LILIES - RHS Lily Group

Pat Huff presenting the Lily Cup to Steve McNamara in July 2007.
environment for many years before handing the collection over to Branklyn. A
collection was also given to Kirstie McManus a nursery grower who is charged
with keeping the collection going in virus free conditions. Plants will be available
to buy at Branklyn and therefore keep the Mylnefield lilies going in cultivation.
Chris was a frequent visitor to Branklyn and was always complementary about
the plantings and our standard of maintenance. He was Head of Plant Breeding
at the SCRI at Mylnefield, Dundee when his work on lily breeding began in 1966.
Characteristics required from the new cultivars included adaptation of northern
British conditions and freedom from virus disease, as well as vigour, elegance of
form, unusual colours and an ability to stand without staking – in short, garden
qualities rather than suitability for the florist.
The reasons Branklyn had decided to have the Mylnefield lilies as a collection
is that they were bred locally therefore the climate in Perth is suitable, they are
hardy plants resistant to virus, they don’t require staking and they fill a major gap
in the season of flowering plants, that is after the rhododendrons and meconopsis
have finished. Branklyn would also like to extend its collection of lilies to include
as many species as possible given the natural limitations of climate.
Today due to some fund raising in the past couple of years, we still add about
200 accessions per year. So, plant collecting is still alive and well at Branklyn.
Like any garden it is constantly evolving with renovation and renewal done on a
regular basis that is not surprising after 85 years of plant growth.
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