Lilies

Today I have pictures of some of the true lilies that are growing in the garden. Some have finished blooming, like this Martagon Lily which bloomed about a month ago, but most are at peak bloom right now. In addition to their size and height, they add the most wonderful scent to the garden, especially early in the morning and at dusk. I have not grown lilies for long, so I'm not an expert on them by any means and may not even have the full names. If anyone needs to know more about any of these, just ask and I'll dig up the information.

This next one is 'Casa Blanca' which is absolutely pure white. The 'bumps' which would have a contrasting color on most are the same chalk white as the rest of the bloom.

This is 'Black Beauty' and also bloomed earlier.

This white one is Lilium longifolium, at least I'm pretty sure it is. This is the Easter Lily we see everywhere in the spring. I always thought they weren't hardy up north, but someone told me they were, so I rescued a bunch from church after Easter a few years ago to save them from the compost pile (or worse) and planted them. They have done very nicely.

This last is Lilium citronella. A lot of these lilies are tall, but this one, which is blooming now, is especially so, probably towering at least 8 feet. Luckily the flowers face downward so taking a picture wasn't such a problem. Although the deer do like lilies and small critters have been known to nibble on the bulbs, this one seems never to be bothered and has made a whole bunch of babies around the base which are blooming at only about 3 feet tall. The stems on these tall ones seem to get bigger every year and except in those places where our soil has gotten so good that we can plant things without even using a trowel, they seem to be able to stand upright. We do have to provide stakes to some who want to fall over, though.

More lilies tomorrow.

Jane