Asiatic lily, Asiatic hybrid lily

Asiatic lily, Asiatic hybrid lily 

 The Asiatic Hybrids arise from the crossings of a number of species commonly found in Asia. The leaves are often lance like and borne in dense whorls on upright stems. The flowers tend to be large, colourful and faintly or unscented. 

Orientals are characterized by large (6-8"); highly fragrant; red, purple, pink, or white flowers. Asiatic lilies have smaller blooms (3-4") with no fragrance and are available in bright shades of gold, yellow, orange, rose, pink and white. 
  Asiatic hybrids are generally early flowering, most varieties blooming in June. They range from 2 to 5 feet tall with 4- to 6-inch flowers in bright reds, yellows and orange as well as delicate shades of pink, lavender and creamy white. 

There are two subdivisions: One includes hybrids with upright flowers; Another includes outward-facing flowers. The natural season for flowering of Asiatic lilies is late spring and early summer. Asiatic lily bulbs can be stored in coolers for forcing virtually year-round by freezing the bulbs.

COLOURFUL  Yellow and Orange.

Rain lilies (Zephyranthes) blooming in Gurgaon

Zephyranthes lily with common names rain lily, fairy lily, zephyr lily are very easy to grow plant in warm climate. Rain lilies are late summer bloomers especially after rainfall, they bloom after rains hence called rain lily. In my area, they bloom almost half year round from starting summer to late monsoon. 

• Botanical Name: Zephyranthes
• Common Name: Rain Lily, Zephyr Lily, Fairy Lily
• Family name: Amaryllis
• Plant type: Clump-forming perennial less than 1 foot
• Light: Full sun or partial shade, especially in hottest areas.
• Moisture: Needs regular water but do not over-water.
• Soil: Grow best in rich, well-drained potting medium mix with sand

 

• Propagation: By dividing bulbs which include offsets and planting them 1-2 inches deep. In fact, these bulbs of Fairy Lilies are the easiest and most successful amongst all bulbs to multiply! Can also be propagated from seeds for some varieties.   
• Care: Being hardy plants, they hardly need much attention besides the usual watering and fertilizing! Anyway, do keep the clumps neat and tidy by removing the dried and yellow leaves as well as deadheading. It’s advisable to occasionally check for root disease due to overwatering or excessive rainfall and treat it with pesticide to prevent speading!

There are 3 common species. The most common and famous is pink rain lily, zephyranthes grandiflora. It blooms more easily and frequently as compared to other two. It has the largest flower of all species.

 

Then other one is white rain lily, zephyranthes candida.

And the last one is yellow rain lily, Zephyranthes citrina or Zephyranthes sulphurea. I did not have this one yet as did not find here in local nursery. 

The Zephyr lilies grab attention with its large blooms and its glossy and strap-shaped deep green leaves. Absolutely beautiful and impressive, it’s easy to adore these inexpensive perennials.

A must for all gardens indeed!!