Lily Tree? Huh?

I saw this in Brecks spring catalog that just arrived at my house. Initially, I thought, first magnolias, now this; a lily tree!!! Well, they suckered me into reading more..... only to find out they were talking about the vigor of orienpet lilies. They are calling the third year stalk of their orienpets a "Lily Tree", with a height of 6 - 8 feet, and some off shoots of the mother bulb. And they "trademarked" the name "lily tree". Oh dear.
So my question is, just how many lily trees do you all have? LOL!
Edited to add the link
http://brecks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_73858



This message was edited Jul 26, 2009 7:48 PM

Good greif, I am already sickened by marketing tactics to the point of disgust. This just brings it to the point of disbelief! I know I won't buy anything from a company with such audacity for deception.

Andrew

Gee, were they the ones last year calling them "re-blooming" lilies because of the secondary and tertiary buds? I wonder how long it will be until I get 'shrubs'??

Heee, Heee, heee,
With a rating of 57 I wouldn't go near them...
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/183/

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought it crazy and false advertising. Will be honest though in saying I have gotten some nice bulbs from them in the past. But a "Lily Tree"? NOT!

I too was so disgusted when I saw that, that I just threw the catalog in the garbage. Some companies will say anything to sell stuff. Pathetic!

I have owned Boogie Woogie for 5 years and it's no-where near tree size! I have always gotten healthy bulbs from this company but not always what they are labeled. Thats my 2 cents.

I heartily agree. The bulbs I have gotten in the past look decent but are not always true to name. Too bad they have taken a giant step backwards!

In one paragraph it even mentions them holding up a bike! Would you ever lean a bike on your lilies??? Or am I showing my "garden snob" side? lol!

How convenient ~ now we can park bikes in the middle of our gardens.

I got a good giggle, and put the catalog in the circular file. Last year before I knew about the garden watchdog I ordered some bulbs from them. Isn't it funny that I have no pictures of theirs? Big duds so far (actually kind of small). If they don't produce this summer I will post a negative report. I also bought three bags of tulips from them. I will see if they produce anything close to a tree tulip. Patti

I'm feeling really deprived here... haven't received my Breck's catalog. Maybe today will be the big day! I'm waiting on pins and needles and bated breath. It just seems like everyone else get the good catalogs before me. It must be a west coast thing, they take longer to get here;) Maybe I'll take the afternoon off just to check my mail! Oh the wait! I can't stand it!!!!

Oh Patti, your potential for a "tulip tree" sounds great! heeheeheee ;)
Pard, that catalog brimming with favorites has got to be there today. Rats! And to think you have to wait for this, while that boring old PNWLS bulb sale catalog hits your mailbox first. Bummerooski!

I didn't see that the bicycle remark is on the web site. I assume it must be in the catalog, which I don't have. So I can only speak for the on-site blurb. I did read "It’s almost like planting a lily flower shrub!" To the non-liliophile, that doesn't seem like an unrealistic statement to me.

I wouldn't say I am the other side of the coin and approve of such a tree label; but I certainly am on the edge, and I do excuse it.

I see no difference between a Lily tree™ and a myriad of other silly marketing ploys. I read no untrue facts, recommendations were still to plant it in the garden rather than out in the yard like a tree. In fact, no reference to a tree anything, other than the name itself, was made. The "TM" already clues one into the fact that the meaning is often stretched past its normal definition. How is this different from the advertised Tomato tree, or the Hardy Orchid (Gladiolus nanus)? We'd better start renaming all those other misleading common names that are embedded in our vernacular. Poor Man's Orchid? Not a real orchid. Schanthus pinnatus, nor Impatiens balfourii are even in the orchid family! (Nor is Gladiolus nanus, if you haven't figured that out.) Calendula is often referred to as a kind of marigold, but it is not a marigold. So a Lily tree is not a tree. And the diffence is . . . . . . ? What? Money? Well I am not the morality police here, just the facts here please.

For the greater populus of the world, who has never seen lilies taller than 3-4 feet at the most, a 6-8 ft lily would be quite spectacular, and might I add, tree-like.

