how did it go???

ken

I have been thinking that lilies might become my next obsession and started with some last season. I will wait to see if there are any that the varmints didn't devour before I get more involved.

I did the daylily thing (yes, I know they aren't true lilies) for about a decade - collecting, hybridizing and selling on the internet. I have come to really dislike the fact that they don't 'self clean'. When you have hundreds of varieties, your garden can look pretty messy from day to day. So - I kept those I really loved and mowed the rest down. (and mowed and mowed for two years!)

Then, collecting peonies was fun. Still is. No problems with them at all.

So, sell me on lilies.

Sorry I failed to bump this down, Ken. Too busy after the session.

RyseRyse, I too was originally a huge daylily fan (hey, that could be a joke). I still have all of mine, but seldom buy more. I got into true lilies because my garden was really stuffed, and lilies have such a small footprint. I can always shoehorn another lily in. I really like the vertical element. I hear people complain about the (mostly) bare stems, but heck, I have other stuff growing lower down to camouflage that. They are just so majestic, and each flower lasts a long time. If you are into scent, there are many with a wonderful perfume.

They are divided into a number of classes. Simply (and leaving stuff out), Asiatics, Orientals, Species (both early and late bloomers) and Trumpets. Blooming times vary between the divisions. There are also crosses between divisions.

The easiest to start with are Asiatics. Orientals (which have the richest perfume) are harder to grow unless you have perfect drainage. In clay soil of the Chicago area, those donâÂÂt flourish. I grow a lot of Orienpets, which are a cross between Orientals and Trumpets. Unlike either of their parent divisions, orienpets are not fussy. Tall, huge flowers, very dramatic.