Crinum lilies, Daylilies, Spider lilies, Easter lilies, and Rain lilies I've been successful with. :)

It depends a lot on where you are in Florida. Crinums are great in Miami, but Daylilies and Easter lilies won't make it down here. Rain lilies do well statewide, I think. I know I grow them in Miami and my grandmother used to grow them in the Panhandle.But the Easter lilies my grandmother gave me did great in Stuart (Martin County) and couldn't make it a season down here in Miami.
It also depends on your water. I'm on a high and dry ridge, so I can't keep cana or cala lilies alive here. But I have friends who don't live very far from me, but live a lot lower than me, and their canas and calas are gorgeous.

I think she's in the Tampa area or thereabouts.
I forgot to mention, I've had luck with Canna and Peace lilies, too.
Calla lilies might have survived. I planted them in the yard, they lived for a year or so, then disappeared. I forgot I'd planted them and one day noticed they weren't there. Could have been anything really... weather, water, squirrels, armadillo digs around there, ferns took over, etc.

Thanks. I was thinking Oriental Lilies.
I live in Sarasota.

Jane

I never had any luck with the Oriental lilies myself.

With day lilies you need the evergreen type. The decideous ones won't make it and neither will the semi-decideous ones. It only gets that cold enough in northern Fl for those.

Don't forget amaryllis - dead easy here - & gloriosas grow as weeds in some areas.

Scroll down the linked page for plant tag lists - or search 'lily' @ the top

Here is a link that might be useful: Floridata.com

One problem with orientals in FL, aside from the difficulty of growing them, is that they don't smell the same as they do up north. I tried stargazers in Ft Lauderdale many years ago, and they grew in the winter as pot plants but bolted pretty quickly. I got loooong weak stems and the flowers smelled unbelievably rank in the warmth--nothing like the lovely scent you get in a cool northern climate. They were so unpleasant I never tried again.

It was Stargazers I was thinking of. Had some beds of them in NY and loved the fragrance, especially at night. Never a big fan of daylilies. Some of the newer varieties bloom on and off all summer and clump more so have a nicer appearence. I miss the smells of the orientals.

I guess there are enough fragrant plants to grow in Florida. Need to learn what is available.

Thanks for the information,
Jane

Yes, it's interesting about the scent. I also loved the way they smelled as cut flowers in an air-conditioned room, but when you grow them here the dominant scent is a smell like cats have been marking all over the place. It's funny, because that note is always there in the scent, but it's so faint that you don't notice it in cooler situations. Now that I'm aware of it, I can't stand them anymore, even in cut arrangements indoors. Paperwhites also do something similar in FL.

Easter lilies smell very nice even in a warm climate. Some of the scented daylillies are nice, but I think Sarasota may be a tad warm for most of those varieties. In the spring hyacinths make a nice indoor plant and still smell lovely here.

I forgot to say that a good local alternative to northern lilies is butterfly ginger, which has an amazing scent, if you have room for it. And of course jasmine, gardenias, etc.

Dianthus can grow well as annuals during the winter. Florida produced much of the winter cut flower output for the eastern US before it got cheaper to fly in flowers from South America, so a lot of the flowers you're familiar with will grow here in season.

Mmm - I'll second the Butterfly ginger recommendation - heavenly!

My crinums are sweet-scented during the day.

Interesting, writersblock, regarding fragrance. Cat pee doesn't appeal to me. Wonder why the smell would be affected?

I've never seen Butterfly Ginger. Will have to look that up.

There is a large Gardenia bush in the yard, but I only smell it if I stick my nose in the flower. Same with a Jasmine bush.

I have my orchids growing out on the patio and when in bloom, the air is so perfumed by them at night. Unfortunately, the blooms don't last for more than a few weeks.

Jane

You'll want the white butterfly ginger as it seems to have the stongest scent of all the butterfly ginger varieties available. It's smells kind of like a cross between a honeysuckle and jasmine only better!

Another plant that has a wonderful scent and is very easy to grow is the 4 o'clock.

My neighbor here in Boca Raton has Easter lilies that grow and bloom every year in her front yard.