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raptorfan

Best whites and pinks?

raptorfan
18 years ago

I want to plant lilies this year. What are your favourite ones from each group? I would like white & pink (light & dark). I'd like to stay away from the striped types if I could. I'm trying to create a cottage garden and I want some lilies to plant with my roses (which are mainly pink). I know the Orientals are fragrant which is what I want, something more spicy than sweet, and I know asiatics aren't but that's ok. So... for the asiatics & orientals which would you recommend? I know there are other types too, ie LA hybrids; are there any others I should not be without? So far Casablanca looks good. Any fragrant(preferably)choice that would compliment my pink/white/purple scheme would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • hld6
    18 years ago

    In addition to the LA hybrids there are LO hybrids, which have a tropical fruit smell. Both are only lightly scented which is good for those more sensitive to smell. If a spicy scent is what you want then Oriental and Trumpet lilies are the way to go. They are both summer bloomers, but the trumpet lilies come up a little before the orientals.

    There are also some spring species lilies that are scented, such as Lankongense, but since I only planted them this past Fall I can't give a personal report yet. In addition to the species, The Lily Garden sells a number of Lankongense hybrids that are scented and bloom in the spring. Though lighter in scent than the orientals, they would be a good substitute for Asiatics which generally have no scent. Their catalog has a section where they catagorize their lilies by color, longest bloom, and most strongly scented per season.

    All of these types of lilies have beautiful pink and white varieties.

    My recommendations
    Spring - (guessing here)- Lankongense/hybrids. The species is pink with spotting.

    Late spring/Early summer - "Elegant Lady" is a beautiful pale pink LO hybrid with an almost pearl like sheen. Also it is not so large and can be placed in front of other flowers

    Summer- Lilium Regale is trumpet lily with a white with pink reverse bloom. It is easy to grow with a strong nice scent. Its blooms will turn to face the sun, so plant accordingly.

    Mid - Late summer - Siberia is a good alternate white oriental to Casa Blanca. It's blooms are pure white and upfacing (rather than outdacing) and it is heat tolerant (not so important for you - in zone 5).

    Stargazer is a very pretty pink and white lily and is easily the most popular oriental lily going. It is readily available from garden centers as potted plants throughout the season and can be bought as spring bulbs from a large number of mailorder companies. (Frankly they're so cheap and convenient potted up - I'd buy them that way)

    Late Summer - The species lily Lilium speciosum - rubrum has the same coloring as stargazer but with smaller strongly recurved blooms. It comes up shortly after the orientals (Aug-Sept depending on your zone and garden conditions). There is also a white form, lilium speciosum - alba.

    -Helen

  • KayLakeMan
    18 years ago

    Raptorfan..I think I recognize that handle from the rose forum.
    With my roses, I would be looking for lilies that would not clash with the colour scheme, and some of the hybrids out there are a bit vibrant to successfully blend in.

    Of the White and pink Orientals that don't clash with my roses:
    Lombardia..pink with a touch of yellow at the throat but not enough to not fit in with pinks and purple
    Dizzy..big white margin softens the deeper pink centres
    Garden Party , and if looking for something pot size, Rodolfo. I like Le Reve which is a soft lav-pink where I grow it in partial shade.
    To me, Stargazer might not blend in with my pink roses, but you can pick them up cheap at Home Depot or Rona right now, so the experiment won't be too expensive. Tom Pouce is great, but I wouldn't have it with my pink/white roses as a 'blender'.
    While there are plenty of others, those work for me.

  • Jeanne_in_Idaho
    18 years ago

    Tiara and Willeke Alberti are both Orientals, pale pink (not lavender) with white centers. The best words I can come up with to describe their look are "pristine" and "crystalline".

    In my garden, Dizzy is red and white rather than pink and white. It would look great with red roses, but I don't know about pink.

    Muscadet is a huge-flowered white Oriental with pale pink center stripes. I think it would be fantastic with pink roses.

    Jeanne

  • Jeanne_in_Idaho
    18 years ago

    I meant to second the suggestion of Siberia, but suggest Casablanca also. Its flowers face down and out and are farther apart than Siberia's, but it thereby makes a much more graceful form. Siberia's flowers are very crowded together. I like both for different purposes.

    Jeanne

  • raptorfan
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Yes that's me from the rose forum, you have a great memory I haven't posted in some time. :) Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't take into account about which way the flowers face, that's something to consider. Can I plant anytime soon?

  • KayLakeMan
    18 years ago

    Being a Raptorfan in Kingston, about the same zone as T.O.,
    I went out tonite to move a couple of roses while still dormant. In most places, the ground was still frozen below about 4" from the surface...tough digging, and a surprise given the temps over the last week or 2.
    I'm giving it another week or 2 of warm weather with rain.

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