I give you my magnificent Stargazer lily, blooming on the front porch this morning.
Until the early part of the last century, only wild lilies grew in parts of Europe, Asia, and the America. They weren’t cultivated until the 1920’s when horticulturists began experimenting with the first hybrids. Oriental lilies began to appear in conservatories, and were wildly popular because they were easy to grow and offered such dramatic flowers. We have hybridizer Leslie Woodriff to thank for the stunningly beautiful Stargazer lilies. Learn more about Woodriff (with all his eccentricities) here.
The Stargazer is very fragrant, too, and does well in full sun to partial shade. Stargazers produce six to nine blooms, 6-8 inches in diameter. You can actually watch these lilies bloom in a time-lapse video here.
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Cindy
You have captured the wondrous nature of the Stargazer lily in this exquisite photograph. I usually have several beautiful Stargazer lilies in my garden each year. However, our spring weather resulted in the demise of several of them. Luckily my Casa Blanca lilies faired better. Have you tried the Salmon Star lily? It is absolutely delightful and almost as fragrant as the Stargazer.
Thanks for the link to the Stargazer video it was absolutely amazing.
These pictures makes me sad – because my stargazer lilies failed this year – because of the drought and I think I should have planted them in a sunnier position. Well there is always next year – I can enjoy yours and buy some at the florists – but it aint quite the same.