The new embryo rescue lilies are really fascinating and unlike various other product of other of specialized breeding combined with laboratory skullduggery, like Terra Nova's quick dying Heucheras, they are incredibly strong growers in the garden.

I have had 'Lankon' for years and it does great.

The newer one (for us) is 'Kushi Maya' derived from a crossing of a white oriental lily and the alpine species Lilium nepalense.

I have tried to grow L. nepalense twice before. It peters out. As a 'scientific experiment', I planted Kushi Maya right next to a nepalense a couple springs ago. Parent and child. The difference is incredible. Kushi Maya is one of the biggest, strongest looking lilies I've ever seen. Not tall, but sturdy. Almost creates a tropical effect. The flowers are huge and showy; only negative seems to be a down-facing tendency. The Himalayan L. nepalense not surprisingly, struggles with the hot soil here. It looked wan and sickly all last summer. This year, either due to the sudden flash freezing of soil in January or something about the wet spring, the main bulb died off, and all that is growing is a pathetic offset bulblet producing a stem about 7" high. KM on the other hand, had one flower last year but has several this year.

All lily flower fragrances are a 'variation on a theme' to my nose, but this one is really, really superb. Deep and rich but without the cloying quality of some of those Oriental hybrids. Lankon is fragrant too but not as interesting or strong.

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So this plant is a great way to capture the exotic look of a species lilies in something that is super easy to grow. I hope they continue to make these embryo rescue hybrids. I would love to see one involving Lilium majoense.

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