Midnight Gold Lily Bulbs

Lilium Oriental Hybrid — Midnight Gold. There is a moment in late summer when this lily stops looking like a plant and starts looking like something made by hand. The petals are a deep, sooty charcoal at the base, then lift into brushed gold along the centre rib, the two colours meeting in a hard, metallic line rather than a soft blend.

The effect is strongest in low, raking light — early morning, or the last hour before dusk, when the gold reads almost lacquered. Each bloom is 6–7 inches and slightly reflexed, so the petals curl back like a hand opening.

Use it as a single accent, not a mass planting. Three stems at the back of a dark-leafed border will do more than thirty.

What you get

• Deep charcoal-black base with a liquid gold centre sweep.
• A hard colour break — a metallic line, not a gradient.
• Reflexed 6–7 in blooms with a sculptural, architectural form.
• Peak impact in low or raking light; superb near dark foliage.
• Top-size bulbs, hardy in zones 4–9, returning every summer.

How to grow it

• Plant: 6 in / 15 cm deep, 8–10 in apart, in full sun and well-drained soil. Pointy end up. Mark the spot — lilies are late to emerge in spring.
• Water: soak after planting, then whenever the top inch of soil dries. Never let water sit in the hole.
• Light: 6+ hours of direct sun; light afternoon shade keeps the flowers from fading.
• Cold: fully hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Mulch the first winter; no lifting needed.
• After flowering: cut only the flower stems. Let the foliage yellow on its own — that is next year’s bulb being built.

Shipped dormant and cleaned, 14/16 cm top-size bulbs. Dispatch in 5–7 working days, 8–25 working days in transit. Colour depth varies with soil, light and season — the first flower from a fresh bulb is usually the most intense.