lilies

One spectacular lily is Lilium superb, spelled “superbum,” but it is not pronounced as it is spelt. Its petals recurve, so a common name is Turk's cap.

Each year millions of Easter lilies are forced in greenhouses so that they bloom early to meet the retail demands of the Easter season. This is obviously hard on the lily, so the plant won't bloom again that summer at its normal summer bloom time.

So many varieties of these gorgeous flowers have travelled here from far-away lands to sweeten the air in our gardens.

Surprise lilies bloom from late summer into early September, and their cool pink flowers do indeed surprise us when their pale lily-type blooms suddenly appear on their long bare stalks.