No idea Gill but they are just as pretty! I've had mutant irises and peonies, and probably lilies too (that I just didn't notice). Good question tho. :)

I have one orange and yellow variety that varies a lot depending on the weather. In rainier years it is gorgeous, but in drier years the petals are misshapen and the color is dull. It gets just as much water as the others all around it, but apparently it needs much more than normal.

Well I think that sometimes broken color can be evidence of a virus, isn't it?

But if it is fine some years, maybe it just has to do with water and heat levels? I'm not sure, I've never seen it on any of mine.

I definitely have some mutant lilies though..quite a few of them will develop flowers with 12 petals instead of 6. Others, especially if we have a year with wacky weather, will have stunted flowers or warped buds. Who knows!!

The mutant colour is probably weather related. I have had the same thing happen to my Treffer asiatic lilies where the other petals crack and break and fall off leaving the lily with just some of its petals. Last year they bloomed beautifully. The yellow Polyanna asiatic lilys next to them have never had that problem.,,Jean

Wow, I never even thought of a virus. Moneymaker bloomed funny the first year but I think it has bloomed normally at least once since. Party Diamond was definitely normal in 2007 and broken just like that ever since. They are nowhere near each other and none of their neighbours have shown any problems. Now I'm worried maybe I should get rid of them...

Gill, a quick email off to Nigel at the Lily Nook with those pictures attached may get you some answers. If it's a possible virus, he'd be able to give you some info.

Northspruce - I feel bad for your lilies......being called freaks.........they're beautiful anyway. =:)

Laurie I wish you hadn't mentioned Lily Nook. I just googled it and found out they have mail order lilies. People on this forum are costing my DH a small fortune with telling me all these places I can order from, LOL ! Before joining GardenWeb I didn't even realize I could safely do that !

Naf, Lily Nook is highly recommended!

Well if it's a virus it came from the Lily Nook. Based on previous communications I've had with them I'd rather not talk to them again...

I have always been happy with Lily Nook. Nice healthy bulbs as well as helpful to deal with on the phone.Another great place is Lynette at the Lily Ranch in Edberg sp? Alberta. Good variety and a great lady to deal with.

northspruce - I didn't mean to scare you! If you have no other symptoms besides the mottle coloring of the flowers, and the plants seem vigorous(they look fine in the pics) there is a good chance it is related to weather or some such thing. I did some reading, and the virus that causes color breaking (tulip breaking virus) also causes mottled foliage, and it doesn't look like your lilies have mottled foliage, so you're probably safe. Maybe you could post pics in the lily section, you might get some people with more expertise. Or you could send a pic to that lady beegood mentioned in Alberta, and she might be able to put your mind at ease.

I have some weird things happening with mine this year, too. I'm attributing it to excessive moisture, hail damage, some bug (or bird) damage. My Giraffe lilies - named because of the height - aren't even 3' tall. I sacrificed a Landini stem with 5 buds for a bouquet, and the second bud to open only had 4 petals. Elegant Crown buds look nice but they open kind of curly. Like NAF said, they're pretty anyway. I also recall last year that the stems on many of the lilies browned early from all that crazy rain so maybe they didn't rejuvenate properly with a normal die-back of stems.