Types Of Lily Flowers
Lilies are among the most popular plants for landscaping, ornamentals, and container growing. Although the name Lily translates to white, these plants can come in many colors. Lilies can also come in different-sized flowers, plant heights, flower shapes, and divisions. Learn about the different types of lily flowers.
History of the Lily
The lily flower belongs to the Lilium genus of the Liliaceae family. There are over 100 species in the Lilium genus, encompassing 2,000 varieties and many hybrids, separated into nine divisions.
Lillies grow in temperate and sub-tropical climates along the Northern Hemisphere – Europe, Asia, and North America. The name Lily translates to whiteness, although this plant comes in a range of colors.
European explorers brought back many exotic lily species from their travels to Japan, America, and Asia. By pre-packaging the bulbs of wild lilies, the flowers could be transported worldwide, arriving intact.
The 1920s was an important decade for the Lily species, as many new varieties began to come out, thanks to the hard work of a lily enthusiast in Oregon. Jan de Graaff created an impressive breeding program – Oregon Bulb Farms, which made a lot of hybrids, many of that are still in use today.
Caring For Lilies
The Lilly flower starts as a rhizome – bulb – or as a seed, nodule, or scale. Plant lily flowers 4″ to 6″ deep in organic-rich soil in fall or spring to bloom between May and September.
Lilies flowers do best in full sun with periods of shade. These plants’ low maintenance and easy care make them a popular choice for beginner gardeners.
Types Of Lily Flowers
The name lily applies to several flowering species. However, a true lily plant refers to an upright perennial that can be 1′ to 8 feet in height with a spread up to two feet.
Because of the many different types of lilies, both the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society divide the different types of lily flowers into nine categories:
⦁ Asiatic Hybrids
⦁ Martagon Hybrids
⦁ Candidum Hybrids
⦁ American Hybrids
⦁ Longiflorum Hybrids
⦁ Aurelian and Trumpet Hybrids
⦁ Oriental Hybrids
⦁ Interdivisional/Other Hybrids
⦁ Wild Lilies
African Queen (Trumpet Lilies)
African Queen – also referred to as Trumpet Lilies – are an award-winning Lily species with large flowers in a trumpet shape. The stems grow 4′ to 6′ feet tall and produce 15 to 20 long-lasting blooms.
The lily blooms have a delightful aroma, while the petals are a luscious bright orange with traces of burgundy on the petal’s bottom and the stamens.
Anastasia (Orienpet Lilies)
Anastasia produces giant pendant flowers in a delightful two-tone of white tips with rosy pink hearts and pale green stamens.
These flowers bloom in mid to late summer, with each bulb producing 20 to 30 flowers in mid to late summer. This species can grow to heights of four to seven feet.
Citronella (Asiatic Lily)
Citronella Lilies have recurved pendant gold petals covered with small dark specks. Light stamens protrude from the center, topped with dark anthers.
You can get around 20 flowers per stem in early to mid-summer, with a tolerance for any sun conditions. This species can grow three to five feet in height.
Golden Splendor (Trumpet Lily)
Trumpet Lily – Golden Splendor – came on the scene in 1957. True to its name, this plant forms showy, trumpet-shaped golden-yellow flowers with exaggerated curled petal tips. The bottom of the petals can have greenish maroon tinges.
These plants reach up to six feet and form clusters composed of 12 to 20 blooms that make the stems top-heavy, typically requiring support or staking while flowering.
Entertainer (Oriental Lily)
Entertainer flowers have an appropriate name, with bright pink flowers facing upwards. The middle has a stark white center with dark speckles dotting the insides of each sepal.
In mid to late summer, this species can produce up to 10 flowers a stalk in partial shade or full sun. This Oriental Lily can reach 20″ in height as a shorter plant.
Dot Com (Asiatic Lily)
Dotcom is an Asiatic Lily that forms five to nine flowers on one stem. Flowers are a bowl shape with distinct red splotches that spread from the center outwards.
Petals are a pinkish purple color that forms a striking visual. The ability to thrive in the shade makes this species perfect for planting on borders or under trees.
Black Out (Asiatic Lilies)
Black Out is another upward-facing Asiatic Lily that grows three feet tall. At the top of the stem, it forms clusters of four to five flowers in a beautiful dark tone.
The shiny petals and stamens are an incredibly dark red with rich burgundy shading around the center in the form of embossed spots.
Regale (Trumpet Lily).
Regale – also known as Regal Lily – falls into the Trumpet lily classification. This summer flower form blooms in white with distinctive features of a golden inner throat and an underside tinted a purple plum color.
Regal plants grow six feet tall with dark green foliage in a lanceolate shape. This Trumpet lily attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees.
Arabian Knight (Martagon Lily)
Arabian Knight is an exotic type of Lily that produces small russet-orange flowers sprinkled with deep red spots on a slender, smooth stalk.
These plants produce a profusion of blooms every year once the roots are established in proper growing conditions. This species requires partial shade to full sun and well-draining soil.
Robert Swanson (Orienpet Lily)
Bold and bright, Robert Swanson is an Orienpet Lily with large red flame flowers. The recurved tepals have yellow tips and pale green stigmas.
Each bulb can produce up to forty flowers in mid to late summer in any sun conditions. However, this lily is a low-grower, reaching four to five feet.
King Pete (Asiatic Lily)
King Pete belongs in the Asiatic lily category and received the Garden Merit Award. This species of Lily forms elegant and showy, long-lasting creamy yellow flowers.
Towards the center of the flower, the color starts to blend towards orange with brown spots. The blooms face downwards with ends that curl towards the outsides.
