The luxury of Lilies

It’s not uncommon to lust after the luxury of Lilies. However, the LO hybrids are really quite special. They are hybridised between Longiflorum (a.k.a. trumpet lilies) and Oriental lilies, and the result is not only magical, but a jolly good garden plant too!

With these Lilies, you really get the best of both worlds. You get the big tall stature of the trumpet Lilies, with sexy big buds (20cm) and a trumpet shape, married up with the bright colours and vibrancy of Oriental Lilies. The Oriental Lily blood also gives strong disease resistant qualities, in fact there’s a zero virus count in the bulb. Pretty impressive! However, there’s a big difference in the fragrance, as trumpet Lilies have a much more delicate fragrance, akin to Freesia. This is a refreshing chance to the sweet, sickly and overpowering scent of the Oriental Lilies that are sold in the stores.

There are very few successful LO hybridisations that exist in the world. In fact there are only 10 varieties out there with some genetics, 2 of which are being offered in this amazing collection.

These unusual LO hybrids also have amazing garden performance, and are true perennial Lilies. They will come back every single year in your garden without fail. These Lilies will also flower from a small size of bulb, so you don’t have to worry about having top size bulbs at all, as you do with many other bulbs.

Bulbs will go on to increase in size year-on-year, sometimes creating more than one stem, and truly becoming a “Shrub Lily” that fills a space in the border. They are incredibly vigorous, reaching five feet in their first year!

The origins of this very unique hybridisation lie in Japan, where the initial crossings were done. The trumpet shape of the flower mostly looks like an Amaryllis, and doesn’t it just look incredible!

Insider tip: When lifted from the dutch bulb-fields, most bulbs are dressed with a fungicide to help them stay in good condition when stored and transported. This dressing actually protects them from Lily beetle in their first year! This is not intended, but a welcome coincidence!

The LO hybrids are seen as the ‘holy grail’ in the Lily breeding world, and the amazing varieties that we’re offering are Cali  and Triumphator – Cali is a lovely sugar pink, and Triumphator has a white bloom with striking maroon-blushed insides.

Originally intended for the cut flower market, you can be assured that these Lilies will last well in a vase if you are cutting them for indoors. In fact, they are a very popular cut flower in Marks & Spencer’s, no less. It is still quite an exclusive cut flower though, and only 200,000 stems are sold in the stores each year. A little bird also tells me that a bunch of Triumphator were spotted in the reception of a private members club in Sloane Square recently!

Flowers are glossy and waxy, and they will last so long you will have to dust them! And of course, that fragrance is more nose-friendly than a traditional richly fragrant Lily.

These Lilies are quite tall but also self-supporting, thanks to the bamboo-like stems. You can grow them in the border, as screening or as a hedge. Of course, they can also be grown in containers.

Watch the video for an easy guide to planting into containers, and some tips on other plants you can combine them with.