LILIES - RHS Lily Group

A group of asiatic hybrids and two North Hybrids - on the right is ‘Eros’ growing in
the author’s parents’ garden in Switzerland.
seed raised bulbs, so they have not flowered yet. However, they grew very well
in an acid bed in full sun with excellent drainage.
One lily group member from California to whom I showed pictures of the
young plants said that those L. washingtonianums were looking very good, so I
am hoping that their needs for a dry summer and autumn will be met this year,
and they survive the winter and flower next year. As I am writing this, at the end
of August 2007, the summer in Switzerland has not been as sunny and warm
as usual, and as a consequence of frequent rain, I unfortunately lost one of the
Lilium washingtonianum purpurascens bulbs, which rotted. However, the two L.
washingtonianum are still fine, one just about going dormant now. This might be an
indication that L. washingtonianum is slightly easier to grow than var. purpurascens,
even though I have read that it is purpurascens which is meant to be slightly easier
to grow.
In the same border, which is almost entirely reserved for USA lily species, I
also grow Lilium michiganense, which so far seems to do well in full sun, but
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