Originally posted by Matt from Growing with Plants.
Conca'd Or Lilies fill the air with their intense spicy fragrance.
I can't even imagine the mid-summer garden without fragrant, tall, true lilies ( not daylilies) but lilies. Long lasting lilies (the type grown from bulbs which you must order now, and then plant in the autumn), are rewarding for many reasons, not the least of which is their intense fragrance, unmatched by any flower in the perennial garden. It is deep, rich and creamy wafting through the garden with it's unique almost undefinable blend of scents, be they citrus and cloves, toothpaste or vanilla spice ice cream. Of the three types of garden lilies grown, ( Asiatics, Orientals and Trumpets), the later two, the Oriental lilies and the Trumpet lilies are the later, July and August bloomers, and they are the ones with the intense fragrance.
The Trumpet or Aurelian lily variety, 'Indian Summer' has stems which really should be staked, but even when allowed to tumble a bit, in a natural way, they can still stand out in the garden. This pure bright greenish yellow of this lily seems like the perfect companion with the brilliant red of a Crocosmia. The palette reminds me of 1950's lake houses, or 1940's summer fishing camps. Something about the combination of old lead paint colors, I think - imagine vintage lawn furniture, bocce balls and croquet sets.
This shot of my 'grove' of white 'Casa Blanca' lilies, taken last night just before a thunderstorm hit ( with a tornado warning in our county), look foggy, but actually my lens kept fogging up since my camera came out of an air conditioned room, into the humid air outside. I think lilies just smell best in the thick, warm, humid atmosphere of a late July evening.
