Lilies are known for their beautifully perfumed scent and elegant appearance, lilies remain one of the world’s best-selling cut flowers.
With so much variety in their colour, from pure white to eye-catching red, yellow and purple, lilies are a firm favourite with florists and flower lovers alike and make a stunning addition to any bouquet.
Scientific Name: Lilium
Family: Liliaceae
Availability: All year round
'Picasso' is a rare, unusual and simply beautiful Calla lily variety, producing stunning bicolour flowers each summer. Newly formed blooms are creamy-white to begin with, then open up magically to reveal their deep-purple hearts. A real showstopper! Grow singly in pots about 10-15cm diameter, or all 3 in a 20cm diameter pot. For best results, they should be kept very warm and well watered once planted for 2 weeks to kick-start their dormancy - on a heater or an airing cupboard is fine, then once the green shoots appear, they can be placed outside. The corms are shallow, and need to be planted saucer shape up, just with a shallow 1-2cm covering of compost only. You will be rewarded with tremendous displays of sumptuous calla flowers that last for 5-6 weeks, and appear again year after year.
It's not hard to see wy these are called 'Foxtail Lilies' - their huge long flower spikes are a dusky orange to red colour, and like a fluffy Fox's brush! 'Ruiter Hybriods' were one of the first series to be bred, and contain a mix of shades. They flower in yellow, coppers and reds, to pink and creamy white, and all shades in between. Grown for their amazingly statuesque, tall flower spikes borne in high summer they add a classic cottage garden feel and height to any mixed border garden. They also make stunning cut flowers in a vase, and will establish into slow-spreading clumps every year. Often perceived as tricky to grow, the secret is in planting well. Although they are roots, they need to be buried like bulbs, with the roots well spread out. Ensure they have plenty of winter drainage, but good sun and warmth in summer. Supplied as 3 bare roots ready to plant in autumn, growing to a height of 1.2 m (4 ft) and spread of 25 cm (10 in).
Also known as the Mexican shell flower, peacock flower or Aztec lily, the striking Tigridia is a delightful flower with petals in a multitude of shades of scarlet, orange, pink, yellow, mauve and white, usually with contrasting spots and splashes in the centre of the flower. Each bloom consists of three large coloured petals surrounding three smaller spotty petals and a central cup and with its lance-shaped leaves, the blooms are not unlike a gladiolus, and just like day lilies will flower for just one day - although although they are produced in succession, so blooming can last several weeks. Hardy to -2°C, in cold areas dig up the bulbs after flowering and overwinter in sand in a dry, frost-free place, repotting in the spring. Alternatively they can be grow in pots and moved out of the cold in winter. Supplied as a pack of 25 bulbs, ready for immediate planting. Plants will reach up to 1m and flower from July to August.
Sometimes known as the Cobra Lily, it's not hard to imagine how it got this name, resembling the forked tongue of a Cobra. A fiery, exotic and fabulous looking summer-flowering bulb, not widely known or grown, yet very easy in pots. Not entirely hardy, it will take a degree or two of frost if well-drained, so we suggest growing in pots, with added sand or gravel for drainage. Plant 3 or 4 corms in a 25-30cm diameter pot, as they will spread over 5 years or so, giving bigger and better displays. The best displays are from full sun spots, so feed and water well in warmer months. This relative of Montbretia (Crocosomia) produces lovely, deep-orange flame-like flowers in tall and showy spikes in high summer, developing to seed-pods which add autumn interest. Bring the pot inside over winter to ensure survival for following years. Supplied as a pack of 5 bulbs ready to plant out.
A cottage garden staple, the perfumed bell-flowers of Lily of the valley open in April and May and are a welcome addition to any border or patio pot. Ideal in light or even full shade, lily-of-the-valley is blessed with masses of tiny white bell-shaped flowers that possess a sweet, intoxicating scent in late spring. Growing up to 20cm on arching stems, which contrast beautifully with its clumps of dark green foliage, this hardy perennial is native to alpine meadows and does best in moist soil where it will happily naturalise and gradually spread. A great cutflower to bring into your home and ideal for brightening up a shady border and making a perfumed carpet of colour under trees and shrubs. Spreading via a network of underground roots, the spring shoots are referred to as 'pips' and sit just beneath the surface of the soil before bursting into bloom. Fully deserving its coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure that this is a proven garden performer, guaranteed to be suitable for UK gardeners at every level of experience. You can therefore plant this in the garden with confidence, for stunning displays for many years to come. Supplied as a pack of 10 pips.
Lilies are without doubt one of the most striking and beautiful summer flowers, and the new and highly desirable Oriental Lily, 'Big News' is no exception. Boasting huge, extravagant blooms that are the most flawless, purest white with an incredibly rich, heady perfume, this is truly magnificent! The elegant, 20cm long white buds burst open into upward-facing, perfectly formed blooms that reach 30cm in diameter with gently arching, wavy petals. Stunning as cut flowers, making for bold, dramatic indoors displays, they also look fabulously decadent when grown in groups in large pots, and of course, they're perfectly at home in your beds and borders. Wherever you plant 'Big News' it'll be impossible to miss. Planted in spring or autumn, they'll return every year, bigger and better, and so easy to grow and care for, especially considering the amazing display that they give. Supplied as a collection of 20 bulbs ready for immediate planting.
