Lilium Purple Eye

Lilium 'Purple Eye' is a large hybrid Asiatic lily which is original and fascinating. This true novelty offers spectacular flowers in a completely unprecedented colour. Each flower is bicoloured, satin pink-violet marked by an eye-catching wide central halo of such dark purple it almost appears black. This generous variety produces up to 12 star-shaped flowers per stem, widely open to the sky, quite early in the season. Asiatic lilies are floriferous and easy to grow in humus-rich, light soil. It is a robust and easy-to-grow plant, simply excellent in borders or bouquets.

Lilium 'Purple Eye' is a deciduous bulbous plant, with an imposing, narrow and upright habit from spring. It belongs to the lily family. This plant will easily reach 90 cm (35in) high, even 1.20 m (4ft), getting stronger over the years. The clump will spread without theoretical limit over time, with the bulbs producing bulblets through vegetative multiplication. The spectacular flowering takes place in July-August with up to 12 flowers along sturdy stems, grouped in erect umbels. They have a very silky finish and an astonishing colour; the petals are a medium pink-violet, speckled with violet-purple on a large central area dotted with black-violet. At full bloom,  one can distinguish small very pale pink marks near the throat, heavily speckled with red-purple, and carmine stamens with anthers covered in bronze pollen. The tall stems of this lily are covered in alternate, dark green, narrow and shiny leaves, which remain ornamental for a long time.

 
This lily likes rich humus, neutral to slightly acidic, well-drained and light soil. You can grow it with perennial plants or smaller and not dense bushes such as dwarf Japanese maples or deciduous azaleas, as it likes having its base in the shade. The other plants will help prevent the stems from leaning due to the wind. 'Purple Eye', planted en masse at the edge of a border, pairs well with white-flowered lily varieties to create a superb contrast. It will be beautifully enhanced by the airy flowering of paniculate baby's breath, chamomiles, and Coreopsis, but will also blend very well with white roses. lilies are ideal in borders, and of course in bouquets.