Rainbow Prism Lily Bulbs

Lilium Oriental Hybrid — Rainbow Prism. Every petal runs the whole spectrum — green at the throat, then yellow, then pink, then blue at the tip — and the effect changes with the angle you look from.

It behaves like an oil slick, or the inside of a shell. Six to seven inches across, opening flat, with dark freckles scattered through the middle and dark stamens that stop the whole thing from turning into a sweet-shop mess. Three to five blooms per stem on 3–4 ft stalks.

The plant underneath is an ordinary hardy lily: full sun, well-drained soil, comes back every year. Only the colour is extraordinary.

What you get

• Iridescent petals running green, yellow, pink and blue on one flower.
• Flat-faced 6–7 in blooms, three to five per stem.
• Ordinary lily care — full sun, well-drained soil, hardy to zone 4.
• Top-size 14/16 cm bulbs — flowers the first season.
• A talking point in a pot by a door, where visitors walk right past it.

How to grow it

• Plant: 3 bulbs to a 12 in / 30 cm pot, 6 in deep, in free-draining compost. Terracotta or a heavy pot keeps a 4 ft stem from tipping.
• Water: freely while growing, then ease off once the flowers fade and the leaves yellow.
• Light: full sun. Turn the pot every few days so the stem grows straight.
• Cold: hardy to zone 4 in the ground; in a pot, move it against a wall for winter.
• After flowering: feed once with a tomato fertiliser and leave the foliage until it dies back.

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.