Lilium Baferrari - Oriental Lily

The Lilium ‘Baferrari’ is an Oriental hybrid lily with classic charm, prized for its large white flowers with a yellow centre, its powerful fragrance, and its vigour. It is a tall, summer-flowering perennial that brings light to borders, patios, or any part of the garden frequented in summer. It also makes a remarkable cut flower, perfect for rustic or contemporary cut flower arrangements, or for special occasions.

Botanically, Lilium ‘Baferrari’ belongs to the Liliaceae family, which includes many ornamental bulbous plants. It is a deciduous bulbous perennial: the foliage dies back in winter, the bulb remains dormant in the soil, and regrows in spring. It is a hybrid from the Oriental group (VIIa/b). Its distant ancestors are great Japanese lilies such as Lilium auratum and L. speciosum, known for their immense, highly fragrant flowers. Selected by the Dutch breeder M.A. van den Berg & Zn before 2010 and registered in the Netherlands in 2015, ‘Baferrari’ is widely cultivated by bulb growers. The plant reaches 90 cm to 1.20 m in height, on a single, straight stem covered in lanceolate, glossy, dark green leaves. The flowers, borne at the top of the stem, measure 15 to 18 cm in diameter. They are cup-shaped with 6 slightly undulate petals and face upwards or are held horizontally. Each tepal is creamy white, with a lemon-yellow to yellow-green stripe running its entire length, sometimes punctuated with small pale spots. The stamens bear brown-red anthers rich in pollen. Flowering occurs from July to August, depending on the region. Like all true lilies, it is very decorative, but all parts are toxic to cats, which is important to remember.

In the garden, ‘Baferrari’ is often used in small groups of three to five bulbs, planted in the middle of a perennial border. Its light-coloured flowers pair particularly well with Paniculate Phlox ‘Blue Paradise’, with its violet-blue panicles, or with the Agapanthus ‘Windsor Grey’, with its umbels of sparkling white. You can also plant it in front of a tall ornamental grass like Panicum virgatum ‘Cloud Nine’ or in front of a Hydrangea paniculata ‘Great Star’ (Le Vasterival) with its large white panicles. In a vase, its flower stems pair beautifully with fern foliage, a few stems of Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), and Baby's Breath (Gypsophila).