The most fragrant lilies you have are?

Ciao all,

I think I've got the lily fever and I am starting a collection from this year. I am mostly interested in highly fragrant lilies. The catalogues usually do not differentiate between fragrant and highly frgrant and I would really appreciate your help :)

Could you please name the most fragrant varieties you own or know about?

Thanks

Ciao to you too!
Here's a few I find to be fragrant:
Stargazer
Casablanca
Madonna
Formosa
l. longiflorum [any of the white Easter- type lilies]

Marco Polo Oriental - extremely fragrant!

FWIW,
The Lily Garden lists as its most fragrant (from customer comments and their input as well)
early season: Eurydice, Seabreezes
mid-season: Silk Road, Catherine the Great, Trumpet collection (most trumpets have significant fragrance)
late-season: Anastasia, Oriental collection (most orientals have significant fragrance), L. speciosum

Thanks Berry Girl. I found one of your threads in Garden Talk about fragrant plants extremely useful. Take a look at my collection of plants to trade :) It owes a lot to your input.

I'm adding the plants you listed to my list of lilies

Viqar

Kooger: Thanks...as it happens I have already ordered Stargazer and it's going to arrive sometime before this friday :)

ESW: This sounds like a great source. Do you have the link to Lily Garden?

Black Dragon and White Henryi, both trumpets, are very frag. Almost too strong to bring in the house unless you really enjoy the sweet smell, which I do.

Here is the link for Lily Garden http://www.thelilygarden.com/index.html and for Lily Nook in Canada http://www.lilynook.mb.ca/index.htm

Oriental Muscadet. Huge blooms!

Viquar,
Wow- that's some list you have!! I am humbled that you would grow some fragrants that I suggested. Thank you so much for that!

Fragrance is a biggy for me to, and I've been trying to spread the scent throughout the summer. My first heady one to bloom is 'Regale'(here they bloom in late June), and then the rest of the trumpets, Orienpets, and Orientals take it on from there. My last really fragrant one to bloom is L.speciosum 'Rubrum', which has a particularly rich scent. Here it blooms in late August. I've read that L.langkongense is fragrant as well as many of it's hybrids, and those are on my want list now. Have fun on your journey into lilies!
Neal

Ciao Everyone.

This has been really helpful so far. I am now compiling a list of the ones that are particularly fragrant, and I will post it here this weekend for other like myself who could do with some hints.

Lincolnitess: thanks, after your feedback and reading up here and there, it seems to me that trumpet lilies are more or less all very fragrant. Is that true?

Moby: Thanks for the links. I've bookmarked them for reference, although I checked and it seems kind of difficult to buy from these suppliers for Europe. It would be nice to find a specialist lily nursery in france, germany, italy or the netherlands

Billy: I have put it on my list, and luckily it's available here :)

Berrygirl: The pleasure's all mine :) for years to come. And...I have a lot more to learn about fragrant plants and I'll continue tolook for your posts on the topic.

Neal: I think my first experience was with a Regale. I lost that one to my dog but am getting another two delivered this weekend. It seems you have a big collection of lilies :) It'll take me a couple of years to be able to say "my orientals" or "my asiatics" :) I couldn't identify a set of characteristics for Orionpets. Any idea why they are called that? I got the speciosum Rubrum by the way. I have a feeling that the speciosums would be the most fragrant in any genus so I'm looking to try as many as possible in my zone.

viqar,
You are a sweetie! You simply must come over to the Fragrant Forum as that's all we talk about are "good smellies". We'd LOVE to have you!

White Stargazer is one of my favorites. I planted 25 of them last year, and my now 7 year old grandson kept picking them for his Mommy, they smelled so good. So I ordered some more, because I thought he picked them down so low on the stem, they might not come back-------- but they seem to be.

Here is a list of suppliers. If you scroll down, you'll find a section for Europe. http://www.lilies.org/sources.html#e

We're such enabablers on this forum, you'll by saying "my Orientals" before you know it! It is almost mind boggling as I've been researching lilies a lot lately, but as you grow and love them more, you see the charactaristics and why they're grouped in catagories as they are. Lilies are easy to become passionate about.

Trumpets! My neighbors moved in and they are not close. The lady come out and asked which flowers it was that she could smell at her house!!!

Puddles

I've never heard of a white stargazer.
Puddles, those are beautiful! I want to start a lily bed somewhere. I have quite a few orientals, but they're here and there. I do love to smell them. Scented flowers are big with me too Neal.

I have lilies all over the place but I keep the Orientals and Trumpets near the house and walkways.

Viqar, Orienpets are a cross between oriental and trumpets lilies. You may also hear them referred to as OT. Orienpets, generally are very fragrant. They can also get very tall. As you get more into the world of lilies your going to start seeing Asiapets (asiatic trumpet x), LOs (longiforlum oriental x) and many other interdivisional crosses.

Do you ever stake the OTs? They look very tall.

Yes. I usually put in a stake or a marker at the same time I plant the bulb to avoid damaging the bulb at a later date. First year they really don't need staking (unless you have a really mature bulb), but then watch out. Some of the OTs are listed as having strong enough stems to support themselves without staking, but I always say it's better safe than sorry.

