Description
Lilium auratum is a superb Lily and arguably the best one there is with very large, strongly scented flowers, the beauty of which has ensured that it has been widely used in breeding and its genes are incorporated into many commercial Oriental hybrids.
The stems reach from 1m right up to 2.5m in very strong plants. In July and August the upper part of the stem carries several, very large, white flowers with a heavy texture. These can reach 25cm across and up to 20 are recorded in the largest plants. These have a golden yellow radial mark on each petal and the background is dotted all over with small purple-red spots. The assertion that var. platyphyllum is always unspotted is not correct it can be unspotted or spotted and the spotting varies considerably within our stock raised from wild Japanese seed.
The scent is both overpowering and gorgeous.
It does well in neutral or slightly acid soil; this should have humus present and needs to be well-drained but avoid over-feeding, keep them lean! An ideal spot is a sunny one but one which has some shade during the day, or plant them with their bulbs in shade and their heads in sun. It is important to keep young plants coming on, either from seed or by scaling as this can be a short lived Lilium especially when it is coddled or over-fed. This is not just our plants by the way, it is a characteristic of the species, the only bad habit of a truly superb garden plant.
Endemic to the mountains of central Honshu, in Japan.
Kuchibeni is a garden-raised strain from an original selected plant, which was found at Aizu in the Tohoku region of Honshu. It is a lovely form which has a deep-red streak running the length of each petal. The result of this seemingly slight paper difference, is a stunningly coloured plant. Please note that this is a seed-grown strain, it is not and never has been a clone. Bringing them, along from seed though slower, gives a better plant and a healthy plant. The downside is that not being a clone, there is some, inevitable, variation, however ALL have flowered and ALL have the characteristic red stripe on their petals confirmed before they are offered for sale.