Are we snobs? Of course not. Are we enlightened? No.
We just know better, because we are more informed. Our mission is to teach and educate. The incongruencies are not different from that of other categories and genres. They just speak to us diffently because of who we are, what we know, and what we are passionate about (lilies).

Personally, in the big scheme of things, I think Lily Tree™ is quite clever and a comparatively benign ad campaign.

I have a couple of tree-like lilies myself. I also have a tree peony that looks nothing like a tree, but when compared to a herbaceous peony... well you get the point.

I don't completely disagree with the points you've made, Lefty. For example, I have a non-gardening friend that bought 'hostas for sun' and proceeded to plant them in her tree-less, south-facing yard. Obviously that didn't work out and I explained that they were only more sun tolerant than most hosta.

However, I feel the ad is grossly misrepresentive (and unfair to people like my friend) to those who are not lily aficionados. We can even find the humor in it. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought they had trained it to look something like a tree lilac or tree hydrangea. Not unthinkable as it's been done with those and other plants. It's just shameful ~ why go to such lengths when a plant has these wonderful attributes in the first place?

Here's my henryi ~ would I call it a tree? You bet! But only amongst us lily-folk.

Moby, now that is a lily ! In Nantucket I have yet to achieve anything of that grandeur. My lilies from Brecks where invisible last year. I had quite a show from many other mail order nurseries. Live and learn. I agree with your sentiments about over sensationalizing a plants attributes by many vendors. Another thing about the Brecks catalog (and many others) is they "juice" the color. And the size of the bloom is most often unmentioned, leaving many disappointed in the mail order plants they recieve. The picture on page 31 of the toad lily, Blue wonder, makes it appear huge. I try to tell my not so experienced friends to make many trips to local nurseries and gardens and take notes of what you see actually growing and love. Then go and research the plants before ever spending a penny. I have told the visitors to my garden that the perennials that are out on that day will be gone in a flash. Catalogs often mention bloom time but rarely mention the length of time of the bloom. And we know how fleeting most are perennials are. That is always a big surprise to people who want me to help plan a garden for them. They want things that bloom all summer and that are perennials. There is a learning curve as well as a guillibility factor to learn by anyone starting anything new. I am glad Dave has started a new forum for the less experienced gardener. That and using the Watch dog feature will help new gardeners to find vendors that are a little less bombastic and give more realistic information to the general public. But I do agree with Leftwood that it is a very clever campaign. Patti

I have quite a few tall lilium, George Slate, Easter Morn, Henryii, Praiarie Sky (I think) Alex 8 (I think or 5), all at or above 6 ft. And then Northern Carillon(sp) and Northern star (maybe) both over 12ft. Also a couple or reds (orphans). A grower in Denmark has ones that grow far taller than his single storey gutters. Not a grower = nursery,but a person who grows lilies.


I would never call them trees. Think I'll trot over to plantfiles.
inanda

edited to say Garden Watchdog, not plantfiles

This message was edited Feb 14, 2007 4:37 PM

Moby, your henryi brings back fond summer memories;) I bet mine was 8 feet easy, that being its second year as a bulb. I had no idea when I planted it, before becoming more educated on species, that it could ever be that tall.
I will say that the Breck's campaign for the "Lily Tree" is at best dishonest. Like many before it, it takes advantage of people who don't know as much or understand. I don't pretend to be an expert gardener, but to this this, especially about them holding up a bike, was just plain sad. I large lily stalk is still a stalk and not a tree. I have had orienpets for years and I would never consider equating its beautiful healthy growth to that of any type of shrub. There is something in the catalog behind the lilies with the bike against them, that likely is a real shrub, giving the lilies a more shrub-like look.
I just want people to understand what they are getting. I know they aren't the first to have a questionable ad campaign and they won't be the last. One can talk about robust growth without giving false facts. As Moby mentioned before, its beautiful in its own right with appealing attributes. A tree or shrub? That it isn't. The other point I'd make is that in the growth sequence, if the third year picture has come from one bulb in three years(which photo "year one" has one stalk), I'm not doing a very good job here.
Perhaps it's that bike photo in the catalog that pushed me over the edge. I apologize if I have offended anyone. It's just too much of a stretch for me.

