The discovery of the Regal Lily (Lilium regale) in 1903 and its introduction into cultivation a year later stimulated great interest in lilies.
Its discoverer, E. H. Wilson, wrote and talked about it.
Stocks of bulbs were produced rapidly from seeds, and as it performed well in gardens, it soon became a common garden plant.
Relatives Of Regal Lily
The regal lily has some handsome relatives.
Lilium Sargenliar “Sargent Lily”
The Sargent lily (Lilium sargenliar) was also discovered and introduced by E. H. Wilson at the same time as the regal lily.
Equally handsome, it did not prove as easy to grow as its relative. Though it lingered in gardens infected with a virus, it did contribute some pollen for the plant breeder.
Eventually, it greatly influenced the development of our present-day trumpet lilies.
Lilium Myriophyllum Superhum “Sulphur Lily”
The sulphur lily (Lilium myriophyllum superhum) was imported from Burma and first exhibited before the Royal Horticultural Society in 1889.
It is the most striking of the trumpet lilies but has not settled down in gardens.
Lilium Leutanihum “Chinese White Lily”
The Chinese White Lily (Lilium leutanihum) was sent to Kew in 1889 from western China by Augustine Henry for whom the Henry Lily (Lilium henryi), also introduced by him, was named.
In 1914 Reginald Farrer, of English rock garden fame, found two stems of another trumpet lily in a Chinese garden.
Seeds were brought home, and eventually, it was considered a variety of Lilium frucallthum centifalium.
Here we have the parents of our trumpet lilies, the raw material, or the starting point for the lily breeder.
First Cross Hybrids Of Regal Lily
Nature made the first cross when hybrids of the regal lily and the Sargent lily appeared in Farquhar’s Nursery in Roslindale, Massachusetts, in 1916.
These were promptly named Lilium imperiale by E. H. Wilson, who later renamed them Lilium princeps, though now Lilum imperiale is considered correct.
These plants eventually disappeared, but in 1916 Miss Isabella Preston, working with the late J. W. Crow, pollinated the Sargent lily with the regal lily and produced several hybrids.
One of these, George C. Creel-man, a very handsome lily still in existence, was disseminated enough for various breeders to use it.
Various Notable Lily Breeders
J. W. Crow did considerable breeding work with the trumpet lilies and introduced the blood of the Sulphur lily into his hybrids.
Bulbs and seeds of his plants were disseminated, and several breeders then began systematic large-scale production of the trumpet lilies incorporating the blood of the four basic species.
Another early introduction was Pride of Charlotte in 1934 from the Gardenside Nursery in Vermont. Shelburne Hybrids of trumpet lily also appeared then.
The late Dr. Abel of White Plains, in collaboration with C. P. Horsford, raised many outstanding lilies and these stocks were sold as Green Mt. Hybrids.
The Oregon Bulb Farm acquired some of Dr. Abel’s stocks and these were further hybridized, produced commercially, and distributed widely on a very large scale.
Sold first as Centifolium Hybrids and later as Olympic Hybrids, these magnificent plants have done much to popularize garden lilies.
Another breeder, L. N. Freimann of Bellingham, Washington, working independently and using Crow Hybrids and some plants from Luther Burbank raised many generations of seedlings.
He increased and intensified the yellow color until he had produced his Golden Regales. Royal Gold is a pure yellow trumpet lily that is being introduced this fall by the Oregon Bulb Farm.
Trumpet Lily’s Pink Blooms
Trumpet lily breeders soon found plants with pale pink flowers, and by intercrossing these, the color was deepened.
This increased color eventually resulted in one which Mr. Freimann has named Lilac.
The pink types, available in seedling strains, tend to fade in bright sun, and the color is not as pure a pink as one would like.
Nevertheless, they are striking plants, and the effort going into their breeding should certainly produce something worthwhile in colored trumpet lilies.
Pure white strains are also being sold.
Regal Lily Seedling Strains
Seedling strains now being marketed include:
- Olympic Hybrids
- Champlain Hybrids
- Chehalem Hybrids
- Green Mountain Hybrids and others
The seedling plants naturally varied greatly, and a few have been named and propagated vegetatively.
Among these are:
- Winter Sunset, a good pink
- Galahad
- Green Dragon
There is room for many more clonally propagated plants in this group.
Aurelian And Havemeyer Hybrids
The trumpet lilies are the parents of another important group, namely the Aurelian Hybrids and the Havemeyer Hybrids.
The story starts with a cross between L. leuranthum chlorasier and the Henry lily made at Kew in 1897.
It did not last long, but its description inspired E. Debras of France to make a similar cross between the Henry lily and the Sargent lily, one seedling flowered and gave rise to many descendants in the hands of several breeders.
M. Debras named his lily Lilium aurelianense, from which the name Aurelian Hybrids is derived.
A similar cross between the Sulphur and Henry lilies made by Tom Barry of Lambertville, New Jersey, in 1933 produced the handsome creamy yellow T.A. Havemeyer, which has also produced numerous descendants.
The Aurelians have been sorted into seedling strains.
Hearts’ Desire is intermediate between the trumpet and the Henry lily in shape and white, cream, and yellow-orange color.
Sunburst resembles Henry, but is larger and less reflexed. Colors include white, creamy yellow, and orange.
Golden Clarion is a golden and lemon-yellow trumpet.
Golden Harvest Hybrids
Golden Harvest Hybrids, a strain resulting from crossing the Havemeyer Hybrids and the Aurelian Hybrids, bloom in August when lilies are scarce.
The great variation in this extraordinary group of plants has resulted in the introduction of wide clonally propagated varieties.
In the Havemeyer Hybrid group which flowers after the Aurelians are the head of the family, T.A. Havemcyer.
His descendants include:
- Edmund L. Kagy – orange
- Paulina Kline – yellow, shaded with saffron
- Adams, Baker, and Shasta – creamy yellow trumpets
- Tom Barry and Lemonade – are two good yellows
Named Aurelian clones are:
- Bright Cloud, white with a yellow center
- Mei Ling, cream with a golden center
- Cleopatra, yellow
- Apricot Queen, apricot
- Alaska, white with a gold center
The Aurelian and Havemeyer Hybrids were a very promising group that made garden history and greatly enriched our gardens.
The excellent seedling strains and named clones now available constitute an entirely new group of garden plants.
Many new and even better varieties will undoubtedly come from the efforts of the breeders who are working with this group.
Easy Culture Of Regal Lilies
As a group, these lilies are of easy culture. They have no special soil requirements but perform better on fertile, well-drained soils than on light sandy types.
They are not troubled much by botrytis blight or basal rot, which is sometimes troublesome with several other good lilies.
Infection with a virus decreases their vigor, but many still perform well even when infected.
Late spring frosts are the principal hazard of these lilies, and when they threaten, the young plants should be protected.
They are mostly tall plants for bold, massive displays in the back of the border. A colony of several plants is more effective than a single specimen.
The gardener will secure considerable natural increase from stern bulb-lets which are produced on the base of the stem just above the bulb.
If these are removed when the stems are cut clown in late fall, they may be planted in the nursery and grown for garden use.