Looking for some good reading material on species lilies. I have Eugene Foxs' martagon book. But a good species lily book would be perfect

Not sure if you are looking for a deeper dive, but the classic by E. McRae "Lilies: A Guide for Growers and Collectors" gives a good overview of many species and their cultural requirements.

I found "Lily Species Throughout the World" by William F. Doreen 2009. Don't know how readily available it is.

This looks like a small book - 25 x 19cm, 124 pages, but it is packed with useful tidbits of info not found elsewhere. Copyright 1989. I got it used from Abe Books (or similar bookseller) and the quality of info is right up there with Ed McRae's book. You may find a copy with a different image on the cover.


Also, the RHS's Lilies and Related Plants is published every two years, and focuses mainly on species. From 2007 to present, they are downloadable free.

Thanks everyone.

MichiganMike, I have the McRae book. But I was looking for something more specific on species.

Gary, I'll have to check to see if I can find that one.

Rick, thank you. I'll look for that book as well as checking the RHS!

Just ordered the book you recommended from amazon for $5.00

Yeah! It was incredibly cheap when I got it, too.

-- -- -- It will be worth way more than that to you!

Some species seedlings coming at ya!
Lilium medogense (hopefully) throwing up its first true leaf.





L. lijiangense and L. Formosanum var pricei are doing very well.







Most of the candidum are doing well but a couple are a little light in color. Probably just weaker seedlings.
L. Lophophorum is the slowest to true leaf lily I've ever grown from seed. The cotyledons were up for 2.5 months before a few true leaves popped up. L. matangense has some true leaves but the cotyledons are withering a bit. I have a few others doing well that are not pictured.

L. amabile

L. pumilum blooming today.

Beautiful! The foliage looks almost like fern.

L. martagon var Albiflorum

Very nice, Joe. Four flowers on the stem? How many whorls of leaves?

I'm kind of embarrassed but don't mind the weeds. There are 3-4 whorls but they are a little scattered. And yes 4 buds.
Last year there were 10-12 buds.

L. Canadense.

Dave, do you have any special recommendations for this Lilium?

I purchased seeds on eBay a long time ago - they produced 2 seedlings (different sizes) that have come up for the last 2 summers (I´m in the southern hemisphere), but have not bloomed so far. I have to grow all my plants in pots.

Thanks in advance for any info you and any of our Lilium experts can provide.

Ursula, I really don't have recommendations for this one. It's one I have heard some people say is difficult to grow. Some people have given me different ideas for growing this one. From using a kids pool and making a bog style environment for them. Then others grow them in a field like any other lily.

I ended up buying bulbs to give them a shot. Planted them in a shaded spot, that tends to stay cool and on the moist side. Only question will now be if they will come back next season. But I love the shape of the blooms on this and had to give it a shot. Don't know unless you try.

Thanks, Dave. One of these days, when it´s not so cold, I will empty the pot to check the bulbs. I will then replace the soil and in spring move the pot to a shady place (they were getting a lot of sun and not much water due to draught problems - if the draught persists I will have to consider giving them somebody w/o water problems).

They like acid soil and lots of moisture. I would consider keeping this one in a pot with a tray underneath. When you water, and the tray fills with water, too, don't dump it out. Let the pot sit in the 1-2cm of water. Not that you would need to keep the tray filled, but it will keep it more moist without extra watering, and you shouldn't have to worry about bulb rot with this one.

Thanks, Rick! I will order some acid soil bags and proceed as you suggest. However, during summer the water in the tray will evaporate in no time (or my 2 cats would drink it - any water seems to be better than the one in their clean dishes). Maybe a 2 liter inverted bottle of water would do better ... I do this with other moistur loving plants.