I just found this thread and it's very humorus, like Moby said "How convenient ~ now we can park bikes in the middle of our gardens"! I saw that ad in the Brecks catalogue and thought it was rather silly marketing tall lilies as trees. I don't even buy from Brecks, I don't think I've ever bought from them and I still get the catalogue!
Now more informed after reading this thread, I don't think I'll be ordering from them, cause I was considering it.

Steve

Steve, you have totally wonderful lily farms in Ont. Why bother with a reseller. Think that Tom Gretrix is just wonderful. SW is great too.

Go to the Ont. Lily Society website. Go to their lily show. Show your lilies at their show. Get going. And won't even mention the iris farms, seeing that this is a lily forum.

inanda

Inanda - I only just started getting into lilies last year and had no idea there were farms here in Ontario! To be honest, never really thought of it :)
I'm going to go to the Ont. Lily Society website now and check it out. Where can I find out about the farms, like where they are and when they're open?

Thank-You!
Steve

Never-mind I found links and directions on the site.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2007 5:51 PM

This is a nice lily grower in Ontario, Lilies In The Valley which is 15-20 minutes west of Huntsville on Muskoka Road #3 near Rosseau, Muskoka. A nice place to visit if you are up in cottage country, but they have a website and they ship. http://www.lilies.ca/ Patti

I got the Brecks catalog today. It says if you order only 25.00 in products, you get them free. I suppose you only pay the shipping. Has anyone taken them up on this offer or are they so bad, it would still be throwing money away?

Check the link intercessor posted above and decide for yourself.

I showed my DW the ad to see what her take was. She doesn't know much about lilies, so I would consider her reaction a fare assessment of what the general person that is not a lily addict might think. She did however suspect that something strange might be going on since I wanted her to read it. Anyway, her response was "I didn't know there was a lily tree", curious about the "Lily Tree" thing since I never discussed it. Just by the ad she thought that perhaps there was such a thing, it did state that "Lily Trees are the breathtaking result from years of careful breeding." So the ad did wrangle someone in that had very little knowledge of the lily world.
Unfortunately a lot of plant businesses or just businesses in general fudge the facts or fudge the photos. It does get frustrating when I am trying to get information about plants etc. and I have to sift through marketing hype, lack of information, misinformation, photos that have enhanced coloring, or how about they take a picture of one plant but the rest don't look anywhere close to that color or form. Kind of like restaurant menus :*)
This particular ad just happened to push the right irritate me buttons since it "seems" to be targeted to the unknowing. I guess most ads are though?... What was the Ferengi saying "Buyer beware" :*)

Ok I am done venting...

Andrew, Ferengi from Star Trek? I've been in to Star Trek Voyager this winter, that's why I'm wondering.

Brecks has alway ticked me off with the silly ploys. They used to call Allium unifolium Alpine rosey bells, and Allium moly Sunny Twinkles without giving the real name. It always left a bad taste in my mouth.

Not to their credit, I have read a tip about using lilies in the landscape that applies here. The writer said to think of tall lilies as shrubs when placing them in the landscape. The robust, grand quality of many lilies makes this idea sensible to me, but thats a big leap from lily trees, lol.

Yes Star Trek Ferengi . I got my DW hooked on Voyager. She likes the fact the captain is a women :*)

That's great! But does she mind you watching 7of9, LOL.

I checked out the Brecks link for the "Lily Trees" LOL Noticed how they put all their measurements in centimeters to make the plants sound "bigger" - as if anybody in the US commonly uses metric units - funny for a site based in Indiana.

Brecks is known for this kind of stuff. Their extremely pink daffodils in their catalogs that I was duped into ordering from several years ago before I educated myself were a "high exaggeration" of the truth, to put in mildly, as I found the following spring.

I too saw the "lily Tree" and read farther. How mis leading! But I think the WORST offense is when they "re-name" un registered lilies with catchy names so I buy the same one TWICE. The Dutch growers are always adding on something....

