Lilium speciosum var. rubrum is blooming for the first time in my garden right now. This is by far the last true lily to bloom, as the Asiatics bloomed in June and the Orientals followed in July.
It is very fragrant. I keep expecting it to smelly spicy like Oriental 'Stargazer' lilies, since the coloring reminds me of that cultivar, but the scent is sweeter than that. More like a bearded iris. Very yummy!
Although they can grow to 5 feet tall, mine are under 3 feet right now. The bulbs probably need a few years to reach full size, and this part of the garden needs more compost to help the plants along.
The blooms are so graceful. I used to dismiss the downward-facing lilies, but they're definitely growing on me.
I also have a few of the white version, Lilium speciosum var alba. The petals on this flower aren't as recurved as the others yet, but I expect they'll keep reaching backward. I'm very happy to have these new additions to the late summer garden.
absolutely gorgeous! I would love to see a picture of the border - what did you plant next to them? Lillies are such reliable bloomers - I grow them in pots and they come up year after year...
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Very pretty. Didn't realize there were any that bloomed quite this late.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Love Asiatic and Oriental lilies....think I need some of these to round out that area of the garden for this time of year. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWonderful late some bloom choices. As I'm in the 'rebuilding' mode at our new house, I'm going to keep these lilies in mind. The white lily is very romantic. Cheers, Jenni
ReplyDeleteSuch heavenly blooms... I can smell them from here!
ReplyDeleteMine just finished blooming. I wasn't sure they were going to bloom at all but that's because I had forgotten that they bloom so late. They remind me too of 'Stargazer' Oriental but they're smaller and have the recurving petal. I think they're just delightful. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous flowers...thanks for sharing them. Now if you could just do a "scratch and sniff" with these guys!
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