Lily fragrances

Kenneth Hixson khixson@nu-world.com
Fri, 26 Dec 2003 22:04:11 PST
Hi, members:
Diana mentioned >Lilium kelloggii
	Unfortunately, I've never grown the species, and the two hybrids
I've had (Nightingale and Robin) were not notable for fragrance.
	My favorite is Lilium washingtonianum, not always easy to obtain or
grow, but a lot of gardening gets done in its vicinity in early June.  The few
hybrids I've raised were not particularly notable for fragrance.  L.
rubescens 
is one lily I'd like to have, and expect the fragrance to rival L.
washingtonianum.
Lilium parryi is also nice, though not quite so intoxicating.  It seems to
pass its'
fragrance on to some of its hybrids, such as Buttercup.  Shuksan was not
scented 
for me, so not all L. parryi hybrids are scented.  L michauxii has no
fragrance
when you sniff the flower, but a few feet away, it is magnificent, enticing.	
	Of the Oriental lilies, I prefer L. speciosum over L. auratum-L. speciosum
has a sweet spicy scent that is never offensive, while L. auratum can be heavy
and overpowering like hyacinths.  Many of the oriental hybrids inherit the 
auratum scent, so modern breeders are trying to breed out fragrance.  There 
oughta be a law agin it!  There are some orientals which flower in June, but 
July into August is more likely.  Only L. speciosum normally lingers into 
September.  I can remember walking into a lily show in early July, and the
fragrance of the oriental hybrids was so strong you could almost taste it-
but then, taste and scent are closely related--you can't taste your food when
you have a badly stuffed nose.
	Trumpet lilies can be so overpowering as to give me a headache--Black Dragon,
a selection of L. centifolium, only made it into the house one time, and
stayed 
only a half hour before being banished, while I suffered a headache for
sometime
afterwards.  L regale fits here, though less offensive that some trumpets.  
L henryi itself isn't overly fragrant, but hybrids of it, particularly in a
dvanced generations, can be pleasing, not overpowering.  The fragrance is a 
sweet, cinnamony thing that is unexpected.  The fragrance carries on the warm 
midsummer air for considerable distances.  July, primarily.
	I don't care for easter lily, L. longiflorum.  Some of its' hybrids 
with asiatic lilies (LA Hybrids)are reported to be pleasantly fragrant.
	Madonna lily, L. candidum, hasn't stayed here long, but many people love it.
There are many other lilies which can contribute fragrance, and a couple
that might
be avoided.  L martagon is often described as "foxy" though L martagon
album is 
sometimes described as "sweet and lemony".  L. pyrenaicum is often
mentioned as
unpleasant, but not everyone seems to notice the unpleasant scent.  Probably
there are variations in fragrance as there is in flower color, etc.

	Ken, western Oregon


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