Beaker

I was one of the people who took advantage of the FREE 25.00 order from Breck's. It worked for me and I posted it in Watchdog. I made sure to see how much shipping and taxes would be to ensure the order was not over 25.00. I ordered it on their website and they did NOT ask for a credit card. I doubted that I would get the order, but they did send it to me. I ordered Giant Alliums (I forget which ones off hand), and they were comparable to the size of my Brent and Becky's Allium (I know, I know, I'm should have ordered lilies!!!) order which I placed about the same time. I will say I have not been able to get the guts to actually spend any money with them since that time, mostly due to their rating in Watchdog. BUT, in answer to your question, yes, it did work, at least for me. Check my rating in Watchdog for them if you'd like, but it basically says the same thing as in here.

Heck if they didn't take a credit card # I should have ordered. Can't say I have ever come across a company giving stuff away... I could have had my whole family order stuff :*)

So, you didn't even have to pay shipping? I would of thought you'd have to at least pay shipping.

I ordered some roses and a couple other things from Park Seed Wholesale Growers http://www.parkwholesalegrowers.com/index.php and was only charged something like .30 a plant for shipping. The box was large but shipping was under $2. The postage had to cost more than what they charged, not to mention the packaging,labor etc. The plants were marked down to $2-3 bucks. I really don't know how they put those numbers in the books :*)

This message was edited Feb 26, 2007 5:27 PM

NO, I DID NOT PAY FOR SHIPPING and I DID NOT GIVE A CREDIT CARD. But, remember, there is a tax and shipping charge on your order, so pick one or 2 small items and add the tax and shipping separately so you don't have to pay for it. This means your FREE order will be under approximately 17.00 dollars. Maybe even less... but I ended up with free Giant Alliums, no credit card, no out of pocket taxes, not out of pocket shipping either. If you have the coupon for 25.00 free, Then try it, because it won't hurt you. Like I said, mine were FREE. I have not even purchased from them since that time. I admit, I am afraid to trust them. BUT, the free stuff for me, DID not require any personal info or credit card info. Maybe they are trying to rebuild their rep, I don't know... but if you have the free 25.00, it can not hurt to order for free off their website with no other charges. Good luck all.

I guess alot of people are like me-- I ordered $50 worth & paid $25. It costs alot to find & keep a customer. Giving away $25 in merchandise is cheaper than spending thousands of $$$ on ads in women's magazines that may or may not reach the right customer. Breck's is writing it all off as advertising. They get a valid address & put their product in your hands.

I have ordered from them within the last year. If not sure if they are courting first time customers with this offer of $25 free, then the rest of us who have placed orders before get $25 off a $50 order. Wanda, I think you are right on about the advertising. With all of the wonderful lily places we have at our fingertips these days, I just didn't have the heart to order from Brecks this year, especially after the "Lily Tree".

In my opinion Breck's charges twice what stuff is worth anyway.... They are one of the Gardens Alive! companies and I think most of these companies have the $25 off offer. I have never purchased from Brecks so can't comment on quality.

These companies all are owned by G. A.: http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/146/
The previous owner (Foster and Gallegher) went bankrupt a few years back and dragged them all under and many people lost money by paying for orders they did not get. Our square dance caller's wife lost more than $100 with Breck's. This all generated a lot of bad reviews in the watchdog so I would consider just the more recent reviews in the watchdog.

Van Bourgondien (not affiliated) also had a $25 off coupon which I have used to aquire some new callas and a dahlia.












van Bourgondien also had $25

I'm still having problems with
Van Bourgondien from an order I placed two years ago. Just to get them to acknowledge my complaint, I had to turn it over to the State of Virginia. I wouldn't order from them again even if they said they would come to my house and plant totally free plants.

I have ordered from the wholesale side of Van Bougondien by combining lily orders with some of my Lily Society friends. We wanted the spreckled "Tango" series last year. I ordered a couple of Louisiana Iris and a spreckled "Strawberry & Cream" lily.