2009 Lily Blooms #9-A Big Thank you

Neal, isn't Rio Negro an asiatic - or am I thinking of the wrong one?

Donna, I think I'll just give up on orientals, as they're not my favorites anyway. Arena was one of my no-grows, and just about the only one I really would like. Generally, I don't really like their form - not too graceful compared with most other lilies.

'Arabian Red' & 'Siberia' lasted here for 7 years before they petered out.

Always enjoy checking out to see what is blooming in your neck of the woods'. The L. canadense shot is gorgeous. I started some from seed and they look like a hopeful bunch.

Donna, I would never call myself any kind of expert. A while back I actually thought of starting a thread on success in orientals, who have you had good luck with and who have you not. Then I got to thinking that so many factors influence their growth, soil, temperature, possibly rainfall. They are fussy. If they last and look good here three years, I define that as success.

That said, the Buggy Crazy Queen Strain and Queens appear to be very strong here. Some have even multiplied here, but that could be just because she sends the most enormous bulbs known to mankind. I have dug lilies sent by her huge and a year in my climate actually shrunk! I moved them to a high shade location, where I think they are most happy in this harsher climate anyway, and they continued to bloom and do well.

I have read cons about mixing soil with wet peat moss (holding too much water) to help with drainage. (The lilies that I scale love peat and I must also admit that it helps the soil here, though it has been tested as silt loam and sandy loam, depending on where I am in the yard.) I cover them with mulched oak leaves over winter and also compost and add that to the oriental soil. The pH in my yard is terrible, like 7.8. They hate alkaline, so anything I can do to help that situation, as mentioned above, I will do.

My list of very successful varieties thus far:

Buggy Queens and relatives
Casablanca
Starfighter
Sumatra
Miss Birma
Rubrum
Uchida

I am trying to think of anything else that has come back and actually looked better the second year and beyond. Those come to mind as stronger orientals.

The trouble with me is that I can't live without the fragrance. I adore it. They were what drew me to lilies in the first place. Yes, I buy them even if I know chances are they will be short lived. Still, I can never get myself to bring them in as a cutflower. Gotta give them at least a chance, right?

So, I don't know if I have answered your question. Also of note is that I have had them pout a couple of times and bloom that next year. I have also been known to dig for them in the fall if they don't show up. Last year 'Queen Fantasia' did not come up at all. Strangest thing is she put all of and I mean all of her energy into new bulb production. I had over twenty smallish bulbs and one huge one still. So I guess those orientals can have a mind of their own.

'Queen of Spades'

'Divine'

'Faith'

'Eagle'

'Long Island'

'Bright Brilliant'

'Flashpoint' Awesome rich color

'Goldburst'

magnolialover, Brillant, beautiful lilies. I must say I love the water droplets on the lily pictures. I think they make the lilies even more beautiful.

How about this for a red oriental?

Mambo

Beautiful, Moby, and so are the buds.

SO many nice ones....

Aren't the buds neat? Kind of like racing stripes. :)

I really like that Flashpoint ~ looks very similar to Invasion. How does it compare? Height, fragrance, etc..

Here's Brasilia

Atlantic Ocean

I think Mambo is the darkest red oriental I have grown. Other dark orientals I have grown are Sumatra and Arabian Red.

On a lighter note (colorwise) here is one of my most favorite of all Asiatic lilies, George Slate. It really has such wonderful form. I love how the blossoms hang almost perfectly horizontally.

Another view from below. Take a gander at those looong pedicels. George likes a bit of elbow room!

George likes to spend his after hours messing around in the garden...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6830479

Here is Georgette... not related to George.

Aww... George is darling! They look like little alien hovercrafts.

Pard...That pic cracked me up!...My DH is extremely supportive of my gardening adventures, though he thought I had "lost it" when I ventured into winter sowing and started putting pots of seeds outdoors at 40 below. (Till he saw the positive results). So...

We were sitting out on the deck 4-5 days ago and he gives me one of those puzzled looks. I ask "What???" He very seriously asks "Are you going to start putting one of those on me?" I ask "What are you talking about???"...He asks "WHY are the lilies wearing tin foil condoms???"...Since we are way past the point of having to worry, I assured him he wouldn't be subject to that, but that hopefully it meant the lilies had had a good time...He continued to give me an odd look and still has not developed an appreciation for my new garden art.

Oh dear.. let's see... and those are little landing legs hanging down...

Ah, Chocolate, some people just never understand. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts. With a cyclone fence all around George doesn't have much in the way of privacy... and neither do I!

1wish one - very cool time lapse lily event

perenniallyme, I just googled "Lily Rio Negro" and the results I got were all Orientals, but the pics I'm finding do look a little different from mine. Its described as having a white margin around the petals, but mine were solid red. They came from a co op from eflowergarden last year.

Tracey, I'm loving your LO collection!

Pard, George is awesome!

Pard, educate me. Why is your lily wearing a foil condom?

This thread is getting kind of long, how about we move to #10. Here is a link:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1016184/

See ya on the other side! :) (for Moby that would be the dark side!) :)

Very nice 'George Slate' and 'Mambo' is just lovely. The dark orientals are a favorite.

'Flashpoint' has a much deeper and richer color as compared to 'Invasion'. Deeper depth to the color.