How to Choose Lilies for a Wave of Continuous Color

Passionale Oriental Trumpet Lily

There are several different types of lilies, and each blooms at a different time during the summer. By planting a few bulbs of each kind, you can have lilies blooming in your garden from mid-summer into early fall.

Asiatic Lilies (Asiatic hybrids) start the season in early to midsummer. Most have upward-facing, unscented flowers and all are hardy in zones 4 to 9. Standing just 24 to 30" high, Asiatics rarely need staking and are well-suited to interplanting in the perennial border. If the planting area is well-drained and the soil relatively good, most Asiatics will multiply each year, gradually forming a happy clump of multiple stems.

Oriental Trumpet Lilies bloom in mid- to late summer. They are a cross between the Oriental Lily and the Trumpet Lily. The resulting hybrid has the best qualities of its parents: upward-facing blooms, intense fragrance and a beautiful range of colors. Most stand 3 to 4 feet tall and benefit from staking, unless they're in a protected location.

Tiger Lilies (Lilium lancifolium) begin blooming in late summer. They stand 3 to 4 feet tall and have large, freckled, pendulous blooms with recurved petals. Tiger lilies are hardy in zones 3 to 9 and will multiply to form large clumps over the years. They will thrive almost anywhere, producing a dozen or more flowers on each stem. The blooms are usually scentless, with colors in the warm range, from yellow through orange and reds. Height is 3 to 4 feet.

Rubrum Lily

Oriental Lilies bloom in late summer. The intensity of their fragrance is unmatched in the garden. The blossoms are huge in size, often measuring up to 10 inches across. Intensive breeding efforts have widened the range of colors to include white, pink, red and yellow. Heights range from 2 to 4 feet, depending on the variety.

Rubrum Lilies (Lilium speciosum var. rubrum) bring the lily season to a close. They resemble Tiger Lilies because they too have recurved petals, however the blooms are delightfully fragrant, and the color range is cooler—from white to deep pink. Rubrum lilies are typically 3 to 4 feet in height.