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Wild Rose Red Lily of Japan Bulbs

Lilium speciosum var. rubrum

$17.99
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ZONES  3-9 | Good to grow! Zone
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The Wild Rose Red Lily of Japan is covered with dangling, down-facing blossoms in shades of magenta and white. The flowers of this ancestral species plant are 6" across and exceptionally fragrant. As the beautiful wild parent of many lavish Oriental Lily hybrids, Wild Rose Red blooms on the late side of summer. (Lilium)

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Description

The magnificent Oriental Hybrid lilies we all love today, like Stargazer and Casa Blanca, are recent descendants of two wild beauties with romantic names. One is the famous Golden-Rayed Lily, and the other is this one, Lilium speciosum, commonly called the Rose Red Lily of Japan, or more simply Japan Lily'. The botanical drawing at right shows the basic species, Lilium speciosum. The photo above is of the now-famous Rubrum variety.

From a gardener who's grown it, 'I adore it': My rubrum planted in late spring 2003 blossomed in September. In 2004, the 2nd year, it surprised me by sending up a second stalk and producing another set of beautiful blossoms, blooming in September again. I can't wait to see what 2005 has in store for me. This is the last lilium to blossom in my gardens. I adore the small, recurved, pink, white and red down-facing, fragrant blossoms.' ......a subscriber at DavesGarden.com, gardening in Springfield, MA

How the Rose Red Lily was sent out to the world. During the 1940's, this wild lily was quite common around the land of a Japanese farmer named Hirotaka Uchida. He noticed that most of the flowers were pinkish or white, like the botanical drawing shown here, with deep red spots and center banding on the tepals (petals). But he also noticed that some were almost pure red, revealing what he recognized as a valuable rare form. Before and during the dark days of World War II, Mr. Uchida collected the reddest ones and continued his work for several years. At the end of the war, the Uchida family was able to export 60 bulbs of the pure red variety which they called 'Lilium speciosum Uchida'. Meanwhile, botanists classified the red form 'Lilium speciosum var rubrum', and the famous 'Rubrum Lily' was born. (The abbreviation, var simply means 'variety' in botanical nomenclature, and 'rubrum' means red.)

So when you see 'Rubrum Lilies' in a florist shop, or 'Uchida Lilies' in a garden center, or 'Lilium speciosum' being sold in a catalog, it's going to be a beauty, but like so many plants today, the naming is regularly confused.

Our bulbs are Lilium speciosum var rubrum, the red version of the wild species, grown and carefully labeled for us in Holland. They're as easy to grow as a Star Gazer, and when they bloom for you, you'll know you have the real thing.

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

Shipping

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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

Early to mid summer

Advantages

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

Additional information

Mature Height

Up to 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

6-10" flowers

Plant Classification

Introduced Species

Growing Zones

  • Zone 3
  • Zone 4
  • Zone 5
  • Zone 6
  • Zone 7
  • Zone 8
  • Zone 9
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