'L. nepalense' (Species or Wild Lily)

Considered one of the most beautiful of species, Lilium nepalense produces large, pea-green, open trumpet shaped blooms that are richly colored in royal purple in the throats. Best suited to the cool greenhouse, it likes its leaf mold planting medium to be kept moist through the spring and until it comes into flower. After flowering, pots should be turned on their sides to insure they not become over watered, allowing the soil to dry or they will rot. Watering should begin again in the spring to simulate spring snow melt in its natural environment.

The stem likes to run underground for some distance before emerging. We have had bulbs in 8 inch pots where the stems made more than a dozen laps around the inside of the pot before finally emerging. A stem coming out of a drain hole is not uncommon.

Our photo inset is of the sub species 'rubustum' as identified and grown by Edgar Kline in the late 1940's. Photo from the Bill & Mary Hoffman collection. Unfortunately with old, glass mounted slides, the yellows and greens are the first to fade.