Song of Japan - J. Mak Oriental
“Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear” was part of the lead-in to The Lone Ranger by radio announcer Fred Foy back in the late 40's / to late 50's. With the introduction of 'Song of Japan' we are doing just that. The first in a line of limited production selections of L. speciosum (rubrum) hybrids from the breeding stall of Johan Mak, we are now able to make available to the home garden a look into the past - at the types of breeding lines that brought names such as Leslie Woodriff, Harve Strahm, and Jan DeGraaff to the forefront as being the most recognized breeders in the US.
There are many new introductions made in Holland each year, of which we find only a tiny handful suited to the home garden. Bred and selected for greenhouse forcing, little to no attention is paid to their secondary market of the garden. Johan has said for years “we need to go back to L. henryi for the Orienpets and to L. speciosum for the Orientals to bring back the vigor that so many years of inbreeding has lost”. In walking Johan's trial gardens and comparing what we see to so many rejected trial lilies from Holland, quickly shows us his hypothesis is correct. Lily types, with their unsurpassed natural beauty and robust nature that have been lost following the deaths of the early breeders, are now again being produced by Johan with far superior genetics to those 'lilies of yesteryear' when eyes were focused on the garden, not cut flower forcing lilies. The big plus here is that he has not had to spend time breaking new ground, but has been able to select the best of the best of his seedlings from nearly a half century of work incorporating those genetics into his matchless L. speciosum Oriental series.
As mentioned above, 'Song of Japan' is the first of these new introductions. A wild native of Japan, L. speciosum supports a well grounded foundation, not to start over again, but to take a step back in order to truly make advancements in health and vigor while moving forward. Why don't other breeders do this? The answer is simple, to take a step back means several years of no new introductions, something that breeders in Holland can not even imagine as practical or beneficial. For Johan, to take that step back has lead to a giant leap forward, far beyond what anyone else in the world is doing, producing truly peerless lilies for the home garden; your garden.
Johan, our modern day 'Lone Ranger' of hybridizers, reports that 'Song of Japan' flowers about a month ahead of L. speciosum var. 'Uchida' and for those looking for cut flowers, “has a very long vase life”. He continued, in reference to the extremely hot and dry summer of 2021, “the rich pink color shows no fading”, and, for breeders looking for new blood for their hybrids, “it is fertile both ways”.
'Song of Japan' reaches a height of about 4 feet once established, however this hybrid of L. speciosum, has the potential for even greater heights when the bulbs are well settled. Only time will tell. She is a July bloomer and carries a very pleasing, but not overpowering scent.
Very Limited Production - Estimated Inventory shows bulb remaining as of 7/18/22.
Bulb Size - Our standard for bulbs of this Oriental Hybrid Lily Bulb cultivar ranges from Premium-size» (16/18 cm) to Exhibition-size» (over 20 cm). Click here for details.
Classification: Oriental Species Hybrid Lily (USDA Zones 7b-9, lows to +5 F. Winter mulch recommended in the colder climates)
Stock # 7291 - 'Song of Japan' - Speciosum hybrid lily
There are many new introductions made in Holland each year, of which we find only a tiny handful suited to the home garden. Bred and selected for greenhouse forcing, little to no attention is paid to their secondary market of the garden. Johan has said for years “we need to go back to L. henryi for the Orienpets and to L. speciosum for the Orientals to bring back the vigor that so many years of inbreeding has lost”. In walking Johan's trial gardens and comparing what we see to so many rejected trial lilies from Holland, quickly shows us his hypothesis is correct. Lily types, with their unsurpassed natural beauty and robust nature that have been lost following the deaths of the early breeders, are now again being produced by Johan with far superior genetics to those 'lilies of yesteryear' when eyes were focused on the garden, not cut flower forcing lilies. The big plus here is that he has not had to spend time breaking new ground, but has been able to select the best of the best of his seedlings from nearly a half century of work incorporating those genetics into his matchless L. speciosum Oriental series.
As mentioned above, 'Song of Japan' is the first of these new introductions. A wild native of Japan, L. speciosum supports a well grounded foundation, not to start over again, but to take a step back in order to truly make advancements in health and vigor while moving forward. Why don't other breeders do this? The answer is simple, to take a step back means several years of no new introductions, something that breeders in Holland can not even imagine as practical or beneficial. For Johan, to take that step back has lead to a giant leap forward, far beyond what anyone else in the world is doing, producing truly peerless lilies for the home garden; your garden.
Johan, our modern day 'Lone Ranger' of hybridizers, reports that 'Song of Japan' flowers about a month ahead of L. speciosum var. 'Uchida' and for those looking for cut flowers, “has a very long vase life”. He continued, in reference to the extremely hot and dry summer of 2021, “the rich pink color shows no fading”, and, for breeders looking for new blood for their hybrids, “it is fertile both ways”.
'Song of Japan' reaches a height of about 4 feet once established, however this hybrid of L. speciosum, has the potential for even greater heights when the bulbs are well settled. Only time will tell. She is a July bloomer and carries a very pleasing, but not overpowering scent.
Very Limited Production - Estimated Inventory shows bulb remaining as of 7/18/22.
Bulb Size - Our standard for bulbs of this Oriental Hybrid Lily Bulb cultivar ranges from Premium-size» (16/18 cm) to Exhibition-size» (over 20 cm). Click here for details.
Classification: Oriental Species Hybrid Lily (USDA Zones 7b-9, lows to +5 F. Winter mulch recommended in the colder climates)
Stock # 7291 - 'Song of Japan' - Speciosum hybrid lily
