How To Grow Garden Lilies

Rediscover lilies with their beautiful blooms and sensational scent, says Anne Swithinbank

- Anne Swithinbank

WITH their magnificent proportions, rich colours and intoxicating perfume, lily flowers are awesome. But do we tend to take them for granted? 

Imagine how plant hunter Ernest Wilson must have felt in 1903 when he discovered the regal lily (Lilium regale) growing in western Sichuan, China. In 1910 he returned to the valley for a third visit and marvelled at thousands of white trumpets, wafting their scent on the evening air. He and his team noted their position so they could lift and pack bulbs in the autumn.