Since the beginning of civilization, lilies have been one of the most important garden subjects. They are mentioned in the oldest written discourses on gardening and rural life.
They appear in the earliest primitive paintings. In short, as long as people have been gardening for pleasure and profit, they have considered the lily one of their most cherished plants.
Yet, strangely enough, plants that have been raised in “captivity” for over two thousand years have stubbornly resisted change and man’s attempts to adapt, modify or improve them, much more so, at least, than any other flower or plant.
Even though they come from commercial nurseries and have been propagated for hundreds of years, most of the lilies in our gardens are still exactly as they are found in the wild – identical to the species.
Consequently, they resent transplanting and are particular about soil and climatic conditions. For the same reason, they easily become victims of pests and diseases and often fail to establish themselves under even the best of conditions.
Contrast this with the history of other popular flowers. Tulips, daffodils, iris, dahlias, gladiolus, hyacinths, and almost any other flowers that come to mind have been crossbred with hardy species.
New colors have been developed, and disease-resistant and more adaptable strains have emerged. Why, then, was not the same done for lilies?
Attempts To Improve Lily
Many attempts to improve the lily are on record. One early effort to improve upon the well-known Madonna Lily was extremely successful when little more than a hundred years ago, this lily was crossed with the vividly colored L. chalcedonic, and, as a result, the very beautiful L. testaceum came into being.
It is only in comparatively recent years, however, that a better understanding of lily diseases, their cultural requirements, and the genetic problems involved in breeding them has enabled us to raise good hybrid lilies and propagate them commercially.
With the exception, then, of L. testaceum, no hybrid lilies were available to gardeners until just about the turn of the century.
Gardeners had become convinced that few plants were as difficult to hybridize as lilies, and only in a few isolated instances were any attempts continued to cross-breed them.
Renaissance of The Lily
The one factor above all others that contributed to the renaissance of the lily as a garden subject was the discovery and introduction of L. regale.
It was discovered by E. H. Wilson in 1903 in western China and was introduced into the United States in 1910.
Within the next 20 years, it became the most widely planted garden lily and furnished the key to the successful introduction of many other lilies and a closer study of their requirements and habits.
The regal lily, so easily grown from seed, gave all scientists and gardeners abundant working material.
It was prolific, and its seeds germinated readily and grew into flowering-size bulbs in the short time of two to three years.
Popularity of Lilies
The popularity of L. regale stimulated the many people who grew it successfully to try their hand at growing other lilies.
With this new interest and a better understanding of the technique of lily culture, renewed attempts were made to raise more vigorous hybrids.
As expected, practically every hybridizer promptly began to explore the possibilities of crossing L. regale with other species.
It was soon discovered that as a seed parent, it was so dominant that, regardless of what species was used as the pollen parent, the progeny was all L. regale and exhibited very few, if any, hybrid characteristics.
However, a few of these near-regale types were sufficiently distinct and worthwhile to justify further breeding efforts.
From the introduction of the regal lily in 1910 to the present time, dozens of hybrids were introduced, some good, many inferior.
Comparatively, few are listed in today’s catalogs, many have already disappeared from the trade, and many more are destined to obsolescence shortly as greatly improved forms replace them.
Nevertheless, the hybridists responsible for them have made outstanding contributions toward the lilies of the future.
New Race of Lilies
Miss Isabella Preston of Canada has shown us the way to a new race of lilies. In 1929 a cross between L. davidi var. willmottiae and an, L. dauricum seedling produced the now well-known “Stenographer Series,” still rated as among the best lily hybrids produced to date.
Seedlings of the “Stenographer Series” have recently been introduced, named after World War II fighter planes – MOSQUITO, TYPHOON, CORSAIR, SPITFIRE, and HURRICANE.
The late Dr. David Griffith’s work in lilies is well-known to growers and breeders everywhere. His work is important today because his selections from crosses between Western American native lilies formed the foundation of the beautiful Bellingham Hybrids.
To F. L. Skinner of Manitoba, Canada, we are also indebted for valuable contributions, perhaps the best known of which are L. Maxwill, the more recent L. DUCHESS, and the tenuifolium variety YELLOW BUNTING. DUCHESS may be an opening wedge for another important series of lily hybrids, as it is the first important hybrid of L. amabile.
