This is my second Madonna Lily flower in bloom. They smell lovely (like Heather Honey I have just read).
These were grown over 3500 years ago in Crete. They are symbolic of the purity of the Virgin Mary.
I looked for years for the bulbs, before finding them for sale at the Autumn Flower Show in Harrogate.
I planted the bulb at the old house, but had to dig it up and have kept it in a pot.
I need to find some moist soil in a shaded place for it. It grows a rosette of leaves over the winter before they die back in june,before it flowers in July.
I caught some horrible green caterpillar inside where the flower buds were growing, enwrapped up in a leaf tent that the parent had sewn shut. Once I opened the leaf tent I removed the beastie. The flower bulbs have developed and bloomed. If i had not caught it, the beastie would have eaten all the Lilys flower buds.
It will be interesting to see if I can make it repeat flower. The scent is lovely, sweet, and heady when the breeze catches it.
It was well worth the wait of finding a bulb for sale of this ancient Lily..
3 comments:
It looks very beautiful. I prefer the fragrance of Lilies outside - I find they can be very overpowering indoors.
My Madonna lilies bloom much earlier than yours does, and I love them too. I have had mine for years and look forward each spring to their flowering. Glad you were able to rid the bloom of its bug before it ruined it.
Jan
Always Growing
What a pretty lily. I'm hooked on oriental lilies, which have buds but haven't bloomed yet this season. Their scent overpowers some people but I love it (outside, at least).
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