Everyone loves magnificent lilies growing in the garden, where they are amongst the most beautiful and exotic looking summer flowers, and we're excited to bring you this wonderful collection of dwarf Oriental Lilies. Part of the 'Romance' Lily series bred by the famous G.A. Verdegall in the Netherlands, they boast the same familiar, extravagant flowers and delicious scent as other Oriental Lilies, yet are only half the height, growing to just 50cm tall. This makes them absolutely perfect for growing in pots, where they look fabulous grouped together, and of course, they bring a fantastic exotic feel to beds and borders too. Once the large, upward facing flowers burst open, they last for up to three weeks, creating a spectacular display in your garden, and there is no better flower for creating dramatic indoor arrangements. Each bulb will initially produce up to four flowers, and left in the ground all year, they'll come back bigger and better with even more flowers year after year. Supplied as a collection of 18 blubs, size 13/14, 6 of each variety: 'Fine Romance' - Beautiful pale pink flowers with a flush of yellow and dark edges petals.'Smart Romance' - Warm pink flowers with maroon speckles.'Rapid Romance' - Spectacular pink and white flower, looking very similar to 'Stargazer'.
This collection comprises of 5 top sized bulbs, the same as used by commercial flower growers in Holland - gorgeous soft lemon yellow. These incredible Skyscraper Lilies grow so tall they look like trees! In their first year they will reach up to 1.5m (5ft) tall, but in future years, once they are fully established, they will get even taller up to 6 or even 7 foot tall eventually! These large flowered beauties arise as a consequence hybridisation between Oriental and Trumpet strains of lily hence the marriage of both species characteristics. Every flower delivers a wonderful heady perfume and each individual stem can carry well over 20 blooms, which can measure well over 15cm (6in) across. Grow all 5 in large pots about 15cm apart, or in groups in garden borders. They have very strong stems, so should not need support. Cut them for the long-lasting displays in the vase, or leave them to marvel at in your garden. Allow them to die down naturally after flowering, and they will build up reserves for even bigger and better displays the following year. Fully Winter hardy, they will last for many years. Supplied as a pack of 5 bulbs, size 14/16, ready to plant out in January-May.
Our Skyscraper Lily Collection just got better!! The same incredible giant tree-lilies, but with two gorgeous new colours, this Premium Collection includes 5 spectacular varieties that are sure to make a statement in your garden. Growing so tall they look like trees, in their first year they will reach up to 1.5m (5ft) tall, but in future years once they are fully established, they will get even taller up to 6 or even 7 foot tall eventually! These large flowered beauties arise as a consequence hybridisation between Oriental and Trumpet strains of lily hence the marriage of both species characteristics. Every flower carries a wonderful heady perfume and each individual stem can carry well over 20 blooms, which can measure well over 15cm (6in) across. In this collection: Salterello - bright golden apricot to orange Amarossi - a lovely wine red Manissa - gorgeous soft lemon yellow Robina - nice mid pink with magenta tones Matisse - cream-edged to red centres, a classic two-tone Lily Grow all 5 in large pots about 15cm apart, or in groups in garden borders. They have very strong stems, so should not need support. Cut them for the long-lasting displays in the vase, or leave them to marvel at in your garden. Allow them to die down naturally after flowering, and they will build up reserves for even bigger and better displays the following year. Fully winter hardy, they will last for many years. Supplied as 25 bulbs (5 x 5 packs), ready to plant out from January - May.
If you want to grow a plant that will get tongues wagging, try this African lily. There's nothing finer than a large Agapanthus in full flower at the height of summer, creating an eruption of brilliant blue. Its head-turning blooms perch on lofty stems in mid and late summer, adding a Mediterranean touch to borders or to patio. It's the perfect plant for an ornate container and with a little care will last a lifetime. Even before the flower stems appear the bright green strap-like leaves are a lovely sight and heighten the expectation of the blooms to come from midsummer. Then as summer moves into autumn, agapanthus continues to provide interest long after the flowers fade as the sculptural form of its seed heads. Simply place in a sunny spot and enjoy this African native in your garden over summer! Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots, ready to plant out once all risk of frost has passed.
With its showy pale flowers that open from dark purple buds in autumn, Tricyrtis or the 'toad lily' provides bags of late season interest for any part of the garden in light or even full shade. Held aloft on wiry 50cm tall stems, the star-shaped flowers are attractively spotted purple, and rise above clumps of glossy, heavily grooved green leaves. This perennial thrives when planted in damp, moisture-retentive soil and is suitable for growing in shady borders, woodland gardens, under shrubs or in soil close to the pond. It deserves to be planted somewhere such that the intricate flowers can be viwed up close and also makes a lovely cut flower and will do well also in a container. Despite possessing exotic-looking blooms, the toad lily is as tough as old boots although if you live in a cold part of the country or have an exposed garden, it's best to cover plants with a thick mulch over winter. Supplied as 3 x established plants in 9cm pots, ready for planting out.
There is a certain fascination with so-called black flowers, although in nature, almost all are the deepest of velvet purples. After years of painstaking breeding, Landini Lily was born, and is the darkest Lily we know of by some way. They provide the perfect backdrop for neon bright flowers, their dark contrast setting the, off perfectly. Their upright stems will reach 90cm tall, and each stem, will have 5 or more flowers on. They make interesting cut flowers or leave in the garden. They are very hardy over-winter, so leave them to die back naturally as autumn progresses, to feed up the bulbs as they retreat underground. This gives bigger and better displays for years to come. Supplied as a pack of 10 bulbs size 10/12 ready for planting out from January-May.