Types of Lilies

But which lilies to choose???

The catalogs, with their pages and pages of breathtaking pictures and tempting descriptions, are a marvelous confusion of exciting possibilities. Some are easier than other…some bloom earlier…or later. Some need full sun…others prefer a bit of shade. If you are looking for a list of good lily varieties to grow in your garden, be sure to visit the NALS Popularity Poll page.We can’t tell you about each one, but there is a Horticultural Classification that arranges the various types of lilies into broad groups according to parentage, further classified by flower shape.

American Hybrids – Horticultural Division 4

There are many native lilies in North America…and the western species have been used to create some very beautiful and graceful lilies. The bulbs are unique…made up of little jointed scales, and the blooms like bouncy bright balloons on swinging curved pedicels. Division 4 lilies can be challenging outside of the western United States and Canada, but their unique beauty certainly makes them worth trying. With growing conditions that suit them, which includes a cool light soil and dappled shade, they can rapidly make impressive clumps.Division 4 includes hybrids derived from North American species, such as L pardalinum, L humboldtii, L kelloggii, and L parryii.

Longiflorum Hybrids – Horticultural Division 5
This division includes hybrids derived from L longiflorum and L formosanum. These hybrids are generally elegant white trumpets, easily raised from seed, but not particularly hardy in the garden.

Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids – Horticultural Division 6

To some people, no lily is a real lily unless it is a trumpet! Who can deny that a trumpet lily is like no other plant in the garden…tall, stately, serene and magnificent…with huge waxy flowers full of fragrance? And colors…not only pure glistening white, but bright gold, yellow, chartreuse, pink, plum, and apricot are available…some with backs of brown or purple or iridescent green!
Aurelians are hybrids that include Lilium henryi in their ancestry. L. henryi is a rugged species that has tightly recurved orange or yellow flowers, giving the aurelians a wide range of flower shapes and colors.

Trumpets and aurelians bloom in mid to late season, and their huge flower heads may require staking. They may also require a mulch in cold winter areas, and some protection from late spring frosts… but these little services are amply repaid by the long season of spectacular, fragrant bloom.

Division 6 includes hybrids derived from L luecanthum, L regale, L sargentiae, L sulphureum, and L henryi.

Oriental Hybrids – Horticultural Division 7

Lilies of this exotic group are not among the easiest to grow, particularly in hot summer areas. But you will try them…we know! Often called “Stargazers “, these lilies have huge flowers with wonderful fragrance… in shades of white, pink, salmon, and crimson. Give them partial shade, plenty of water, humus rich soil that is slightly acid, and mulch for a cool root run.

Division 7 includes hybrids derived from L auratum, L speciosum, L nobilissimum, L rubellum, L alexandrae, and L japonicum.

Miscellaneous Hybrids – Horticultural Division 8

Division 8 includes hybrids that are not provided for in any previous division, including crosses between divisions. “Orienpets”, hybrids between Division 7 (oriental) and Division 6 (trumpet & aurelian) lilies are a prominent example, and you will surely want to include them in your garden. They combine the beautiful flower shape and color of the orientals …with the ruggedness and dependability of trumpets and aurelians. They are much better suited to hot summer areas than the orientals, and …more resistant to winter cold.

Species – Horticultural Division 9

Species lilies are wild lilies. Native lilies occur in North America, Europe, and especially Asia…Japan, China, Burma, & India. It is from these wild lilies that breeders have created their magnificent hybrids for our gardens. Species lilies oftentimes possess a delicate charm that appeals to many people, and many of the species make fine garden plants…while others are a real challenge to grow.