another culprit.
But from this angle it doesn't show the damage,lol! Pic.dates from 13 May.

A Bumblebee enjoyed it anyway!

Bonitin, It really is amazing how a simple, all white flower can be so beautiful. The Lilium mackliniae is simply gorgeous too!

Janet sent me seed of Lilium majoense a couple years ago. They came up and grew quite vigorously, but didn't make it through their first winter. She said her seed also grew well, and I bet your bulb is from that same seed lot.



This message was edited Aug 8, 2009 7:18 PM

Gosh Rick, I never realized you had so many lily species! They are fantastic! I have tried a couple of species from bulbs and they lasted just a year or two, so that turned me off from trying them from seed. You must have the right conditions (I obviously don't!)...I will live vicariously through you!

Yes Leftwood I think the one Janet has send me must be from the same lot!
What a pity yours didn't make it! :(

Lefty, Thank you for the tips, and I think you may have a good point there with the overwatering. I had numerous lilies left in pots that were formosanum/longiflorum crosses from last year, and since I barely watered them I had given them up for lost. Then when I was emptying the pots to put something else in them, I was surprised to see that all the bulbs had survived. I thought that I was lucky, but now I see that I was probably lucky to have inadvertently allowed them to dry. I've never gotten so many bulbs. And they are now forming buds. They are my last lilies to bloom each year, in October.

Bonitin, your macklinae is lovely. Even nibbled.

Bonitin, your macklinae is indeed gorgeous!

Here is a picture of the formosanum var. pricei growing at work (the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden)

There is considerable natural variation in height of Lilium formosanum var. pricei, depending on the elevation of seed source, according to literature. Mine in the pic above are the shortest I have ever encountered, but a believe a large part of that could be due to its culture. The clump was grown from seed in a 5 inch pot; the whole pot was then put in the ground as is, without separating the individual bulbs, so there must be a bit of competition for water and nutrients among them.

Thanks Donna and Todd! I've read that the macklinae can have from two to seven flowers.
Perhaps next year, I'll keep it in a pot where I can pamper it, lol! don't dare to plant it in the garden.. PF says it blooms in mid summer but mine did middle May, it's showing the signs of going dormant now.
L.formosanum var.pricei is beautiful too!

My season is much later than most everyone else's.

Lilium speciosum var. album

Lilium speciosum var. rubrum

Leftwood! Gorgeous.

Gorgeous indeed! :)
I have the L.speciosum album but think I should have the var.rubrum too, lol!
I need more space!! AAArrgh

Nice to see all the species. I added a few this year, my second year. I added L. pumilum, L. Davidii, L. leichtlinii. I attempted to add L. Hansonii but it died off in June. Also my L. superbum bloomed for the first time, (in photo). Next year I am going to try, (am I crazy?) L. parryi, among others. Have you ever tried it? Did you have to "protect it from rain after flowering, until frost"?
David

Your hansonii may have just gone to bed early, even in June. Don't give up on it yet.

I was given three very small bulblets of L. parryi in the fall of 2007. They have now wintered twice in regular garden soil, perhaps kept on the dry side from irregular watering, but nevertheless exposed to all of our normal Minnesota winter cold & snow, and fall & spring rains. They seem very healthy, and hopefully my first blooms will be next season. They originally came from Buggycrazy, so (barring a very unusual mix up) I am sure the identity is correct. This leads me to believe that the need for a completely dry winter is oversung.

I am also sure our frozen winter soil contributes to survival, compared to a winter of wet cold unfrozen soil, however. As with most perennials, but especially with L. parryi, I would expect the more important cultural practice would be to make sure the soil is completely frozen before a winter mulch is applied. This to keep the cold (frozen) in as long as possible into the spring, removing the mulch in later spring so the soil warms relatively quickly, thus minimizing the cold (above freezing) wet period.

Great to hear that sir, thanks! And what you said about frozen winters being a good thing makes sense too. It has also been suggested that planting them near a maple tree, would help since the tree's roots would take up any would-be excess water. As it happens virtually all of my lilies are planted near a maple. I can see the roots when I plant. I do intent to make some raised beds for the new onesthough, however perhaps not the L. parryi.
Other than the L. hansonii the only one which I have planted and not gotten a bloom from yet is L. pardalinum. I'm leaving them be as well and getting some more, from another source, which I may plant above some gravel and/or mulch for the roots to be wet but the bulb not so much.
Thanks again,
Dave

Planting in the root zone of a maple is a strategy I use in my clay soils also. The down side is that your lilies won't grow as fast. Many woody plants will produce the same effect, more quickly soaking up excess moisture. Maples, oaks, willows, lilacs, evergreens in general, to name a few.

Folks I have a question. In the very late spring, almost summer, I planted some L.Pumilium & L. Pardalinum. Nothing sprouted this summer. Do you think these are resting until next year or have they withered? I also planted 5 Martagons last fall and only one came up and bloomed. Should I consider the others gone? Thanks

I can't speak for the others, but martagons are notorious sulkers

Thank you Leftwood, I knew this was a species lily and it had an 'R' in it. I remembered this as it is my last lily to bloom here...this was taken Sept. 7th and it's still blooming.
Lilium speciosum var. rubrum

Yes, there is a good chance that your martagons are just fine, stormyla, and will come up next season. I don't know about pardalinum, but I would have expected pumilum to emerge, as it is known to be a shorter lived lily anyway. Still, I would leave them all alone and see what comes up next year.

Thank you, everyone. With us gardeners, hope springs eternal. I planted so many lilies in the last two years that I am still checking my photos against my purchase records. Hmmm, I'm pretty sure that I planted some L.Rubrum too and don't remember seeing them either.

I'm relatively new to lilies but think this is a species lily. It is called Citronella.

A most interesting thread...Lilium majoense and the L fargesii really caught my imagination. Impressive collection Leftwood. The only speies I've got are henryi, yellow henryi, Black Beauty, formosanum, paradelinum, rubrun, and 'Album'. The latter, 'Album' dropped it's last bloom eariler this week (officially closing my lily season).