I bought some Oriental lilies as plants this spring because I never got around to ordering bulbs last fall. All of them are blooming and the fragrance is heavenly. I planted many of them next to my screen porch so I could enjoy them without being mauled by those pesky mosquitoes.
The biggest surprise was a clump of ‘Muscadet’ Oriental lilies that exploded into bloom in one of my perennial beds. I don’t even remember planting the bulbs so they must be at least 3 years old. Some of the blooms are 8 inches across and you can smell them from across the yard.
Oriental lilies start blooming later in summer when other perennials might be starting to look a little ragged. They come in shades of mostly white, pink and red. There are also plants that have been crossed with Trumpet lilies called Orienpets that come in more colors. I don’t have any Orienpets, but I saw one at a botanical garden a few weeks ago that caught my eye called ‘Satisfaction’:
Here are a few of the Oriental lilies that are blooming in my garden right now:
This is ‘Dizzy’:
‘Arabian Red’:
And this is ‘Willeke Aberti’. I thought the name was a bit strange but I learned after an internet search that it’s the name of a Dutch actress and singer:
