Orange lilies: tiger lilies and Asiatic hybrids
Lilium is a genus of about 119 accepted species, all growing from scaly bulbs and carrying six petal-like tepals. Orange is the classic garden shade, found in the spotted tiger lily and in the Asiatic hybrids, which flower early, usually without much scent. Oriental hybrids, by contrast, are the heavily perfumed ones.
On a florist's list the stems often sell as "classic", but the botanical question is simpler: it is a Lilium, so it counts as a true lily.
Growing them in an Irish garden
Our mild, damp Atlantic climate suits lilies better than many gardeners expect, with one condition: the bulb must never sit in wet ground over winter. On heavy clay or soggy peat, raise the bed or add grit.
- Plant in the dormant season, about two and a half times as deep as the bulb is tall.
- Choose sun or part shade, with the base of the stem kept cool by low plants around it.
- In pots, use a deep container with drainage holes and keep it out of the worst of the wind on west-coast sites.
- Stake tall stems early, as a sudden gale can snap them at the base.
True lilies and cats
The pollen stains clothes orange, so lift the anthers off with a tissue instead of brushing at them. More important, cats can develop acute kidney failure after eating any part of a true lily, including pollen licked from fur and water from the vase. Day lilies (Hemerocallis) carry the same warning. Peace lily and calla are different plants and not true lilies. If a cat has been near one, ring your vet straight away.
Not to be confused with the Easter lily badge
In Ireland the "Easter lily" is also a paper or cloth badge worn around Easter in memory of the 1916 Rising. The living Easter lily, Lilium longiflorum, is a white trumpet lily sold for the Easter season.
