They're beautiful plant, wonder if they can take zone 8 winter..

Anyone know how well they would take a frying desert summer?

I don't think there are any deserts in the Philippines, so . . .

And it's not one that tolerates going "dormant" as the growing season progresses either. Some lilies, if the summer is too hot, they die back early and come back the following spring. Philippinense (and formosanum) are not one of them.

Thanks, leftwood!
So, they would either be able to tough out the whole summer, or not do well at all. Probably, a lot depends on what elevation they grow at in the Philippines, as an indicator of how much heat their metabolism can take. Do they have any relation to L. longiflorum? That species is one of the most heat tolerant, and it does well here.
Guess that tells me where to research,
Kevin : )

Kevin,

If it helps, here on the Gulf Coast at 100 feet ASL, in late summer we regularly get highs in the upper 90's with lows in the upper-mid 70's with 90% plus humidity. Since these are seeds and not expensive bulbs, if I wanted to try them where you are, I would plant them in pots for the first year as they look like blades of grass when they sprout. Then after they died back in November, I would transplant them to where they can get the morning sun with full shade during the hottest part of the day.

Don

Here, we are looking at 115+ degrees in late June, with humidity running in the teens and low twenties. That won't necessarily prevent their growth--we grow many tropicals here in the right microclimates--but around 105 degrees some otherwise "heat tolerant" plants seem to hit a wall (a flaw in the Heat Zone system). Common examples are marigolds, zinnias, Abyssinian banana, Japanese blueberry tree, etc.

My thought was that I could get a few bulbs and know within a year how well they do here, including (hopefully) bloom. I know it is terribly instant gratification of me, but I don't think that I would have the patience to wait 4 years for a bloom that fried in the bud in late May--like my OA hybrids did!

Thanks for the info, though!
Kevin : )

Some question whether the species actually exists, being so closely related to L. formosanum. There are ongoing debates on how to tell them apart. At any rate, most will agree that those philippinense on the market are likely a genetic mix of the two species.
L.formosanum/philippinense and L. longiflorum are very closely related. Maybe it would be worth a try then.

Kevin,

You don't have to wait 4 years for bloom with either of the two August blooming species. Some of the Philippine Lily seedlings will bloom the second year and almost all of the remainder the third year.

Don

Philippine lily would bloom the first year. Somebody sent me seeds years ago thru this forum. I was successful in growing them here in zone 8, unfortunately they disappeared after 3 years (must be virus killed them). I hope he is still around in this forum and can read my message, he was about to enter college then, can't remember his name but I know he was named after a Filipino hero, Jose Rizal because they share the same birthday. He is from Arizona. Or does anyone knows where I can buy the seeds?

I know that L. philippinense is short-lived, so maybe this is your case.

Maybe the member you are referring to is Riz Reyes. He is from Washington. And as for the source, try J. L. Hudson.

Here is a link that might be useful: Riz Reyes

Interested parties: As I did not trial plant any of them, I cannot guarantee the viability of the seeds but I have almost 2 quarts of them saved from last year. Anyone that wants to take a chance, I will send you a teaspoonfull+ of seeds for a SASE. Send me an e-mail to get my street address. BTW, I have a yard full of volunteers from seed. Don

Thanks lilla888, I checked the website and I think it's him. I will try to get in touch with him.
fishman49, you're lucky to have volunteers. They may produce a lot of seeds but very few are fertile. I have a friend who has one for 5 years and never had a volunteer. Even when I try to start the one I got from mine, nothing grows.

I was searching the web for a source of Philippine Lily Seeds. Seems to be none apparently available, but this post came up.
If someone knows of a source for the seeds, I would appreciate an email.
I tried to contact fishman49 but could find no contact number.
Thanks and great gardening.