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  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
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  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
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    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
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    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
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    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
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    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
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    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
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    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
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    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
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Oriental Lilies
Lilium orientalis

August's Plant of the Month 2022

Fragrant, floriferous & Absolutely Fab!

Casa Blanca oriental lily,summer flowers,fragrant flowers
Casa Blanca oriental lily is a robust and fragrant pure white cultivar.
Salmon Stargazer lily,fragrant lilies,August flowers
Salmon Stargazer oriental lily bears 6" white and peach striped fragrant blossoms with red spots. It grows 28-36" tall.
After Eight oriental lily,summer lilies,August flowers
After Eight oriental lily is one of the smaller cultivars, growing to 18 to 20 inches tall by 10 to 12 inches wide.
Aubade oriental lily,fragrant lily,August flowers
Aubade flowers are substantial and have a strong fragrance.
Picture
After Eight maybe short in statue, however their flowers are huge.
Sweet Rosy oriental lily,August flowers
Sweet Rosy grows to 3 feet and may require staking due to the many flowers atop the stem.
Casa Blanca Oriental lilies
Casa Blanca 10 inch blossoms are pure white, fragrant on rigid stems up to 4 feet tall.
Sweet Rosy Oriental Lily
Sweet Rosy oriental lily bears fragrant large double pink petals dotted with red spots and edged in white.
Aubada oriental lily,summer flowering bulbs
Aubade's fragrant and substantial flowers grow up to 12 inches wide!
Stargazer lily
Stargazer lilies bear clusters of large fragrant flowers on top of the long stems.
Casa Blanca oriental lily,August flowers
Casa Blanca shows off its exquisite structure.
Picture
Aubade are bold, beautiful, big and bodacious.
​Common Name:  Oriental hybrid Lilies
Botanical Name:  Lilium orientalis
Form:    upright, erect, columnar
Family:  Liliaceae
Genus:  Lilium
Species:  orientalis
Plant Type: herbaceous perennial summer bulb
Mature Size:  2 feet to 4 feet
Growth: fast, but slower than Asiatic lilies
Origin: species originate from Japan, S.E. Asia
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
Foliage:  glossy, green, simple, lance shaped, narrow
Flowers: fragrant raceme, 6 large showy petals, star & trumpet shaped, many colours, early, mid & late varieties, flower after Asiatic lilies
Fruit: capsule
Stems:  tall, erect, green, herbaceous (non-woody)
Exposure:  full sun at least 6 hours per day
Soil:  well drained, moist, loamy, slightly acidic pH 6.3 to 6.8, mulch
Uses:  garden border, cut flower, containers, fragrant garden, attracts butterflies & bees
Propagation: bulbs, bulblets, seeds
Pruning: deadhead to prevent seeds
​Problems:  generally pest free, mosaic virus, bulb rot & botrytis in wet soils, toxic to cats

Comments:  There are many types of lilies: Asiatic, martagon, Easter, to name a few but the oriental lily's claim to fame is their intoxicating fragrance and their huge magnificent blossoms. 
 
​About Lilies: All members of the lily family grow from bulbs that multiply underground to form colonies.  Each fall, their foliage turns yellow, their stems die back only to emerge with new growth the following spring.
 
All lily flowers are either star or trumpet shaped and bear 3 petals and 3 sepals (tepals collectively). Lilies have multiple blossoms borne atop erect stems that sometimes need staking. Flowers are often bi-coloured in shades of white, pink, red and peach. They bear six long stamens with anthers loaded with rusty-orange pollen that stain clothing and skin. When cutting them for flower arrangements gently pull off their anthers before arranging - but don’t forget to wear gloves. Stems originate from plump bulbs made up of scales. Green strap-like leaves grow up and surround the stem.
 
Oriental vs Asiatic Lilies: Compared to common Asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies are on steroids. They flower in August, not July and have longer, wider green leaves. To add to their exotic allure, their perfume is heavenly and more intense.
 
Stargazer lilies are a popular oriental lily series grown and loved by many. The ‘Stargazers’ are so called because their flowers resemble stars that appear to look upwards towards the sky. Their huge fragrant flowers are over 6 inches wide on stems up to 3 feet tall. They are knock-outs and easy to find, hence their popularity.
 
Where to Plant: Lilies need 6 to 8 hours of full sun a day. Flowering is compromised and stems spindly if it’s too shady.  Lily bulbs are prone to rotting in wet soil so select a site with good drainage. To improve all soils, mix in lots of compost. Other options include plant in containers or raised beds. Despite the need for good drainage, lilies dislike dry soil so mix in a few inches of compost and add mulch to keep in soil moisture. The best time to plant lily bulbs is in early fall. By spring, they will have established a good root system.
 
Planting Lilies: To plant lilies, mix in a couple of inches of compost to the soil. Loosen the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Make a hole three times deeper as the height of the bulb. Add bonemeal according to the instructions. Place the bulb firmly in the hole pointed end up. Deep planting helps stabilize their tall stems and insulates the bulb from temperature extremes. Space bulbs 8 to 18 inches apart in odd numbered groups (3, 5, 9, 12). Label, mulch with 3 inches of an organic mulch and water.
 
Maintenance: Water in summer and mulch. Don’t let the soil dry out. The height of oriental lilies depends on the variety and/or cultivar. For tall varieties, staking maybe necessary. Remove spent flowers before they set seed. Keep the remaining stems intact as they provide food to produce next year’s blossoms.  Cut yellow stems off in autumn or spring. To protect plants in winter, cover with 4 to 6 inches of an organic mulch. Remove the mulch gradually when lilies shoots appear in spring. ​
cut flowers
Like most lilies Casa Blanca are perfect for floral arrangements.
Picture
Be careful when handling lilies as their pollen stains skin and clothing.
cut flowers
Lilies are excellent cut flowers, but remember to pull off their pollen laded anthers to prevent staining.
Picture
Casa Blanca flowers are as big.
Stargazer lilies,fragrant flowers
Plant more than one lily bulb for a lovely display.
stargazer lilies,summer flowering bulbs,fragrant flowers
White stargazer lilies use a trellis to support their impressive blossoms.

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  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tour Blogs
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?
  • Garden Club Events