Coral Dusk Lily Bulbs

Lilium Oriental Hybrid — Coral Dusk. Orange lilies are easy to like and hard to place. This one solves that by putting violet behind the orange.

The throat is warm orange, running out through coral into a violet-pink tip, so the flower warms up close to the stem and cools at the edge. Six to seven inches across, four to five per stem, lightly scented, and unusually good at holding colour in strong sun — most orange lilies bleach by the second week, this one deepens.

Plant it with lavender, salvia or anything blue-grey. It makes the coral look deliberate.

What you get

• Coral petals with a violet blush and a warm orange throat.
• Holds its colour in full sun instead of bleaching.
• 4–5 blooms per stem, each 6–7 in across.
• Top-size 14/16 cm bulbs — flowers the first summer.
• Hardy to zone 4 and reliable in borders and large pots.

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.