There are yellow lilies, but so far they leave much to be desired. There is Lilium umbellatum, Golden Fleece, and some of the Golden Chalice hybrids of umbellatum-dauricum.
But these are upright-facing lilies, and many flower growers do not especially care for this type of lily. They are healthy, vigorous, and easy to grow, and have no fragrance.
Siberian Coral Lily
Then there is Lilium pumilum or tenuifolium, also known as the Siberian coral lily, with one fine yellow variety, Golden Bunting. Unfortunately, the variety, Golden Gleam, refuses to gleam golden for me either in bulbs bought or in the seed.
It is so close to the coral-type color that the two must be put side by side to show a few shades of color difference. But these are all small lilies.
There is also a martagon album, a fine, little lily with thick, waxy petals and small blooms, but I have not succeeded.
Amabile Luteum
Last year, I planted an amabile luteum and when it bloomed this year, I thought, at last, I had what I wanted in a fine yellow lily. But, alas, it has an odor like stink-horn toadstools or a skunk cabbage.
In every other way it is a fine lily — but for that unpleasant odor that the catalogs fail to mention. It is very distinctly an outdoor lily. But it does not spread its odor for several hundred feet like auratum, regale, candidum, formosanum, and some other lilies. For this, we should give thanks.
Unscented Lilies
Many lilies are fragrant, but some varieties have no fragrance such as tigrinum and umbellatum.
These two lilies are different, but they have been hybridized. It is from such crosses that the most striking variations come.
One is a variety called Valencia, of soft orange to rich yellow coloring, brilliant, clear, and sparkling. The flowers are very large and flat, opening along the bloom form of auratum.
They are a facing bloom like their tigrinum parent. The flowers have a slight midrib of coppery gold. Thus the comparison to auratum — the “ gold-banded lily of Japan” — is not too far-fetched.
The blooms also have maroon dots on the petals. Altogether, it is a stunning flower and a fine addition to the small list of desirable yellow lilies. It has no perfume.
Lovely Canadense Flavum
However, we should not forget a lovely native lily of the eastern United States, canadense flavum. It has yellow, bell-shaped blooms, very different from the recurved petals of the red form, which often grows taller, and is later to bloom.
They are the much-loved meadow lilies. But, unfortunately, the two are different enough to be different species.
There are a goodly number of red lilies, almost enough white, especially in trumpet lilies, but we are still very short as to clear, cool yellows, golds, and like shades and colors. Not only that, but I am trying to do something about it.
Even if a fine yellow lily lacks perfume, it will be alright. It is better to have no smell at all than an unpleasant one.
Lilium Sulphureum
L. sulphureum has not yet bloomed for me. It is acclaimed as a very fine yellow lily, but it is also tender in the heart of the blizzard belt and must be well mulched in Winter. Lilies love mulch as a general rule.
A mulch of leaves supplies humus as the leaves gradually decay, weeds are kept down, and the soil is cool, moist, and open.
The angel worms like it because they feed on half-decayed leaves. They help to keep the soil porous.
Marvelous recent advances have been made regarding new, hardy lilies, but those so far do not have perfume. For a long time, gladiolus also lacked fragrance, which has now been achieved, so perhaps, with yellow lilies?
Image:
The yellow form of the meadow lily, L. canadense Flavum
44659 by H. R. Mosnat