Also, if you plant in a spot that is more shaded, lilies will grow taller. I've heard of some OTs going 8 or 9 feet. In ideal conditions, they should go 5 to 6 feet. I know several people who do not like the trumpets or the orienpets because of their height. But as with anything in a garden, site selection is important and you need to offset the height by planting taller perennials or shrub roses in front or use vines on a trellis to compliment the height of the lilies. Once they've flowered, you can cut back by 2/3rds without harming the plant.

You may need to experiment until you find a look that pleases you. This year I'm trying a lot of tall cosmos in one of my beds fronted by Iris and daylilies. There will also be some coreopsis (about 30") and some potentilla. I'm pretty sure that some of my ideas won't work out, but I'll just keep tinkering with it until I find the right look. Rose shrubs, Clematis and Lilies are a stunning combination.

I don't think I've seen a white Stargazer either, but I think I've seen pictures of a yellow. Lily Nook?

I was looking at the list of suppliers and noticed a site called the Bulb Crate. Anyone know anything about them? Good prices, good selection and a good WD rating. However, it looks like that don't have a spring 2006 catalog. Maybe they only sell in the fall. I think I'll e-mail them for some info.

Here's White Stargazer http://www.deerproofperennials.com/lily.htm
I think it gets a little bigger than Stargazer, and it smells heavenly.

Sounds nice Pollyk. I love those that smell heavenly! I have Casa Blanca for white, but I can tell they look different from the Stargzer. I also like tall lilies. Has anyone dug their lilies to find the bulb moved away from the stake by a quite a few inches?

Ciao Everyone. Thanks for your great input, the names of the lillies, the general hints and the suppliers.
I found a mail order nursery here that is efficient, cheap and very responsive. I'll be posting the names and pictures of the lily bulbs I ordered from them. Here's a gist of what I learnt from you on this thread:

1. Trumpet and Speciosum Lilies are generally strongly fragrant.
2. The list of most fragrant Lilies around:

Stargazer
Casablanca
Madonna
Formosa
Marco Polo
Eurydice
Seabreezes
Silk Road
Catherine the Great
Anastasia
L. speciosum
Black Dragon
White Henryi

I've got my hands on some of these and I'm looking for the rest :)

Here's a list of what I ordered:

Lilium speciosum 'Rubrum'
Lilium FIRE KING
Lilium CASABLANCA
Lilium SIBERIA
Lilium STARGAZER
Lilium PINK TWINKLE
Lilium ORANGE TRIUMPH
Lilium ALBANY
Lilium regale 'Album'

This should get my collection going. My Yard is still undergoing construction, so I've had to pot these in containers. Any hints on exposure and feeding?

Thanks a bunch everyone.

Viqar

I know they like slightly acid soil, especially the Orientals.
Don't mix them with Tiger Lilies because of viruses.
They need well drained soil.
They like leaf mold, humus or compost, and mulch.
Enjoy!!!

It's just the species orange tiger that's a known possible virus carrier. Hybrids tigers such as the Pink Twinkle is not. Actually, if you're not careful about where you get bulbs, you could import a virus in on any bulb.

If you don't have access to good compost, adding peat to your garden soil will provide the required acidity and lighten the soil as well.

I bought a bag of peat for that purpose then promply forgot I had it and planted all my lilies. Aarrrgggg!

Lilies are beautiful in containers, and it's fun to set them around the garden when they bloom to decide where they look best when you plant them. Remember that lilies like cool roots, so if using dark colored containers, be aware of sun over heating them. Some short annuals that cascade could serve as shade for the roots and color before and after the lilies bloom as well. Can't wait to see pics!

I'm seeing my first tiny lily buds and am getting excited!
Neal.

I had 14 "mystery" bulbs that I planted in containers. I want to see them bloom before I give them a permanent home. As they bloom, I'll just set the pots in the garden to blend in.

Hybrid tigers are not the virus carriers? Well darn, I wish I had ordered some then. I thought all the tiger lilies were not to be planted with other lilies. Well, next spring.

I did too Pollyk. I have the orange Tigers that are as old as me if not older. They were at the house when my parents bought it and now I have them.

As I understand it, tiger lilies can have tulip-lily virus without showing the deformed blossom symptoms. Some lily growers prefer not to take the chance, but others have no problems growing them in the same garden. I have some growing that I started from stem bulblets planted in summer '04. They already look like they may be big enough to bloom! I think just to be safe, and because I need more space in that area for more "special" lilies anyway, I'll move them out to the veggie/herb-hodge podge garden.

From what I understand now, from reading about the tiger lilies, it is only the old fashion orange ones you need to worry about. Not the hybrids, which can be pink, red, yellow, or white. I think I've missed out on some good lilies.

Here is a shot of my old tiger lilies last year. I keep them alone.

Bluegrassmom

These are such beautiful lillies! You're lucky to have them!

Oh, a compliment from Italy. Isn't the love of flowers universal?

Billyporter, beaker
Thanks a lot for the tips. (I always thought lilies prefered slightly alkaline soil) So this is very helpful feedback. I know what people mean when they say members of this forum are enablers!

Thanks everyone else :)

Viqar

I just found out they like it acid myself. It's suprising how many flowers prefer slightly acid. I had a list at one time, but haven't run across it lately.