'LanKon' - Easter Lily (Japan) x L. lankongense (China)

'Lankon' - L. longiflorum x L. lankongense

Item# L8227

Delivery: Archive Photo

Lily Bulb Description

Flower Description: ‘Lankon’ is difficult to describe properly because it is the first of its kind to be offered to the garden market; bred from the Japanese species L. longiflorum (Easter Lily) and the Chinese species L. lankongense found in the alpine areas of the Yunnan Province.

Shown to the public for the first time at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London in the spring of 2011, ‘Lankon’ scored as one of the most popular exhibits at that show. While L. lankongense has been bred successfully in the past with other Asiatic hybrids and Asiatic classification type species, this is a first with the Easter Lily and was made possible through embryo rescue under laboratory conditions. This is a process were the little seed embryo is removed from the seed capsule itself and then is grown on in a test tube agar solution as the seed does not contain enough endosperm (Think: popcorn, which is the endosperm that expands when “popped”.) to nourish the emerging embryo to the cotyledon (first leaf) stage.

‘LanKon’ exhibits exquisitely the best of both parents assuring its place in the garden. Having a beautiful, lingering fragrance reminiscent of “Daddy” (L. lankongense) and the stamina and heavy stems of her Easter Lily “Mama”, you can expect late June /early July bloom and height of about 3 to 4 feet normally. Established “older” bulbs have a potential under favorable conditions to be as much as 5 feet tall. You can easily see the contributions of both parents within the shape and coloration of the flowers; the wide flaring bells of the Easter Lily and the heavily spotted pattern of L. lankongense. Both species prefer a loose friable acidic soil with some humus, but they have also shown tolerance to lime.

Our photo inset is a close up of a photo taken of L. lankongense here on the farm from a few years back. L. lankongense was the pollen parent or "daddy" of 'LanKon'.

Save $4.00 over each price on package of 6 bulbs.

Bulb Size - Our standard for bulbs of this Easter x L. lankongense Hybrid Lily Bulb cultivar will range from Premium-size» (16/18 cm) to Exhibition-size» (over 20 cm)though our initial spring 2012 offering will be made up entirely of size 16/18 bulbs as supplied from the grower. Click here for details.

Classification: Easter Lily x L. lankongense Hybrid Lily Bulb (USDA Zones 5-10, winter mulch recommended in the colder climates)

Want to see more lilies like this? Click bdlilies.com for our larger, more comprehensive website.