Lilium philippinense is a stunner, with hugely long, elegant and large trumpet blooms. All snowy white, adorned with apple green throats and blushed wine at the base. Expect up to 5 to 6 gorgeous trumpets per stem.
Bewitching fragrance, wonderful with scent wafting through the garden from the heads of giant flowers.
Tall & stately, with statuesq
As well as a stunner for statuesque height.
The Phillipine Lily is the willowy super-model of the Lilium world.
With flower stems towering up to 90cm to 1.5m. tall, and the multiple flower trumpets clustered atop. Blooming in mid summer through into early autumn.
Excellent cut flowers
Fortunately the tall flower stems are strong, and cut beautifully for a vase indoors.
Where the bewitchingly sweet fragrance can scent the house.
And the blooms have a reputation as being amongst the longest lasting of all in a vase.
Quick to bloom from seed
Lilium philippinense also has a reputation of being perhaps the quickest and easiest Lily to raise from seed.
You can have them in bloom just 10 months after sowing the seed, given seasonal timing.
And they will self seed if given a suitable happy place in the garden. To form an elegant and divinely perfumed drift of plants. They look and smell sensational when massed.
Hardy & easy to grow for sub-tropical gardeners
Lilium philippinense is an accommodating Lily to grow, particularly if you live in a warmer, coastal, or sub-tropical climate.
Because it is a native of northern Philippines and Taiwan.
Thus it is naturally adapted to summer heat and humidity.
So it will thrive in Part Shade, Dappled sun under trees and shrubs, or a Morning Sun position.
And it enjoys and performs best in humus rich, well-drained soil with an acid pH.
However it is miserable in frost.
Can be left undisturbed for years to happily multiply
Lilium philippinense is a hardy, stoloniferous bulb that can be left in the ground permanently from one year to the next.
It reliably increases in the garden by making offsets each year, as well as self-sown seedlings.
So you can soon have a wonderous colony.
Bees are entranced by the huge fragrant trumpets just as we are
Bees find these showy trumpets just as irresistible as we do, as they gather their pollen.
At least 90cm. and up to 1.5m. High in spectacular flower x 20cm. Wide neat foliage clump.
Foliage does away without fuss after blooming. To reappear again next spring.
SEED SOWING ADVICE: Lilium philippinense
Sow in trays indoors at any time / or sow outdoors in garden autumn or winter.
INDOORS: Sow the seeds on their sides, in a tray on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then barely cover the seeds with grit/sieved mix/or sand.
Now keep the tray moist in a warm, well-lit position for 4 weeks (not in direct sunlight).
Because temperatures of 18-24°C. are ideal for rapid and optimum germination.
Then seeds usually sprout in 21-28 days
However if the seeds are shy to germinate, then they require a period of chilling to break their natural dormancy.
So wrap the sown, moist tray in cling wrap or a plastic bag and place in fridge (not freezer) for 6 weeks.
After the period of chilling in the fridge, remove tray from the fridge, unwrap & place again in a warm, well-lit position at 18-24°C.
But patience – do not discard tray, as some seedlings may come later than others, and this is normal for this plant.
Helpful Guide on Starting Lilies from Seed (Courtesy of RHS Lily Group)
Most lily seed is large enough that it can be sown on edge with the embryo downwards and this is the best method provided that care is taken not to damage it. Try to space the ten or so seeds equally.
When all the seeds are in place, top the pot with about 1cm thickness of the same compost mix and firm gently. If you plan to leave the pots outside then it may be better to top with grit rather than compost as this will protect the seeds from being washed out of the compost by heavy rain.
Put in a label with the name of the lily and any other information you think relevant, the date and the number of seeds for example. After sowing place the pot in a bowl of water and allow the water to soak the compost by capillary action.
Let the pot drain and then either put it out of doors, in a shady spot (some people like to cover the pots with a cloche or cold frame, as protection against very wet weather, slugs, and scratching birds and animals) or seal it, using a twist tie, in a clear plastic freezer bag.
Others including L. martagon and most North American lilies such as L. pardalinum develop below ground initially, not showing a leaf until the following spring. This kind is known as hypogeal germination. A few species exhibit other kinds of germination. It is very helpful to know which kind of germination to expect as it will guide the grower as to when seed pot checking will be most appropriate.Once the seedlings are visible remove the bag if you have used this method and then move the pot to a suitable growing position. Try to keep the pot just nicely moist, and cool in hot weather. If you can keep the seedlings growing into winter for their first year (in a heated greenhouse), they will establish much more quickly.
Essential rule: don’t let the compost get soggy – avoid over-watering! Liquid feeding speeds growth, but without feeding you may get an even better root system, and plants that are more resistant to disease.
Keep a close eye out for greenfly, which love tender young lily leaves – as do slugs and snails.
Keep the young lilies in their seed pot until they are a good size (say two years). Then pot in a similar compost with a slow-release fertiliser, or plant out in well-drained soil or a raised bed. This is often done after foliage has died down but the young plants can be successfully moved on whilst in growth if great care is exercised.
Don’t abandon a bare seed pot until after at least three years, as some lilies can delay germination until they have been through several seasonal cycles.