7 white-flowered lilies for an elegant garden.

Lilium regale 'Album'

The Lilium regale ‘Album’, also known as the regal lily or trumpet lily, is the white form of a remarkable botanical species, easy to grow. This bulbous plant of imposing, majestic and scented stature dazzles by offering up to 30 trumpet-shaped flowers fully opened, pure white with a lemon-centred heart. Its flowering occurs in July, providing a reliable display year after year. With exceptional robustness and reliability, this lily adds a touch of sophistication to the garden and gives a distinctive character to floral arrangements. Botanical lilies preserve the grace and vigour of wild species, often lost in hybrid varieties.

The Royal Lily ‘Album’ is a bulbous plant with deciduous foliage, developing in spring with a narrow, upright habit. Its flowering height can reach 1.5 m, and its spread is unlimited thanks to vegetative propagation by bulblets. In July and August, umbels of trumpet-shaped flowers appear, releasing a heady fragrance, with petals extending up to 14 cm. The leaves, dark green and lanceolate, complete its appearance. Aerial bulblets form at the leaf axils, adding to its vigour and longevity.

This lily, capable of surviving decades of neglect, embodies reliability, undemanding nature and longevity. It blends harmoniously with perennial plants such as lupins, gaura and delphiniums.

Lilium 'Navona'

Lilium ‘Navona’ is a highly prized Asian lily in floristry for its large, pure white, satin flowers with almost-black anthers, long-lasting in a vase. Hardy and floriferous, with a compact habit, it is suitable for pot culture as well as borders. Easy to grow, even for novice gardeners, this hybrid, developed in the Netherlands in 1994, offers a bright display in summer. Its leafy stems bear vibrant flowers that pair perfectly with many perennials. In borders or in a pot on the patio, Lilium ‘Navona’ brings a touch of elegance and freshness, creating romantic and harmonious floral displays.

Rarely offered in the horticultural trade, this lily was obtained by crossing several Asian species, including the Lilium longiflorum, vigorous and very adaptable. It grows to around 70 cm tall when in flower, and the clump spreads without bound over time, with bulblets produced by vegetative propagation. The flowering takes place from July–August, depending on the climate.

The pristine white flowers of ‘Navona’, perfect in a white garden, pair with all other flowering displays. Plant it with bush roses, paniculate gypsophilas and campanulas.

Lilium martagon var. album

The White martagon lily stands out for its immaculate white flowers, with a unique turban-shaped character. Of montane origin, it combines wildness and delicacy, blooming along long stems in tight clusters with a distinctive fragrance. Hardy and robust, it thrives in wild gardens and expansive borders, tolerant of chalky soils.

Lilium martagon var. album is a natural variety found mainly in Europe, from northern Asia Minor to Mongolia. This bulbous and deciduous plant, rare but widely distributed, can reach up to 150 cm in height when in flower, with a spread of 45 cm. Its flowering, from June to August, is marked by numerous brilliant white blooms, releasing a delicate fragrance in the evening. The recurved petals reveal long orange stamens, attracting nocturnal moths such as the Moro sphinx. Its light-green foliage, with spatulate leaves, elegantly accompanies its flowers.

For a harmonious garden, pair this lily with non-invasive perennial plants such as daylilies or Liatris spicata, promoting shade at the base and shielding the stems from the wind. A true botanical treasure, it attracts discerning collectors.

Lilium speciosum var. album

Lilium 'Ivory Pixie'

Lilium longiflorum 'Snow Queen'

The Lilium longiflorum ‘Snow Queen’ is a large variety with immaculate white blooms, a sturdy stem bearing 2 to 8 long, tapering trumpets with a yellow-green throat, releasing a sumptuous fragrance reminiscent of freesia. This generous variety, though not demanding, prefers fertile soils and staying cool at all times. It thrives in warm climates and does not require a long chilling period to flower. A delight in the garden as well as in a cut flower arrangement, this bloom is a must-have in floristry.

The Lilium longiflorum originates from the islands to the south of Japan and Taiwan. ‘Snow Queen’, larger than the wild species, can reach 90 cm to 1 m in height when in bloom, with vegetative multiplication of bulbs producing numerous bulblets. In July–August, its long trumpets, 12–17 cm, open on glossy, narrow lanceolate leaves, dark green, measuring about 20 cm long by 2.5 cm wide.

Pair the Snow Queen Lily with perennial plants such as the Diascia ‘Breeze Plus White’, the Carex morrowii ‘Variegata’ or small, low-maintenance bushes to protect the stems from wind and to provide shade at the base.

Lilium 'Polar Star'

The Oriental lily ‘Polar Star’ offers double, white flowers with a touch of green at the centre, emitting a delightful fragrance. Its late flowering reaches its peak in August–September. It is an horticultural hybrid introduced in 2012, reaching at least 70 cm in height when in bloom, and it grows taller with age. In August, umbels of flowers 15 cm in diameter emerge, featuring undulate and reflexed petals, often tinged with a green glow at the heart. The sturdy stems, bearing dark green, glossy alternate leaves, complete its majestic appearance.

Prefer humus-rich, well-drained soils, as Oriental lilies do not enjoy calcareous and heavy soils. ‘Polar Star’ thrives in a pot on the patio or in a border with low shrubs, and, of course, in a cut flower bouquet. Pair it with hydrangeas, Pieris, Chinese azaleas. Without stamens or pollen, this variety is a remarkable cut flower in every respect, avoiding pollen stains on clothing.