Lilium giganteum is one of the largest and most spectacular of all lilies.
It grows to a height of 10’ feet or more and bears as many as 20 to 30 blooms to the stem.
The flowers are semi-pendulous trumpets, about 8” inches long, white with purplish red striping inside.
The large glossy leaves average about 15” inches across, and the stems measure up to 9” inches or so in circumference at the base.
Flowering-size bulbs are 10” to 12” inches in circumference, and the rapidity with which the plant grows may be judged by the fact that it is in flower before the end of June.
Extensively Grown Lily Species
The species was discovered in the Himalayan Mountains around the middle of the 19th century and since then has grown quite extensively in Great Britain and, to a lesser extent, in this country.
It has probably not become more popular in the United States because its requirements, although easy enough to provide in most gardens, are rather special.
Henry Eckstein’s Tips On Growing Lilium Giganteum Bulbs
Henry Eckstein of the Lilydale Bulb & Flower Gardens, Milwaukie, Oregon, who has made a specialty of growing Lilium giganteum bulbs for the commercial trade, says that this species should be grown in partial shade, where the plant will get no direct sunlight between about 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
It requires well-drained soil mixed with plenty of peat moss and well-rotted cow manure or compost, though if manure or compost is unavailable, bonemeal or fishmeal may be substituted. Commercial fertilizers, however, should be avoided.
The bulbs should be planted in the fall while dormant, and the top of the bulb should be covered with no more than one inch of soil.
In cold regions, a fairly heavy mulch is advisable over winter.
After the plant is well started in the spring, a top dressing of well-rotted cow manure should be applied if you want the plant to grow to its full height.
Otherwise, the stem will grow to only about 6′ feet, which may be more desirable in some locations.
These lilies should have one good soaking a week, so if there is no rain or if rain is limited, they should be given a thorough watering whenever necessary.
No hoeing should be near the bulb, and all weed growth should be removed by hand.
Mr. Eckstein says that Lilium giganteum does not reach peak performance until the bulb has been established for at least a year, and he does not recommend transplanting flowering-size bulbs.
The tallest of these plants of Lilium giganteum, on Henry Eckstein’s Oregon farm, was 9′ feet 4″ inches high and hadn’t yet stopped growing!
The mother bulb, he says, dies after blooming, but it makes plenty of offsets to ensure the continuation and also produces considerable quantities of seed.
His stock, consisting of thousands of bulbs, has been built up from one bulb purchased in 1940.
A group of these lilies, Mr. Eekstein says, will make a magnificent display in any garden where they are given a suitable location.
By moonlight, he believes, they are even more beautiful than during the day, and their delightfully spicy, clove-like fragrance on a still summer evening makes them truly unforgettable.
This lily should not, of course, be confused with the Easter lily, Lilium longiflorum giganteum, grown by florists and commonly referred to in the trade as “giganteum” or, for short, as “jigs.”