Lilies

Lilies are one of the most popular flowers in the UK, next only to the Rose. Globally, Lilies rank fourth among the flowers in popularity.

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Different kinds of lilies are commonly grown in the gardens. Lilies are best suited for growing in flower and shrubbery borders and in pots.

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Lilium

Lilium, the genus, is the Latin form of the Greek word 'Lerion' for the Madonna Lily. Red lily was first described by the famous Swedish botanist Carl von Linne (Linnaeus) in 1753.

Facts about Lilies

Lilies are one of the most beautiful, and graceful of all summer-blooming flowers.
Lilies belong to the Lilium genus consisting of less than 100 known species, occurring in all parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Lilies are believed to have been under cultivation longer than any other ornamental flower, having existed in gardens 3,000 years ago.

Floral designs, particularly of Lilies, made their appearance and became very popular in the 18th dynasty of Egypt.

What are True Lilies?

There are many kinds of flowers, which have been called "Lilies", but many of these so-called Lilies such as the day-lily, water-lily, and arum-lily, actually belong to other groups of flowering plants.

Plants in the Liliales grow from Bulbs, or Corms, both of which will store food over the winter or during the dry season. Unlike other Liliales, these vines produce their flowers in spherical clusters called Umbels, as in Bomarea.

True Lilies are composed of fleshy scales without a protective outer coating. True Lilies are never dormant.

Lilies popular as Gift

Lilies are very popular as gifts in many forms. You can gift a lily flower bouquet for your beloved.

Among the flower bouquets of lilies, stargazer and cassablanca lily bouquets are the most sought after floral bouquets. Besides bouquets, lily bulbs as well as potted lily plants are also popular gifts.

Varieties in Lily

There are numerous Lily varieties. But, among the Lily varieties , only groups like the Asiatics and Orientals are the most popular flowers and widely grown.

Asiatic Lilies - small flowers, less fragrant, wide colors
Trumpet/Aurelian Lilies
Oriental Lilies - Have strong fragrances, few colors,larger, flowers
The Wild Lilies
Martagon hybrid Lilies - Edible and Esculent herbs
Candidum hybrid Lilies
American hybrids Lilies
Longiflorum hybrid Lilies - strong, sweet fragrance, large funnel shaped flowers, usually white.

Lilies are really excellent plants for beds and borders. Lilies are suitable for use in a shrub border, as accent plants, a formal or naturalized pool planting.

Even some of the small species would fit perfectly in an alpine rock garden.

Floral Extracts of Lily

The oil extracted from lilies has healing and softening properties. Especially, when the lily fragrance oil is mixed with that of calendula works wonderful for very sensitive skin.

We can use this oil for massage, in a bath, after a bath, for babies, dry cuticles, and elbows, as a facial moisturizer, under-eye oil and hot-oil treatment. You can order lily fragrance oil online for it to get delivered directly at our home.

Madonna lily (Lilium candidum) is the archetypal flower symbolising purity. The association of Madonna Lily with the Virgin Mary dates back to an early Christian legend, in which her tomb was filled with Lilies after her assumption into heaven.

Looking to send flowers for a special occasion?

The Flower Expert Shop recommends the following popular products for all your special occasions. Send fresh flowers, plants, roses & more from our collection.

Different species of Lilies
Scientific Name	Common Name	Common Uses
Lilium auratum	Japanese golden rayed lily	Lily from Japan, white bowl shaped flowers with a golden ray down the centre of petals and crimson spots. The flowers are fragrant and will make a great cut flower.
Lilium bulbiferum	Orange lily	The bulbs edible. Sweet and mealy, these lilies make very fair eating and can be used as a substitute to potato.
Lilium canadense	Canada lily	Scented use
Lilium candidum	Madonna lily	The bulb is employed for medicinal purposes, having highly demulcent and also astringent properties.
Lilium henryi	Henry's lily	relieve congestion, and the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy
Lilium japonicum	Krameri	nourishing and useful in diseases of the chest
Lilium tigrinum	Tiger lily	Lily from China with light glowing orage colored flowers with purplish black spots and protruding stamens. They are late flowering, black stem bulbils with stem rooting
Lilium lancifolium	Tiger lily	produce edible bulbs
Lilium longiflorum	Easter lily	Rrumpet shaped, white and waxy flowers that are early flowering and stem rooting, mostly used in flower beds
Lilium martagon	Martagon lily, Turkscap lily	The bulb has diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant properties. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris.
Lilium pardalinum	Panther lily	The flowers are 1.5 metres tall, red in color with a yellow centre and maroon spots on it, the bulbs of which are edible.
Lilium regale	Regal lily	Plant in groups integrated in a perennial border.
Lilium speciosum	Japanese lily	The flowers diffuse a powerful sweet honey perfume.

Growing Lilies

Lilies are propagated mainly by means of Bulbs. They are also grown from seeds, scales, bulbils and bulblets. One can buy lily bulbs online or from a local bulb vendor.

Although the lilies grown from seeds are more disease resistant, the only disadvantage with growing lilies from seeds is that the lily plants take a longer time to bloom, may be, in some cases, even five to six years. Hence, bulbs are very much preferred to grow lilies.

Lilies: A Guide for Growers and Collectors is a complete book on lilies geared to experienced gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists. McRae provides techniques for hybridizing and explains the biology of the lily plant in detail. It is a must have book for the lovers of lily. You can gift this book on lilies to your beloved gardening companions.