E. Debras of Orleans, France, and Toni Barry of New Jersey have bridged a most important gap in breeding work by successfully flowering hybrids between L. henryi and the trumpet lilies.
M. Debras’ L. AURELIANENSIS was an intermediate form between L. henryi and L. sargentiae, while L. THEODORE A. HAVEMEYER, introduced by Mr. Barry, was a cross between L. sulphureum and L. henryi. Seedlings of this type are now being grown on a large scale by leading growers.
Lily Growing and Hybridizing
The preceding may serve as a preface to a brief presentation of the newer types and a few of tomorrow’s introductions.
Lily hybridizing and growing in America has finally come to the turn in the road, and a mature, large-scale industry is just around the corner.
From the almost limitless supply of material in breeders’ hands at the present- time, an array of colorful flowers exhibiting the widest possible selection as to form and habit and flowering from May to October will eventually offer to the gardener a choice unequaled by any other genus of plants.
Much work is being done on the types originally developed by M. Debras and Mr. Barry. Carlini’ Yerex and Edgar Kline, both in Oregon, have expanded the original Debras and Barry types to include all possible combinations of characters of the two parents.
They range in form from the reflexed, narrow-petaled henryi through beautiful, unusual intermediates, many of which are graceful, variously colored bowl-shaped flowers, to the trumpet form in which the henryi influence is still shown.
Aurelian Hybrids
Mr. Yerex has segregated his hybrids according to type and offers them as groups of related forms.
He has named them AURELIAN HYBRIDS and lists three groups – the trumpets, semi-trumpets, and henryi forms.
Each consists of mixed hybrid seedlings selected for color and form. The trumpet types come in buff, ivory, and yellow tones.
The AURELIAN Hymns is a 1947 introduction that is truly different and worthwhile.
Mr. Kline has selected six outstanding clones of THEODORE A. HAVEMEYER seedlings and has named and described them.
He is also doing a great amount of crossing and selecting in other types, including the West Coast native lilies and the umbellatum-dauricum-elegans group.
Growing Popular Lilies
One class of easily grown, popular lilies that have been somewhat neglected has been receiving the attention of George Slate of Geneva, New York.
In addition to writing an excellent book, “Lilies for American Gardens,” Mr. Slate has found time to do some first-class hybridizing.
Working with the upright-flowering, elegans-umbellatum types, Mr. Slate has produced some desirable improvements. Last year the writers were privileged to grow and observe a score of Mr. Slate’s selected seedlings.
The bright, unspotted yellow and the vivid, non-fading red forms were outstanding. In addition to this class, in 1945, Mr. Slate introduced the variety SENECA, an outward-facing hybrid between L. tigrinum and L. leichtlinii var. maximowiczii.
One of the greatest accomplishments in modern lily growing is the mass production of the most exotic lilies, the L. auratum, the gold-banded lily.
Some 12 years ago, Alwyne Buckley of British Columbia, Canada, sowed a quantity of seed and succeeded in maturing the largest single planting of this lily ever to be grown from seed.
Mr. Buckley has named his strain the Esperanza Auratums and the bulbs are available in the United States and Canada.
His accomplishment is an outstanding example of the desirability and superior vigor and performance of well-grown domestic stock as compared to bulbs collected and imported from overseas.
New Developments in Growing Lilies
Other new developments are underway at the Oregon Bulb Farms where, under the direction of the authors, the breeding and growing of lilies has become a major project.
With a planting of some 30 acres, it is, probably, the largest commercial garden lily planting in the world.
Here much has been done to change the varietal introduction pattern by producing strains which are essentially mixed-selected seedlings of similar or related types, usually of the same parentage.
When applied to lilies, the word “strain” has evoked considerable comment from people accustomed to the term only in connection with flowers grown quickly from seed, such as annuals and certain perennials.
The growing, selecting, and introducing a closely related group of plants is new only in its application to lilies.
In short, a strain of hybrids, such as the FIESTA, GOLDEN CHALICE, or OLYMPIC HYBRIDS, is the final result of hundreds of crosses among the various types.
