|  | 'Summer Valley' - Asiatic Hybrid Lily Bulb
Flower Description: The newest addition to the “Valley” line of semi to fully pendant type flowers from our friend Johan Mak, ‘Summer Valley’ is as they say, “to die for”. Very heavy petal texture on these flowers insures extra long bloom. Graceful and dainty in appearance, but tough as nails in the garden, we have found the golden orange tones of ‘Summer Valley’ to be extremely color fast even in full sun. Actually, we have not been able to find anything “wrong” with this lily. When talking to Johan, “perfect” is not in his vocabulary, he can always see where improvements can be made which is his life’s work, but we believe this as well as his other ‘Valley Series’ lilies are indeed perfect.
Photo insets are on left, 2010 bloom in the propagation field, center, ‘Summer Valley’ in the breeding house awaiting a generous application of pollen for seed production to produce a new selection for year 2019 to 2021 introduction. Yes, 2019 to 2021, it is all about time, patience, and the gifted skills of people such as Johan that produce these garden marvels. Photo inset on right shows inflorescence of a mature, established bulb.
FYI: Coming soon will be a complete photo gallery showing you what it takes to bring a new lily to your garden. From the pollination of the seed parent, to planting the seeds, seedling germination and growth, into the field rows, tagging potential winners, scaling, moving to the production rows, separation and tagging of potential new breeders as well as the finalists for garden production, and finally to market. You will see the paring down of upwards a quarter million seedlings EACH YEAR to the final dozen or so that are best suited for going into your garden some 9 to 12 years later. You will even be given a glimpse into the workings of the “top secret” breeding house of Johan Mak, one of the worlds top lily breeders (we think he is #1 but always tell him he is in the top 3 so he continues to give maximum effort).
We have been working on this project and taking photos of each step for the past 3 years. We expect it will take another 6 months to a year to lay it all out and write the text, but this will give you a good idea into what it takes to fill your garden with eye candy.
Save $5.00 on package of 6 bulbs.
Bulb Size - Our standard for bulbs of this Asiatic Hybrid Lily Bulb cultivar ranges from Premium-size" (16/18 cm) to Exhibition-size" (over 20 cm). Click here
Classification: Asiatic Hybrid Lily Bulb (USDA Zones 3-10, lows to -40° F.)
Stock # 1055 - 'Summer Valley' - Asiatic Hybrid Lily Bulbfor details.
Plant Lily Bulbs Immediately upon Receipt
Lily bulbs are never completely dormant and need to be planted as soon as possible. You can delay planting for 2-3 weeks by keeping the bulbs in a cool, not frozen (34-40° F.), area of a garage, basement or refrigerator, but longer and you risk bulb damage. You must open the shipping box to check your order and then re-close any plastic bags before short term storage. Our packing material protects your bulbs and absorbs excessive moisture, but if large water droplets form within the plastic bag, poke more “air” holes in the sides of the poly bag, being careful to not damage your sleeping bulbs. Lily bulbs are happiest in the garden where they can begin growing new roots immediately.
Choose an area with good air circulation and well-drained soil. Waterlogged soils, with poor drainage or too much “organics” in the soil mean certain death to lily bulbs. A sloping site with natural drainage is best. When planting in heavy clay, try mixing Perlite (the white crunchy stuff found in commercial potting soil – not Vermiculite that holds moisture) or sand with the native soil to create raised beds 8 to 10 inches above ground level, or make raised beds of garden-safe, treated wood. If bothered by moles, mice or gophers nail 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth on the bottom of the framework before you back fill with good soil. Sandy loam soils rich in humus with a pH of 5.5-6.5 are ideal.
