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Wild Golden Rayed Lily of Japan Bulbs

Lilium auratum

$18.99
$18.99 $19.99
per Bag of 3
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ZONES  4-9 | Good to grow! Zone
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The Wild Golden Rayed Lily of Japan is a showy plant with highly fragrant blooms that attract butterflies to the summer garden. Enormous, white and gold flowers are up to10 inches across with elegantly curled tips and a heavenly scent. Each petal bears a golden center stripe. Blooms in mid to late summer and tolerates part shade, especially in hotter climates.

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Description

If a beauty contest were held for lilies--species, hybrids, all of them--this is surely the lily that would win. If you know the Casa Blanca lily, the big scented white florist favorite, or Stargazer, the No. 1 red, you may see some of their beauty in this one, since it is a wild parent of both. But in this case, the parent is far more spectacular than the offspring.

As lily expert Michael Jefferson-Brown says, 'In a genus where splendour is commonplace, this one stands out as magnificent.' But even his comment is an understatement.

Enormous flowers between 10 and 12 inches across have elegantly curled tips at the end of the tepals (petals.) It has a heavenly scent. Blooms are pure white with gold stripes down the middle of each tepal, and then further highlights of bright crimson spots. Lilium speciosum var rubrum is truly a masterpiece of the flower kingdom, and probably one of the most spectacular wildflowers in the world.

This incredible species, along with Lilium speciosum, the Rose Red Lily of Japan, has been the source of almost all our Oriental Hybrids. But what do you think? Most people think none of the descendants comes close to this parent for sheer beauty.

The bulbs are quite rare, and necessarily expensive. But they are hardy and grow well in most all of North America. Ours were cultivated in Holland, not gathered from the wild. Detailed planting instructions are included. Nothing could be more magnificent as a specimen in your wild garden.

Planting & Care

Growing Lilies: True lilies (which don't include daylilies and others which are not in the genus Lilium) are easy to grow today, and more popular every season. Since they are upright and take practically no space at ground level, it's easy to plant lilies between other established perennials and shrubs. Most can also tolerate some shade, which adds versatility for the gardener. There are many lily groups, but to keep it simple, we will consider only a few of the main types that are important to gardeners. Each lily we ship includes complete instructions for planting. So don't hesitate. You can easily bring the spectacular beauty of lily flowers to any summer meadow or garden.

'Wild' Lilies or 'Species' Lilies These are the true wildflowers from the world over. They are the ones all the glamorous hybrids are descended from. We're fortunate to have some of these botanical treasures on our list of lilies this season.

Oriental Hybrid Lilies are the now famous, very fragrant ones with large, flattened flowers such as red Stargazer and white Casa Blanca. These are the ones now so popular in the floral trade, but are also very easy to grow. They bloom from mid-summer through early fall. Most have very large, outward-facing, fragrant flowers.

Asiatic Hybrid Lilies are today's largest group of garden lilies, quite easy to 'naturalize'. This growing group of lilies was begun by hybridizers in the US, and were first called 'Mid-Century Hybrids.' Compared to Orientals, the Asiatic Hybrid lilies bloom earlier (early to mid summer), the plants are shorter, the flowers a bit smaller, and most blooms are upward-facing and star-shaped. Some of the most famous Asiatic Hybrids are yellow 'Connecticut King,' and the famous red, 'Gran Paradiso.'

Tiger Lilies. This group is led by the famous old orange wild lily, which used to be called Lilium tigrinum. Botanists have changed that to Lilum lancifolium, but that doesn't stop most people (including us) from using the old name 'tigrinum.' From the original orange, the hybridizers have created new colors from white to pink. All have the large flowers, black spots, and tough perennial qualities of the original. (By the way, don't call any old spotted orange lily 'tiger lily'. This one is the real thing, and no lily common name is more mis-used.)

Trumpet Lilies Sometimes called 'Aurelian Hybrids' or other names, the large, tall trumpet lilies are all descended from The Regal Lily, a white wild species lily from China. All are incredibly fragrant, and wonderful for cutting. They grow tall, and often need staking, since a well-grown stalk can have over 15 huge flowers. 

Further Reading

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As soon as your order is placed you will receive a confirmation email. You will receive a second email the day your order ships telling you how it has been sent. Some perennials are shipped as potted plants, some as perennial roots packed in peat.  The ‘Plant Information’ section describes how that item will ship. All perennials and fall-planted bulbs are packaged to withstand shipping and are fully-guaranteed. Please open upon receipt and follow the instructions included.

Perennials and fall-planted bulbs are shipped at the proper planting time for your Growing Zone. Perennial and fall-planted bulb orders will arrive separately from seeds. If your order requires more than one shipment and all items are shipping to the same address, there is no additional shipping charge. See our shipping information page for approximate ship dates and more detailed information. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at (802) 227-7200 or contact us by email or chat.

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Key Features

Light Requirements

  • Full Sun
  • Half Sun / Half Shade

Bloom Time

Mid to late summer

Advantages

  • Attracts Butterflies
  • Easy To Grow
  • Cut Flowers
  • Fragrant

Additional information

Mature Height

24-48" tall

Bulb Spacing

1 per sq ft

Soil Type

  • Loamy Soil
  • Well-Drained Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Average

Flower Bulb Size

14-16 cm

Planting Depth

6" deep

Planting Time

  • Spring / Summer

Flower Size

Up to 10" flowers

Plant Classification

Introduced Species

Growing Zones

  • Zone 4
  • Zone 5
  • Zone 6
  • Zone 7
  • Zone 8
  • Zone 9
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