The golden-rayed lily of Japan, Lilium auratum, has been justly called the queen of lilies.
It is regally tall and graceful, and its deliciously fragrant, waxy-white flowers have broad golden bands flecked with crimson running down the center of the petals.
Hybrids of Lilies
In some of the hybrids, the bands themselves are crimson and wider than the type. The flowers are quite large and of a beautiful bowl shape.
Grown in groups near light deciduous trees or among shrubs that will give shade to the roots, these lilies make a handsome garden picture in mid-summer.
They are worth growing for their perfume alone, which is very strong at night. Indeed, the fragrance is so strong that the flowers are suitable for indoor decoration only in large rooms where plenty of air is circulating.
True Lily Auratum
The true L. auratum is not as vigorous as some of its varieties.
The popular L. AURATUM PLATYPHYLLUM is hardier and has wider, more handsome leaves.
The flowers, which may be up to 12” inches across, have fewer spots, and the flecks are more concentrated in the center of the petals.
Another good variety is L. AURATUM VIRCINALE. This is an albino form that retains the gold band but has yellow instead of crimson spots.
It, too, is a vigorous grower. These tall-growing varieties may bear up to 30 or more blooms on a single stem.
Auratum Strain
There have been many efforts to introduce more red into the auratum strain. As a result, three varieties, L. AURATUM PICTUM, L. A. RURRUM (no longer in cultivation), and L. A. RUBROVITTATUM show this color.
Lily auratum rubrum had a complete band of crimson; in the other two, the band was crimson toward the tip of the petal. In the new strains, red is being introduced from L. speciosum.
One of the most famous crosses was L. PARKMANNI (L speciosum rubrum x L. auratum), raised by the great historian Francis Parkman.
Cultivation of Parent Lilies
It first flowered in 1869 and caused quite a stir when exhibited before the Royal Horticultural Society in England by Anthony Waterer, who had bought the whole of the stock from Parkmau. But unfortunately, this wonderful hybrid was lost.
With the parent lilies still in cultivation, however, it was only a question of time before other similar hybrids were developed.
One seedling which was worthy of naming is CRIMSON QUEEN (L. auratum platyphyllum x L. speciosum nielpomene).
This is a fine lily and has been propagated and distributed for several years. Unfortunately, it shares the fault of most red lilies: when the flower begins to fade, the color changes from crimson to a dirty, rusty shade.
Lily Hybrid From Australia
This fault has been overcome in a recent hybrid from Australia, L. PARKMANNI JILLIAN WALLACE, which seems likely to prove a worthy successor to the original L. parkmanni.
The seed parent of this new lily is L. speciosum Gilrey, a vigorous grower with flowers of a rich ruby red outlined in pure white.
The pollen parent was Crimson Queen. The result, Jillian Wallace, is a lily with a large brilliant crimson flower about 10” inches across.
The tips of the petals are reflexed and slightly curled, like the typical L. speciosum. The flower form is flatter and less bowl-shaped than Crimson Queen, which retains the usual autumn shape.
Growing Conditions
The auratums or gold-banded lilies are classed hardy. In their native Japan, they are covered with snow in the winter.
One of the most important single factors in growing them successfully is good drainage: they like plenty of water while growing, but it must drain away rapidly and not stand about the roots.
For this reason, light, sandy, or loamy soil rich in leaf mold is needed, and the ideal situation is where the ground slopes slightly.
Poisonous Lime for Lilies
Lime is poisonous to these, as to most other lilies, but they like soil made rich by adding thoroughly decayed cow or sheep manure when planting.
The bulbs can be kept moist by light surface cultivation, but they should not come nearer than 18” inches to the bulb, for the stem roots spread out far near the surface.
A better alternative is light mulch; sawdust is good.
Although these lilies need partial shade, I find they do not object to direct sunshine for a few hours of the day.
In cold climates, they must be protected in winter by a heavy covering of leaves, hay, or straw.
Short Period Planting
Planting should be done during the short period when the roots at the bulb’s base are dormant.
This occurs soon after the flowers fade. If you let the plants go to seed, you must wait until the seed is ripe.
Unless you want to breed new varieties or increase your stock to large numbers, it is best not to let seed form, as it drains the bulbs’ strength.
Deep Planting for Big Bulbs
If the bulbs cannot be moved in the fall, leave the job until the spring, when warmer weather will help the roots make new growth. Make sure the basal roots are fresh, not withered, in buying bulbs.
Big bulbs should be planted deep, with 9” to 12” inches of soil above them. This keeps them cool in summer and also gives ample room for the annual stem roots to develop.
Once planted, they should never be disturbed so long as they remain healthy and flower well.
In most gardens, staking will be necessary to prevent the stems from being broken by the wind. They are heavy when loaded with flowers and heavier still after a shower.
Propagation Of The Lilies
Propagation of these lilies is easy. The quickest method is by division of the bulbs.
If they grow well, the big bulbs will soon divide, sending up a number of shoots where there was originally only one.
These offshoots can be removed without harm to the parent bulb. In some cases, the parent merely divides into two.
The next quickest propagation method is from scales taken from a matured bulb shortly after the flowers have fallen or the seed has been harvested.
These methods should be used only where the parent plants are disease-free. The one safe method of getting disease-free plants is from seed.
Sowing in First Spring
This is slow, but it enables you to increase your stock to large numbers easily without disturbing or depleting your parent bulbs.
It has been found that auratum seed needs a period of 2 to 3 months of warmth (70° degrees Fahrenheit) followed by PA to 2 months of cold (about 40° degrees Fahrenheit) before it sends up a leaf.
These conditions are provided naturally by sowing the first spring after harvesting.
During the slimmer, there is a warm period, and the small bulbs form; then comes the cold winter period, and the next spring, about a year after sowing, the leaves appear.
44659 by D Elliot