I will try to keep the lecture short on why the Lily Garden's lilies are expensive: as you peruse their web site, note how many lily descriptions include the designation C-P (Columbia-Platte). These were all hybridized by the Lily Garden and include Sch. (I like your abbreviation lol) and Silk Road, two of the most popular lilies. It costs money and alot of time to create and introduce a new lily, sometimes even requiring a sterile laboratory for embryo culture. All of the lilies are grown here in their fields, fresh dug in the fall and shipped. Now the Dutch buy and propagate alot of these lilies (they aren't patented) and ship back to the states for Brent and Becky and others to sell on the secondary market. Even though I occasionally purchase some of these "secondary" market lilies, I always make sure these small growers/hybridizers get some of my business.

Now, why do you want an eight foot lily?? How will you keep it from falling over (lol)? They do get quite top heavy. That said, I have a stalk of Sch. that is about 6 ft. tall after 4 years. It does not have all day sun and is not pampered. Height is related to genetics (some lilies will never get tall) and growing conditions (if it has the genes and optimal conditions it will grow tall). Some trumpet type lilies can grow quite tall. I have one right next to Sch. that is a foot taller but don't know the variety. It might even be a seedling strain-- how cheap can you get (I probably paid maybe 10 cents for the seed!!)

Don't spend all your lily money now. Towards fall, you will see the forum heat up about a lily seller called buggycrazy. As I recall, she offered some pretty tall ones last year. The bulbs are HUGE and dug fresh with each order!

Next Saturday I will be visiting the blooming fields of the Lily Garden for the Celebration of Lilies. I am really looking forward to it. There is a question and answer time so if anyone has unanswered questions about lilies (virus, disease or whatever you want to know) let me know here and I will take it up with the experts there!

Connie

Pardalinum, what an informative post! Thank you. Polly

Wow, Connie - what a great response and explanation. I never would have guessed. I was planning to order 'Silk Road' from The Lily Garden around August. They have an anniversary special right now for $10/bulb. I thought the priciness of their bulbs had to do with the fact that they were newer introductions. I refused to order it from Wayside based on the fact that I have before, and their bulbs are horribly tiny. I ordered White Lace and it was about the size of the end of my thumb. Oh, and neither of the bulbs sprouted last year or this year.

I ordered last fall from John Scheepers, and man, my lilies are HUGE and producing extremely large blooms. I have 'Oklahoma City' which I don't think is 'Oklahoma City' but a gorgeous lily nonetheless. Right now my orienpet 'Touching' bloomed, and the blossoms are so big, I have to stake them. And the heavenly fragrance is to die for. I was very happy with the bulbs I received from them, but they don't seem to be offering as many in their 2005 catalog. I have heard pros and cons about B&Bs bulbs lately. Some have complained that the bulbs they received were much smaller and of less quality than in the past.

I just have to have 'Silk Road', though. Eeeegads! I'm a hopeless lily fanatic. I think I have Casa Rosa, but I thought that was a daylily?

If height is what you are looking for, Todd, you might try the species lily, formosanum. Supposedly it can get up to 10' tall. Also, I am growing cardiocrinum which has not bloomed yet, but maybe next year. I think it is still too immature to bloom this year. But, it is supposed to get really tall, like 12'. The only thing is that it is very slow to reach blooming size, so in order to get a bulb at a reasonable rather than an ungadly price, you have to buy small bulbs that take up to 5 years to reach blooming stage. They then produce offsets (I'm told, as I said, mine hasn't bloomed yet), which can perpetuate the process for years to come.

My neighbor, Ralph, across the street is as lily crazy as I am, and his trumpets get to about 7' tall. You have to stake them good, though, because the blooms are so heavy.

Good luck!

Susan (OKC)

Trumpet lilies are probably your best bet. 'Pink Perfection' is almost 8ft tall in our garden and several others are at the 7ft plus height ('African Queen', 'Golden Splendour', 'Copper King', 'Moonlight', 'Black Dragon').

A garden buddy gave us some type of orange tiger lily that is over seven ft also.

Cheers,
MG

Just wanted to try 1 or 2 bulbs as an experiment...just to see how tall I could get one to grow...just for fun...to show off to family and the neighbors haha...Still researching my options...thanks!

Todd In Philly

In my experience first year planted lilies seldom reach their potential height, but if you want tall, order King Kong from Buggycrazy. I have a first year King Kong - the bulb was around 6" in diameter and the 2 stalks are around 5' tall and have yet to grow before bloom. I believe she has a couple of varieties that reach the eaves of her house. Then there is Cardiocrinum giganteum which grows to magnificent proportions.

bcgift - I am growing cardiocrinum, but it hasn't bloomed for me yet. It was a small bulb when I got it, and has been in the ground about 4 years now. The leaves get bigger every year, but no bloom yet. Do you think I am approaching blooming size, like maybe next year. It has 3 big leaves on it right now - do you have any suggestions?

Susan

I haven't seen mine bloom either but have seen them at local gardens. I've had mine 2 years but they were supposed to be 3 year old bulbs when I got them. Mine has 5 leaves but I don't know if the number of leaves is an indication of years. When I first read about them, information was that they took 5 years to bloom but the more I read about them, I'm finding that they take 7 years to bloom - so I guess all we can do is wait patiently. Also, I think they're a little fussier when it comes to drainage - I lost one. In the meantime, I still have my
beautiful fragrant lilies. Tonight it's trumpet Regale Album blooming way in the back yard and I can smell it from the front yard. (At least I think that's what I'm enjoying).

Ah yes, the fragrance of lilies. My 'Red Hot' is blooming by the front door, and every time I go in or out, I catch the wonderful scent. 'Touching' is blooming in the back, and it is even headier than the 'Red Hot'.

In the late summer-early fall I am praying that my new formosanum blooms and it's fragrant, too.

Susan