Aug 7, 2020
Orienpet and Other Lillium in Our Garden
…Seen through the lens of a professional Photographer
A few years ago I became infatuated with the incredibly tall lilies referred to by some sellers as “Tree Lilies”. In fact, they are Orienpet lilies.
I saw them in a plant catalogue that I get, and although doubtful as to the claims made by the sellers “This amazing lily grows to 8 feet tall …”. decided to take a chance on getting some.
The first ones I got were white, with a touch of gold to them. Their name is “American Heritage”. I planted them in the Fall and was pleased to see them all coming up the following Spring.
I thought they might not survive our incredibly unpredictable winters, but so far I have had them for 4 years and they have been fine, multiplying each year and producing a great show in July.
“Scheherazade” grows anywhere from 5 to 7 feet tall, but lacks the incredibly sturdy stems of the some of the other Orienpet lilies.
I cut these two lilies to bring inside because they had both been knocked down by the heavy rain. You can see how the petals on “Scheherazade” have curled back quite a lot from when it first opened. It also likes to droop downward as it gets heavier, preventing meaningful photographs.
I really wanted to share with you more information on the beautiful, tall lilies we have incorrectly been calling Tree Lilies, so I did some research and found this fascinating article by an actual grower in Alberta, Canada. Here is the link lily-tree-nonsense.html.
Her article puts to rest the notion of “tree lilies” and instead explains that these huge plants are called Orienpet lilies and are a cross between an Oriental lily and a Trumpet lily. She says that under favorable conditions they can grow to 6 feet tall, but in less favorable conditions, may only reach 4 feet.
To put the Orienpet Lily photos in context, you need to see how tall they get, so below is one of my photos showing what they look like beside our driveway.