When the seedlings flower, the hybridizer immediately discards all undesirable individuals, such as plants that are not an improvement over the parents.
With the now greatly reduced number, the grower faces the problem of final selection, which usually involves the virtually impossible task of picking the best three or four from among hundreds of outstanding specimens.
At this point, we broke away from traditional horticultural practices and decided that, since each remaining plant was of excellence, the entire group would be introduced as a strain of closely related plants, all of similar habit and form and possessed of a nice range of colors.
Not only does this method of introduction result in the immediate presentation of the new lilies to gardening America at a modest price, but it also permits the grower to constantly improve the strain by pollinating only the very best specimens each year and thus annually to advance the quality of the entire group.
Some of these strains already on the market are:
Bellingham Hybrids
(Illustrated on the August 1940, cover of FLOWER GROWER). – This is essentially a continuation of the intercrossing of lilies originally developed by Dr. Griffith.
The group is most valuable to the gardener because it combines the lovely colors and graceful forms of Native American species with the ease of culture and handling of hybrids. These lilies are particularly outstanding for cut flower purposes and naturalizing.
Centifolium Olympic Hybrids
Already available in quantity, these are a major improvement over L. regale. They flower later and are characterized by much larger, well-placed flowers varying in form from the long funnel-type trumpet to wide, bowl-shaped flowers resembling the shape of L. auratum.
The attractive cream, yellow and wine shading has been intensified and, in many instances, the entire flower is flushed with color. A recent break has produced large centifolium flowers deeply stained fuchsia pink.
Another form, scheduled for early introduction, has dark orange and apricot throats. The latter are among the latest flowering types of the trumpet class, coming into bloom about the same time as L. henryi.
Fiesta Hybrids
A 1947 introduction, these are a new group of hardy, easy-to-grow hybrids. They are a strain of tall plants bearing up to 30 large recurred flowers in graceful pyramidal heads.
Many of the colors are entirely new to this type of lily, ranging from yellow through warm copper and golden tones to an unusual dark, rich maroon-red.
Non-fading, drought-resistant, and rapidly increasing, they till a most important gap in the lily season since they flower just before L. regale and L. Maxwill.
Shown at the 1946 lily show of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society as L. davidi hybrids, the FIESTA HYBRIDS received an Award of Merit and, with the GENTIFouuNt OLYMPIC HYBRIDS, a Silver Medal.
Golden Chalice Hybrids
A strain evolved from’ the umbellatum-elegans-dauricum forms in which only the yellow and golden shades have been retained. Many are unspotted. All are of excellent color and form and unusual vigor. Repeated crossing and selection of the best colors have resulted in a large stock of this popular type in the most desirable colors.
L. Candidum Cascade Strail
The recent introduction of fertile forms of the lovely old L. candidum has marked the first major improvement of this, the oldest known garden lily. At present, these forms are offered as the CASCADE STRAIN.
They are mixed seedlings selected for vigor, size, and form of flower. Clones also have been chosen for asexual propagation and in a short time superior types of early and late, tall, and dwarf forms will be available.
Since the CASCADE candidum is fertile, crosses with L. testaceum and L. chalcedonicum are feasible and have already produced outstanding seedlings.
New Types on Oregon Bulb Farm
Other new types abound on the Oregon Bulb Farms, including what will probably be the finest series ever introduced. This particular group contains over 50 new clones or varieties – each outstanding and distinctive.
Bred from L. tigrinum and L. umbellatum, they exhibit both parents’ vigor, hardiness, and ease of culture.
In one class alone there is an entirely new race of ï lilies, available in various colors and forms. The introduction is tentatively scheduled for 1949.
The foregoing notes are admittedly incomplete. Many varieties have been omitted, which will prove to be popular garden subjects when they become available in quantity. A more detailed account, however, is not within the scope of this article.
Our main purpose has been to point out the sudden and dramatic changes which are taking place with the genus Lilium.
In this case, Nature’s tempo of evolution has been greatly accelerated by intensive artificial hybridizing that has advanced the plants several generations in a few years.
44659 by Jan De Graaff And John W. Heyer