Did you know that there are many types of lilies that you can use to make your home more beautiful?
From the rarest lilies like the Lilium polyphyllum (white Himalayan lily) to the prettiest lilies like the trumpet and oriental lily types?
This article is about various lily types including garden lilies with the longest summer blooms e.g. Asiatic lilies and beautiful indoor lilies like the peace lily.
Also, the article contains information on the most fragrant lilies for example the oriental types and those that are not scented like the Asiatic lilies.
Do you want to learn more about these elegant plants?
If so, read on:
Types of Lilies with Pictures for a Beautiful and Elegant Garden
Oriental Lilies
Oriental lilies are among the most fragrant lily types. They also have broader leaves compared to other types of lilies. Plus, their flowers and foliage are resistant to deer and rabbits.
Let’s take a look at some of the oriental lily types.
1. Entertainer
The entertainer lily is an upward-facing pink flower with a beautiful white heart. It’s a mid to late-summer bloomer and can produce up to 10 blossoms per stalk. Be careful as these flowers can be poisonous to cats.
This lily grows to a height of about 20 inches in full sun or partial shade. It can self-seed so after flowering is complete, you can cut back the yellow leaves and stems.
2. Casa Blanca
Casa Blanca is a snow-white outward-facing oriental lily with a thin green starburst center.
This type of lily performs best in full sun to partial shade. Under good care, the Casa Blanca can grow to approximately 3 to 4 feet tall.
3. Dizzy
Dizzy lily is an outward-facing white flower with raspberry-red stripes down the middle of each petal with red spots.
The early to mid to late summer bloomer comes back every year. It grows to about 3 to 4 feet tall in full sun or partial shade. Dizzy lilies can self-seed. Therefore, it’s fine to cut back the yellow stems and leaves when flowering is over.
Caution: Dizzy lilies can be toxic to cats.
In addition to Dizzy, Entertainer and, Casa Blanca, there are other oriental lilies such as Souvenir, Starlight Express and, Tom Pouce.
Trumpet Lilies
Trumpet lilies are also known as Aurelian lilies. The leaves of trumpet lilies are broad but not as those of oriental lilies. Some varieties of trumpet lily have a few buds per stem while others have a dozen or more.
Below are some examples of trumpet lilies.
4. African Queens
African queen lilies are elegant apricot-orange trumpet-shaped flowers with a strong fragrance. These beautiful lilies perform best in zones 3 through 9. They grow to a height of about 36″ to 40″ under full or partial sun.
The African Queens bloom in mid to late summer bringing out a graceful statement to your summer garden.
5. Golden Splendor
This is a sparkling golden yellow trumpet lily that faces outward and somehow downward with a burgundy touch on the outside.
Golden Splendor performs best in full sun to partial shade to a height of about 4 feet. It’s a mid to late-summer bloomer that produces clusters of about 12 to 20 blossoms per stem.
The Golden Splendor is more drought tolerant than other lilies.
It can, however, be toxic to cats.
The other additions to the trumpet lilies include; Pink Perfection and Regale.
Asiatic Lilies
Asiatic lilies don’t have a fragrance and they often have spotted petals. They also have strong and straight stems that rarely need support/staking. These lilies make long-lasting cut flowers. However, the lilies are favorites to rabbits and deer.
Take a look at the different types of Asiatic lilies listed below.
6. Black Spider
This is an Asiatic lily with beautiful black-hearted, creamy-white flowers with deep burgundy spots. The black spider lily grows to approximately 2 to 3 feet tall in full sun or partial shade.
The black spider is early to mid-summer bloomer and produces about 5 to 7 flowers per stem. In addition to this, it can self-seed so, feel free to cut back the yellow leaves and stems when the flowering stage is over.
Caution: Black spiders can be toxic to cats.
7. Black Out
Blackout is a dark carmine-red Asiatic lily with upward-facing flowers. The blooms of this lily have dark-reed to black shadings at the center of each petal.
It’s a lily that blooms in early to mid-summer producing clusters of 4 to 5 blossoms per stem. This lily grows up to 3 feet tall in full sun or partial shade.
Just like the black spider, blackout can self-seed. It’s therefore okay to cut back the yellow leaves and stems after flowering is over.
8. Brindisi - Longiflorum
Another Asiatic lily with upward-facing, soft pink flowers with a deeper pink center. Like blackout and black spider, brindisi loves to grow in full sun or partial shade.
The early to mid-summer bloomer grows to about 7 buds per stem and a height of about 3 to 4 feet tall.
Caution: Brindisi can be toxic to cats.
9. Brunello
This is yet another type of Asiatic lily with upward-facing orange bowl-shaped flowers and dark-red stamen. Brunello’s blooms are about 8 inches wide and up to 12 flowers per stem.
Grows best in full sun or partial shade to about 3 feet tall and blooms in early to mid-summer.
It can self-seed. So cut back the yellowing leaves and stems when flowering is over.
Caution: Brunello can be toxic to cats.
10. Citronella
This is a golden Asiatic flower with spotted recurved petals. The lily is a pendant and its mature bulbs can produce well up to 20 blossoms on each stem.
Citronella performs best in full sun or partial shade and can grow up to 3 to 5 feet tall. It blooms in early to mid-summer. And like blackout, Brunello, and black spider, once flowering is over, you can cut back the yellow leaves and stems.
If you choose to grow citronella in a garden it’s good to plant in fall or early spring. But if you want to grow it in a container, it’s alright to plant any time between spring and fall.
11. Dot Com
A large creamy-white to purplish-pink flower with burgundy spots. Dotcom lily can grow up to 8 inches wide and with 5 to 9 flowers per stem. It grows to about 3 feet tall in full sun or partial shade.
