Our cover star: Lily ‘Robert Swanson’ This vibrant Oriental trumpet lily will certainly bring some summer drama to any plot. Discover more about OT lilies
Plant big, beautiful Oriental trumpet lilies now for amazing scent and supersize form
Our fascination with lilies stretches back millennia, through the ancient Assyrian and Egyptian empires, while closer to home Lilium candidum, the Madonna Lily, was grown by religious communities in the middle ages, its presence symbolising purity and virtue.
However, it was during the 19th and early 20th centuries that plant hunters exploring the Far East discovered many new and exciting lilies that they then introduced to gardeners in the west. L. auratum was one of the first Orientals to be grown to western horticulture. When first shown by the RHS in 1862 it caused a sensation with its voluptuous, headily scented blooms, the likes of which had never been seen before.
Clever hybrids
Most lilies will grow well in all soil types, however alkalinity was the Achilles heel of newly-introduced Orientals, limiting where they could be grown to those who garden on acidic soils or cultivated within the confines of a pot of ericaceous compost. The trumpet lilies, on the other hand, were found to be much more adaptable, growing in both acidic and alkaline soils.
In recent years intrepid plant breeders have developed a whole new range of improbable hybrids between the acid-loving Orientals and tough trumpet lilies. New techniques mean that distantlyrelated lilies that couldn’t naturally cross can now, with a bit of scientific jiggery-pokery, be nurtured in a laboratory to produce viable seedlings.
These new hybrids combine the best features of both parents; flower size and scent from the Orientals, while lime tolerance and a broader range of colours and flower shapes from the trumpet lilies. Added to this, they possess phenomenal hybrid vigour, easily reaching well over 2m (6½ft) in height when established, with masses of voluptuous blooms crowning towering stems as thick as broom handles. Their development has opened up a whole world of new possibilities that even a few short years ago would have been considered unthinkable.
They’re often marketed as tree or even skyscraper lilies, and while describing them as ‘tree-like’ may be something of an exaggeration, their height and strength of growth is nothing short of astonishing. They’re also known as Orienpets, an amalgam of Oriental and trumpet, or lastly and more simply, OT lilies. There are so many to choose from, with new varieties appearing every year.