I am looking for the NAMES of very hardy, long blooming lilies, in pink, white, or rose.
The area for them is both sunny, then shady at different times of day. I would like to have lilies blooming in succession for an extended period of time in this spot. I am a pretty experienced gardener, but a novice when it comes to lilies. This area supports phlox, and peonies, but for some reason, I can't get monarda to survive for more that a season or two.
msmouser
very hardy, long blooming lilies
The best way to have lilies bloom all season is to plant different types. Some lilies will bloom a couple of weeks (on a stem), but that's about as long as one stem will go. There are earlier lilies mainly asiatics and Easter Lily/Oriental hybrids , followed then by trumpets, orienpets (oriental crossed with trumpets), then the latest to bloom are the orientals. The Lily Garden has a lot of different types of lilies all very hardy and proven to grow in garden conditions.
http://www.thelilygarden.com/
The Lily Garden also has a 'Selected Winners' section with great suggestions that should fit the parameters you're looking for ~ http://www.thelilygarden.com/pages_lilies/selected_winners.html
One of the earliest blooming lilies for me in my area is the trumpet lilies. Shown here is Pink Perfection. It is hardy in the sense that it comes back reliably every year, and multiplies well. The blooms themselves only lasts for a few days, but the patch as a whole will be in bloom for about 3 weeks. And as Magnolialover says, planting in succession is the only way to get continued blooms.
And I used to have Asiatic lilies which do bloom the earliest, but they tend to not to come back as reliably, so I only have a few scattered ones left. Next to bloom is the easter lilies which is blooming now. This will supply you with the white color.
I'm sort of surprised that asiatics don't do as well for you, but you are toward the limits for lily hardiness in zone 9. Considering that they grow from Canada to California, there's a lily for everyone. The trick is knowing what works in your area. :)
Beautiful pics!
Thanks, Moby. The Asiatics grow beautifully the first year in the ground, then not so vigorous the second year. By the third year, only a few of the originally patch comes up. I leave them in the ground to overwinter. Maybe I should dig them up, but I tend to plant stuff that takes minimal amount of care because I am basically a lazy gardener who like to only plant things once and leave them there.
Hey I need to find a Chinese lily called Lilium Lophophorum or Lophophora. I first saw one on a clip from a Nova program of a plant explorer's trip to Southern China, somewhere in the mountains, they consider it one of the premier botanical treasure-troves in the world. Something like 75% of western garden plants originated in China. If anyone has these or know where I can find them, send me a D-mail. Peace
Slipperman
My asiatics usually cycle every 2-3 years. First year is so so, second year is OK, but the third year is a huge flower show. Last year was the big deal and right now, hardly any of them even popped up. I'm hoping that the cycle confinues and the bulbs are just growning out underground an put out some decent flowers next season. Oh, they've been in the same container for about 9 yrs.
Hey msmouser, I have an idea for you. I have known about a technique many florists use to extend the life of their lily flowers. You pick off the pollen structures on the ends of the stamens or whatever they are called. This could get time consuming, but you could try it with some of the ones you really like. Good luck.