This Asiatic Lily blooms in early to mid-summer and can self-seed. Cut back the yellow flowers and stems when flowering is complete.
Caution: Dot Com lilies can be poisonous to cats.
12. Fire King
Fire King is an Asiatic lily with a rich reddish-orange color that mimics fire hence, the name ‘Fire King’. The flowers from Fire King brighten any garden from late spring to early summer.
Although the flowers can be toxic to cats, Fire King should be one of the lilies you should choose for your home.
It performs best in full sun to partial shade and can grow to about 4 feet tall. Plus, this lily can self-seed so, it’s okay to cut back the yellow leaves and stems once blooming is over.
Other types of Asiatic Lilies include; Gran Paradiso, Grand Cru, King Pete, Monte Negro, Patricia’s Pride, Rosella’s Dream, Salmon Twinkle and, Tiny Todd.
Orienpet Lilies
Orienpet lilies are a cross between Oriental hybrids and the trumpet lilies. They are among the best types of lilies for a summer garden. In addition to this, these lilies are strongly scented and they make excellent cut flowers.
Below are some of the orienpet lilies to choose from for your home.
13. Black Beauty
An orienpet lily with a dark crimson color and furnished with green star centers, thin white margins and, protruding anthers.
The black beauty lily grows to about 4 to 7 feet tall in full sun or partial shade and blooms from mid to late summer.
Caution: This lily can be toxic to cats.
14. Belladonna Lily
Belladonna lilies are a type of orienpet lilies with large bowl-shaped golden-yellow blossoms that grow up to 7 inches wide. These lilies can grow up to approximately 4 feet tall in full sun or partial sun.
The belladonna lilies bloom from mid to late summer.
Caution: Just like the black beauty, belladonna lily can be toxic to cats.
15. Anastacia
Anastacia is an orienpet lily type with large pendant blossoms. The flowers of the Anastacia lily are pink-rosy at their heart and white towards the tips.
It performs best in full sun or partial shade and can grow to about 4 to 7 feet tall. It’s a mid to late summer bloomer and can produce approximately 20 to 30 flowers per bulb.
Caution: The Anastacia lilies also can be toxic to cats.
16. Altari
The Lilium ‘Altari’ is another orienpet lily type with large 6-12 inches wide star-shaped raspberry blossoms and recurved white-tipped petals.
For the best performance, grow this lily in full sun or partial shade. The Altari lily grows to about 3-4 feet tall and blooms in mid to late summer. Therefore, you can enjoy the sweet fragrance all summer long.
Caution: Just like the Anastacia, the Altari lilies can be toxic to cats.
17. Flash Point
Flash Point is a sweet-smelling orienpet lily with dusty pink-red flowers that blend to cream around the edges.
It is a mid to late-summer bloomer and grows up to 4 feet tall in full sun to partial shade.
Note: Flash Point can be poisonous to cats.
18. Gluhwein
Gluhwein lily is also popularly known as ‘a cut flower’. It’s a soft peach flower with a light touch of red and cream and, pale pink edges, and a golden throat.
It loves to grow in full sun to partial shade and can reach about 4 feet tall. The Gluhwein lily blooms in mid to late summer and the flowers can be toxic to cats.
Other orienpet lilies include; Robert Swanson and Silk Road.
Martagon Lilies are also known as Turk’s Cap lilies
Turk’s Cap/ Martagon lilies are in shades of orange, yellow, red, and pink. Some varieties of Martagon lilies have spotted petals while others don’t. Also, the majority of these lilies are quite fragrant.
Have a look at the Martagon lilies on the list below.
19. Arabian Knight
This is a type of Martagon lily with beautiful downward-facing, golden blossoms covered with dark mahogany spots.
Arabian knight lily can grow up to 3 to 6 feet tall in full sun or partial shade. It’s early to mid-summer bloomer and can produce about 50 blossoms in a single stem.
Pro Tip: The Arabian Knight lily comes back every year. Therefore, cut back the yellow leaves and stems and allow the plant to self-seed.
20. Claude Shride
Claude Shride is a Martagon lily with downward-facing dark red to mahogany blossoms with bright orange spots.
It loves to grow in full sun or partial shade and can grow to about 4 to 6 feet tall. The Claude Shride is early to mid-summer bloomer and comes back every year.
It can self-seed so when flowering is complete, you can cut back the leaves and stems once they turn yellow.
Other types of lilies
21. Fish Lilies/Peace Lilies
Also known as peace lilies, the fish lilies are mostly used not only for their beauty but, also for other benefits such as absorbing moisture from bathrooms. In addition to this, peace lilies are most popular to the majority of gardeners as they are easy-growing low-light houseplants.
They are indoor lilies characterized by shiny, lance-shaped leaves of dark green and blooms with a white bract.
22. Dwarf Lilies
A good example of a dwarf lily is the Dwarf Water Lily. It is a petite yellow-colored hardy water lily plant.
This lily is the most famous of all dwarf lilies to gardeners with small gardens that can’t support a pond of water lilies.
You can easily grow a dwarf water lily in a table bowl or a small water container.
Conclusion
Here are a few take-away notes on the types of lilies that you have just read about.
- LA hybrid lilies are a genetic combination of Asiatic lilies and “Easter-type” lilies. Their flowers are bolder and bigger as compared to those from Asiatic lilies. Just like Asiatic lily types, the LA hybrid lilies aren’t scented.
- The Easter Lilies are holiday flowers that come in the week or two before Easter every year. They are also known as peace lilies.
- All the lilies listed above require a well-drained growing medium plus, full sun or partial shade for best performance.
- When it comes to garden/outdoor lilies, staking or support might be required to protect them from wind especially for those that grow tall.