Lilium Russian Morning - Lily

'Russian Morning' is a hybrid martagon lily with numerous small, slightly recurved, deep and rich pink, almost pink-violet flowers, speckled with dark purple, and with orange stamens. Their texture is firm, with a waxy appearance, ensuring a long flowering period. The delicate candelabra-like silhouette conceals sturdy stems that bear abundant and uniquely coloured flowers, which stand out in the garden. Butterflies love these lilies, which thrive in well-drained soil in the garden and can also be grown in pots to better appreciate their precious flowers.

'Russian Morning' is a deciduous bulbous plant, with a narrow and upright tuft of foliage from spring. It belongs to the Lily family and is a hybrid obtained by cross-breeding Lilium martagon and Lilium hansonii. This compact plant will reach a height of 70 cm (28in) when in bloom and the clump will spread without a theoretical limit over time as the bulbs produce bulblets through vegetative multiplication. From early summer to August, modest-sized, well-held flowers 4 to 5 cm (2in) in diameter appear, arranged in clusters along the floral stem. Their blooms hang towards the ground. Their petals slightly curl up when ripe, displaying a pink-violet colour and punctuated with a dark red, which is accentuated in cool temperatures. Each stem bears at least twenty flowers. The dark green leaves are lanceolate. This hybrid is very long-lived and naturalises over time.

This lily establishes itself more slowly than Asian, trumpet or Oriental lilies. It may take an additional season before flowering, and planting conditions must be carefully considered. Martagon lilies sulk when moved and need time to settle. Plant lilies with other perennials in flower beds as they like having their feet in the shade, and these perennials will help prevent the stems from bending under the wind. The 'Russian Morning' hybrid is perfect in sunny flower beds, in a large pot on the terrace, and of course in bouquets. The botanical martagon lily, from which this variety and a magnificent line of hybrids are derived, is a protected bulb flower in nature, with remarkable flowers and foliage.