'L. cernuum' (Lilium)

Requiring well drained, sandy soils, flowering Lilium cernuum from seed is a rewarding challenge. Though highly prone to basil rot and virus infection, this beautiful species from Northeast China and Korea certainly has a home in the well prepared rock garden. With rather small, lilac-pink, Turk's Cap flowers, Lilium cernuum usually reaches a height of about 24 inches and was used by Jan de Graaff to produce his lovely 'Harlequin Hybrids' introduced in 1950. We have always found it to be a lovely addition to the garden, but never sow all your seed in any given season, always leave enough in the freezer for those inevitable years of crop failure giving yourself the option to start over.