Lily Species - L. tsingtauense
Flower Description: An unique "Martagon" type lily, Lilium tsingtauense holds is waxy "sun-kissed" orange, star-shaped flowers fairly upright atop 3 foot stems. Carrying a light but unpleasant scent, bulbs of this species are rarely offered. It has been nearly 20 years since we offered this magnificent and yet rather easily grown species. As with L. martagon and its hybrids, L. tsingtauense is best grown in areas of light shade with soil being kept on the damp side. Flowers of L. tsingtauense can vary from spotless to heavily spotted. Also as with the martagons, this lovely lily is found very attractive by our native swallowtail butterfly.
More difficult to establish than our Asiatic, Trumpet or Oriental lilies, our species lilies are guaranteed to be healthy and true-to-name, but not for failure to grow. May take an additional season before blooming and conditions need to be more exacting. L. tsingtauense can sometimes pout when they are moved and need to settle back in to their new homes. Provide perfect drainage, rocky soil is fine, and don't over water the bulbs during summer while they are in dormancy. Bulbs resent transplanting and could rot during a cold, wet winter/spring or during the summer, if you add any moisture retentive materials to the soil around the bulb itself. Under no circumstances use peat for this species or its hybrids, but leaf mold and/or compost as a top dressing in the fall is desirable.
Classification: Martagon Hybrid Lily (USDA Zones 5-9, lows to -15° F.)
Stock #8149 - Lilium Species (Wild Lily)
