Lilium Peppard Gold - Martagon Lily

The 'Peppard Gold' hybrid martagon lily is a reliable, easy-to-grow variety with a rather unusual colour. Each bulb forms a floral stem adorned with many small flowers, with well-curved petals, in a range of yellow and orange tones, speckled with cinnamon brown spots. It should be placed in the morning sun or at the edge of a grove where its colours will be highlighted. It is a bit slow to establish but then it will faithfully bloom each year and multiply by producing bulblets.

Lilium 'Peppard Gold' belongs to the Liliaceae family. It is a hybrid that possesses the genes of Lilium martagon, a botanic species with somewhat delicate cultivation, and L. hansonii, a vigorous and undemanding plant native to East Asia. 'Peppard Gold' is a deciduous bulb with a narrow and upright habit from spring. This variety will reach a height of between 80 cm (32in) and 1 m (3ft) when in bloom. Its growth will spread without a theoretical limit over time, with the bulbs producing bulbils through vegetative multiplication. Its abundant and fragrant flowering takes place in June-July. On a mature plant, each floral stem bears between 20 and 30, 5 cm (2in) diameter flowers, hanging towards the ground. Their thick and slightly shiny-textured petals curl up when mature. The base colour is a golden to orange yellow, with each petal tinged with apricot and orange and speckled with brown. A range of colours that blends beautifully with the prominent orange stamens. The fragrance of the flowers attracts a large number of pollinating insects. The leaves of this lily are dark green and lanceolate in shape. This hybrid is a very long-lived plant that naturalises over time. The above-ground vegetation completely dries out in winter.

You can grow the Peppard Gold lily with perennial plants in your garden, as lilies appreciate having shade at their roots, or grow it in a pot to bring it closer to your terrace or window borders, so you can fully enjoy its exceptional flowers. The warm colours of this lily harmonise with whites and the entire range of yellow to red or purple tones. To play with colour contrast, combine it with the blue flowers of salvias or catmints, for example.