LILIES - RHS Lily Group

1985 Growing Lilies (Derek Fox)
The author of this book, Derek Fox, spent his life in shipping and worked in
order to get enough money to maintain body, soul and the precious lilies, for
which he was famous. It is quite remarkable that someone who was neither a
professional horticulturist nor botanist should have been able to produce such
a book that was user-friendly to a very high standard. It is interesting to note
that it has already been reprinted in paperback and let’s hope that, like Jekyll,
it goes to a third reprint. This is probably the most user-friendly book on
the subject.
1986 Lilies of China (Stephen Haw)
Stephen Haw contributed to the lily section of the massive Flora of China. This
is a superb achievement for a foreigner. It is a must for the botanist, but sadly is
already considerably out of date.
1989 Lilies (Victoria Matthews)
This book by noted botanist Victoria Matthews who did the keys on the Genus
Lilium in European Garden Flora, is in the Kew Guide series. It is an interesting
photographic instruction book on the subject.
1998 Lilies (E.A. McRae)
E.A. McRae is a Scotsman educated at RBGE who moved to America and worked
with Jan de Graaff on hybridisation and commercial lily production. The work
gives extensive insight into lily hybridisation, propagation and pests and diseases.
There is even a chapter on tissue culture. With 392 pages it gives comprehensive
coverage.
2003 Lilies (M. Jefferson Brown)
Undoubtedly Worcestershire nurseryman and daffodil and lily breeder Michael
Jefferson Brown was the most prolific author of lily books. With seven to his
credit he certainly had plenty of practice! But the pièce de resistance of this
seventh volume is without doubt RHS photographer Andrew Lawson’s outstanding
photographic studies of various lilies. The work was published in large format
and could probably best be described as a “coffee table book”.
2006 Martagon Lilies (E. Eugene Fox)
Just when I was saturated with reviews on lily books, many of which I thought
were either similar or not quite up to the mark - i.e. we’d been there before, this
refreshingly new Canadian book appeared. There is always a new perspective.
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