The COMMANDER IN CHIEF will be red for as long as you have it. But the flowers will fade in hot, bright sun quickly (a couple days) in bright hot sunlight to more of an anemic red. It gets about 5 feet tall and is hardy. Another 'true red' which you might really like is RED ALERT. It is blood red and holds that color. It won't fade and its very hardy too. It gets about 3 to 4 feet. You won't find this one at Home Depot, etc. You'll have to go to a lily grower which I strongly recommend anyway for much better bulbs. Here are two really highly respected North American growers that have RED ALERT: www.bdlilies.com in the US and: www.theliynook.com in Canada. A resonable price would be about $5.00 or 3 for 13.00. I have both COMMANDER IN CHIEF and RED ALERT and wish I could attach pictures to show you both but I don't know how. But one thing I do know, if you want good lilies--get them from a grower--you'll be alot happier in the long run.

Red Velvet is another beauty and also one you are unlikely to find at a box store. The previously mentioned sources are good as well as the Lily Garden. Did you have orange lilies planted near your red ones? I ask because the original bulbs can't change color as their genetics don't change. Seedlings can be a different color or the reds may have died leaving only the orange. Soil and temperature can cause some slight change in color intensity but can't cause bulbs to bloom a completely different color.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lilies

Hello, thanks for your replies. No, I didn't plant these near any other lilies, these were the only ones. So I can't figure out why they turned orange.

I have never ordered bulbs before so I am a bit nervous, but will check out the one in Canada. As I noted, I am a newbie lily lady, actually newbie gardener. Thanks, I will check out the lilynook.

Oh, don't be nervous about any growers we mention here--they're very nice people and are very dependable. They have hundreds of different lilies you probably never knew existed. Since you're in Canada, you'll probably start with The LILY NOOK in Neepawa, Manitoba. They(and others) list their lilies by catagory or classification, so when you go to their main website, in the links colunm on the left you will see division 1, division 2 and 3 and so on. The RED VELVET is an Asiatic(division 1). The RED ALERT is a Longiflorum X Asiatic hybid and belongs in division 8. By clicking on these two division links you'll find the two we've suggested along with many others. It may cost a little more per bulb to buy from the growers but you get exactly what the picture shows with impressive quality to boot! Oh, since you're new to lilies, I want to mention, these types of lilies don't like soggy wet soil. Make sure you plant them in a well drained, lighter soil with a good amount of sun.

Hi, I see two red lilies referenced - Red Alert and Red Velvet. I'm looking for a bright red lily, no hint of orange, that's not too tall and will do well in Sask. in almost full sun. I looked at the two and couldn't decide which one would do better in my region, or which I liked better. The area I'm looking at planting them is alongside my raised deck, beside globe cedars and hostas and I can't remember what else....

Can anyone recommend a bright red lily with striking colour that does well in zone 2b? What's your favourite red lily that would grow in my region?
Thanks again, appreciate all the advice and anxious to get an order in!

fillagirl, I'll ask some partricipants at another lily forum to come over here and post their suggestions also They are die hard lily hobbyists--lets see what they suggest. Asiatics and Asiatic hybrids is key here. They would do well, but there are several different reds with different heights, etc.

You can add Monte Negro to your list of true reds. Its an asiatic. You can also contact the above source(s) directly for more info.

Thank you interspecific. I am checking out the LilyNook's website and think I might send them an email. I will check out Montre Nego as well. Thank you for all your help!

I have also been on a true red search for years. I have a lot of blue flowers and wanted a red that did not have a trace of orange or rust. A red with blue overtones, if possible.

I bought Commander in Chief last year from Home Depot too. Unfortunately, the ones I bought were mismarked. When they bloomed they were a salmon color. A very lovely lily, but not what I wanted. I do not know how widespread such problems are: is that means that all HD lilies of that variety will be wrong, or not.

I have Red Velvet too. Really good color, but I find the flowers on the small side. Maybe they are too young and will be bigger later, I don't know. I have Monte Negro and don't care for it. Petals are too narrow, too heavily spotted.

I grow Red Alert and it is one of the most vigorous and rapidly multiplying lilies I have ever grown. As a bonus, if you are in the deep south, it's extremely heat tolerant.

linnea56, The blooms on Red Velvet are small, they won't get bigger with age. However they have a lot of blooms.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Velvet

I have Monte Negro and it grows really well in Saskatoon. Good foliage and it multiplies rapidly.

Thank you for your helpful advice - I just put an order in to Lilynook for some Black-out lilies, Monte Negro and Red Sensation as well as a small white dwarf lily called New Wave. My first time ordering lilies, but I sense this could be addictive!

Thanks again.