Lilies look most natural planted in triangular groups of three, spaced 12”-18” apart. Provide at least 6 hours of sun, dappled shade in very warm regions for Orientals. Cover bulbs with fluffy soil and mulch to control weeds and maintain even ground moisture. Plant bulbs 2”- 4” deeper in areas where daily temperatures average over 90 degrees F. and the soil is sandy. Do not plant among aggressive ground covers or where large trees or shrubs will rob nutrients or moisture. Lily bulbs need regular fertilizer, water, and cultivation. They do NOT “naturalize” like Daffodils or Tulips, which have a hard outer shell. Be sure to mulch bulbs in cold climates if a good winter snow cover is not expected. Likewise, in more temperate areas, cold saturated soil will rot lily bulbs some years, so a raised area and fast-draining soil is recommended. Click to leave this page and go to More Information
Find your USDA Hardiness Zone
The chart published by the USDA and complete interactive searching can be found on the website for the US National Arboretum. When researching your location, bear in mind that the map lines are not absolute and each garden has its own unique micro-climate. Neighborhoods with more trees blocking the wind, hills that "drain" away moisture faster, concrete bulkheads, sidewalks and driveways that tend to collect heat, as well as southern exposures will allow you to grow plants that might not be recommended for your area. The general guidelines are based on average low temperatures are found below. To open a new browser window access the interactive map click USDA Zone Chart
Asiatics (Graffity, Tigerplay, etc.) grow best in zones 1 to 9, no winter mulch is needed and they prefer colder winters to reset bloom.
Purebred Orientals (Casablanca, Star Gazer, etc.), without mulch, zones 6 to 9, but if heavily mulched for winter or with a good snowfall, down to zone 3 or 4 easily.
Purebred Trumpets (Copper King, Pink Perfection, etc.), without mulch, zones 7 to 10; heavily mulched, down to zone 3 or 4, but can be subject to late freeze damage in May, cover emerging stems if temperatures below 30 degrees F. are expected.
Oriental-Trumpet Hybrids (Conca ‘dOr, Sweetheart, etc.), same as Purebred Orientals, but seem to be more resistant to late frost damage, plus because of the “trumpet” genes, they do not require as much winter chill as Oriental lilies, thus are very suitable for southern areas and will take higher heat in summer. (See our Heatbuster™ Collection for more information.)
Zone 1--- ( Below -50 F) --- Fairbanks, Alaska; Resolute, NW Territories (Canada)
Zone 2a --- (-50 to -45 F) --- Prudhoe Bay, Alaska; Flin Flon, Manitoba (Canada)
Zone 2b --- (-45 to -40 F) --- Unalakleet, Alaska; Pinecreek, Minnesota
Zone 3a --- (-40 to -35 F) --- International Falls, Minnesota; St. Michael, Alaska
Zone 3b --- (-35 to -30 F) --- Tomahawk, Wisconsin; Sidney, Montana
Zone 4a --- (-30 to -25 F) --- Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota; Lewistown, Montana
Zone 4b --- (-25 to -20 F) --- Northwood, Iowa; Nebraska
Zone 5a --- (-20 to -15 F) --- Des Moines, Iowa; Illinois
Zone 5b --- (-15 to -10 F) --- Columbia, Missouri; Mansfield, Pennsylvania
Zone 6a --- (-10 to -5 F) --- St. Louis, Missouri; Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Zone 6b --- (-5 to 0 F) --- McMinnville, Tennessee; Branson, Missouri
Zone 7a --- (0 to 5 F) --- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; South Boston, Virginia
Zone 7b --- (5 to 10 F) --- Little Rock, Arkansas; Griffin, Georgia
Zone 8a --- (10 to 15 F) --- Tifton, Georgia; Dallas, Texas
Zone 8b --- (15 to 20 F) --- Austin, Texas; Gainesville, Florida
Zone 9a --- (20 to 25 F) --- Houston, Texas; St. Augustine, Florida
Zone 9b --- (25 to 30 F) --- Brownsville, Texas; Fort Pierce, Florida
Zone 10a --- (30 to 35 F) --- Naples, Florida; Victorville, California
Zone 10b --- (35 to 40 F) --- Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida
Zone 11 --- (above 40 F) --- Honolulu, Hawaii; Mazatlan, Mexico
You May Also Be Interested In 'Double Strawberry Vanilla' - Asiatic Hybrid Lily Bulb $4.25, 3/$11.75, 6/$21.50 Related Items | Wild Lilies Wild Lily bulbs making up the genus Lilium belong to the family Liliaceae comprising of approximately 200 genera made up of approximately 2,000 lily species. There are in the neighborhood of 110 to 120 Lilium species depending on whose classification you reference. For the full article, click Knowledge Base |
