What is a martagon lily? What differentiates it from other lilies? How many kinds of lilies are out there? So many questions...I will see what this week brings.

Deb, hybrid lilies are classified into eight divisions with most of garden lily commerce involved in six of them. These are the Asiatic hybrids, martagon hybrids, American hybrids, trumpet/aurelian hybrids, Oriental hybrids and interspecific or interdivisional hybrids.

The martagon species is native to Eurasian areas of limestone hills and mountains, hence they require an alkaline soil.

Martagon lilies most certainly do add much to the shade garden landscape! A few years ago I started noticing seedlings appearing in random spots in my hosta glade and one actually bloomed right next to cultivar 'Rosalinda'. I had thought it was an additional stem and what a surprise it was to see the deep red flowers next to the pink Rosalinda! I am pretty sure that one is a seedling from 'dahlhansonii' which is growing in a magnificent clump about 20 ft. away.
This year I had at least 12 seedlings bloom for the first time!
Here are pictures of 5 of them. And they seem to appear very effectively in places where I perhaps would not have thought of planting them!

Wonderful!
Do any of you have a recommended source for Martagons--I think I need to try some more

Old House Gardens
B&D Lilies
Your local Lily society sale

dirtdorphins said:Wonderful!
Do any of you have a recommended source for Martagons--I think I need to try some more

Me, too!

Thanks for the info Connie. I'll steer away from martagons as I have decidedly acidic soil.

I don't grow them either but I sure do envy those who can. They are beautiful lilies.

Well I do have decidedly alkaline everything--so for once, this may be an option for me
(I was so heartbroken after planting a bunch of my favorite fragrant orientals when I first moved here and they turned yellow, and languished, and slowly died )
Shade/part-shade and well-drained are rather limited conditions though--but at least that can change with time and work

Dirt, the white Martagon Lily I gew from seeds is very happy in a large pot, under an Acacia caven tree that provides little shade. Our summers have been extremely hot and water has been very scarce.

Please don't let acidic soil keep you from trying martagons. Here in far northern Michigan our sandy soil is acidic, too, but martagons thrive here. In the garden, I add lime at planting time, but rarely think of it later, and they do fine. Another plus: of all the many lilies I've tried, martagons are the least favorite of the deer. Most lilies are just expensive deer food for us, but not these. They get munched occasionally, but not usually, and never enough to kill the plant. I love their little flowers that look as if they're carved from wax. Some varieties have a lovely fragrance, too.

For many years, I've thrown ripe seed out in our popple (quaking aspen) grove, and we now have martagons blooming there, too. Germination is slow, as the first year the seeds only put down a root, not growing a leaf until the second year. But what the heck, the years are going to pass anyway, you might as well sow lily seed and let them surprise you a few years down the line.

dirtdorphins said:Wonderful!
Do any of you have a recommended source for Martagons--I think I need to try some more

@dirtdorphins that I also need martagons...
did you manage to get any going? I've tried unsuccessfuly growing them from seeds...any tricks?...(you're my seedperson of reference in this site!)
Like every year on its initial weeks one comes up with ( more !!! ) projects) I just got addicted to Liliums...
( as well )
I've got just a clump of oriental noid yellows that have just finished...

Now I need more...

Arturo

Yes I did indeed!
here's a couple pics from last summer


These are just from an inexpensive grab bag of random unnamed martagon bulbs. They are doing well!

I have a couple of named varieties also

And, I ordered a few more during one of my winter doldrum-ordering-sprees just a little while ago.

I have no tips on growing them from seed, though I do have what I think are a couple of self-seeded babies...we'll see, if they live, how long it takes for them to turn into anything that might be recognizable...

dirtdorphins said:

These are just from an inexpensive grab bag of random unnamed martagon bulbs. They are doing well!
And, I ordered a few more during one of my winter doldrum-ordering-sprees just a little while ago.

I have no tips on growing them from seed, though I do have what I think are a couple of self-seeded babies...we'll see, if they live, how long it takes for them to turn into anything that might be recognizable...

I was unaware that ordering sprees were seasonal.... Mine last 12 months in a row and comprise....(hush) everything

I wish I were to have that kind of grab bag random martagons here. You are very lucky!

Let me know how your self seeded babies fare....

Arturo

Trying to start from seeds, hopefully see them this year