Hi Fern,

How tall of a plant are you looking for and when do you want it to bloom? Also do you have a preference for (or sensitivity to) scented lilies?

Brecks Canada is selling "Elegant Lady" a very pretty pink easter lily (longiflorum) - oriental hybrid for a very reasonable price. This lily gets to about 3' tall and in my zone bloomed June 1. It has a light tropical scent.

The Lily Nook is also selling it and has a much wider selection of lilies (and a VERY informative website). The L.O. lilies can be found by clicking on the Orienpet link.

"Aruba" is a pale pink oriental lily that gets to 5' - 6' tall when established. It is just beginning to bloom for me. It really is a beautiful lily with very large delicately colored blooms. It has a relatively strong scent characteristic of the Orientals. It is being sold by John Scheepers/Van Engelen this Fall (they don't have Spring sales). The Lily Nook site notes that they only sell Orientals in the Spring because of cold hardiness issues, so you might be taking a risk there. I live in Maryland so I've never had with that issue.

There are also many beautiful Asiatic lilies (which being early bloomers are good for your zone). Most do not have a scent.

-Helen

Here is a link that might be useful: The Lily Nook

I would like it to grow between 3 and 6 ft - bloom in late June to july - maybe I would need a couple of different lilies to extend the bloom time. I'm not really too big on fragrance - something light would be okay but not necessary - a heavy perfume would likely set off my asthma [what a gardener]

Thanks Fern

Hi Fern, while we can grow other groups (with mixed results), the Asiatics are by far the best group for our cold zone especially if you don't need scent.

Most Asiatics grow 3 to 5 feet, if you look at the descriptions at the Lily Nook it will tell you the expected height. The Lily Nook is a very good place to order from. There are so many pretty colours and patterns and Asiatic lilies are easy to look after.

Thanks for the info - sorry for the delay - I was on vacation and away from my computer access. So I guess now I will research Asiatics and pick 1 from each bloom period - preferably in yellow, pink or purple [do they come in purple?] More research - Thanks again

Fern