Lilium - Lily Family

This week's Plant Of The Week is the lily family, botanical name: lilium.

Lilies are beautiful, large, showy flowering garden plants which grow from bulbs. They comprise a genus of about 110 species in the lily family (Liliaceae) and many of these species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The species in this genus are the true lilies. Many other plants exist with "lily" in the common English name, for example daylily, however these are often quite unrelated to the true lilies.

The large flowers, which are often highly fragrant, come in a range of colours; whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and purples. The markings on the petals include spots and brush strokes. The plants are late spring or summer flowering.

As well as their importance in the garden, lilies are important culturally and in literature in many parts of the world. They can be used in herbaceous borders, woodland and shrub plantings, and as a patio plant in a container. Some species are also sometimes grown or harvested for the edible bulbs.

Our photos show some beautiful lilies we have seen recently in gardens around the Okanagan.

If you have any suggestions for our Plant Of The Week or have photos of plants in your garden which we have featured on our website and would like to share with us, we would love to hear from you. Happy gardening!