The golden-rayed lily of Japan, Lilium auratum, has been 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.
In some hybrids, the bands are crimson and broader 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 beautiful garden picture 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 Lilium Auratum And Its Popular Varieties
The true Lilium auratum is not as vigorous as some of its varieties.
The popular Lilium Auratum Platyphyllum is hardier and has wider, more handsome leaves.
The flowers, which may grow up to 12” inches across, have fewer spots and the flecks are more concentrated in the center of the petals.
Another good variety is Lilium auratum virginale. This is an albino form that retains the gold band but has yellow instead of crimson spots.
It, too, is a vigorous grower. These varieties are tall-growing plants and may bear up to 30 or more blooms on a single stem.
There have been many efforts to introduce more red into the auratum strain.
Three varieties that show this color are:
- Lilium auratum Pictum
- Lilium auratum Rubrum (no longer in cultivation)
- Lilium auratum Rubrovittatum
Lilium auratum rubrum had a complete band of crimson. In the other two, the band crimson toward the petal’s tip.
In the new strains, red is being introduced from Lilium speciosum.
One of the most famous crosses was Lilium Parkmanni (Lilium speciosum rubrum x Lilium auratum), raised by the great historian, Francis Parkman.
It first flowered in 1869 and caused quite a stir when exhibited before the Royal Horticultural Society in England by Anthony Waterer. He had bought the whole of the stock from Parkmau. Unfortunately, this wonderful hybrid was lost.
With the parent lilies still in cultivation, however, it was only a time before other similar hybrids were developed.
One seedling worthy of naming is Calmson Queen (Lilium auratum platyphyllum x Lilium speciosum nielpomene).
This fine lily has been propagated and distributed for several years.
Unfortunately, it shares the fault of most the red lilies: when the flower begins to fade, the color changes from crimson to a dirty rusty shade.
This fault has been overcome in a hybrid from Australia, Lilium Parkmanni Jillian Wallace, which seems likely to prove a worthy successor to the original Lilium parkmanni.
The seed parent of this new lily is Lilium speciosum Gilrey, a vigorous grower with flowers of a rich ruby red outlined in pure white.
The pollen parent was Crimson Queen. 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 Lilium speciosum.
The flower form is flatter and less bowl-shaped than Crimson Queen, which retains the usual auratum 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 leafmold is needed, and the ideal situation is where the ground slopes slightly.
Lime is poisonous to these as to most other lilies, but they like a soil made rich by adding thoroughly decayed cow or sheep manure when planting.
The bulbs can be kept moist by light surface cultivation, but it should not come nearer than 18” inches to the bulb, for the stem roots spread out that far near the surface.
A better alternative is a light mulch, and 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.
However, in cold climates, they need to be protected in winter by a heavy covering of leaves, hay, or straw.
Proper Planting Practices
Planting should be done during the short period when the roots at the base of the bulb are dormant.
This occurs soon after the flowers fade. If you let the plants go to seed, you will have to 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 seeds form, as it is a drain on the bulbs’ strength.
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 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.
Easy Propagation Of Lilies
Propagation of these lilies is easy. The quickest method is by division of the bulbs.
These offshoots can be removed without harm to the parent bulb. In some cases, the parent is merely divided into two.
The next quickest propagation method is from scales taken from a matured bulb shortly after the flowers have fallen or after the seed has been harvested.
These methods should be used only where the parent plants are free from disease.
The one safe method of getting disease-free plants is from seed.
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 summer, there is a warm period, and the small bulbs form; then comes the cold winter period, and the leaves appear the next spring, about a year after sowing.