Lilium candidum - Madonna Lily

Lilium candidum, also known as Madonna lily and white lily, bears beautiful white blooms in spring. They emit a glorious fragrance that is sublime in bouquets. It is a very hardy bulbous plant that is easy to grow. It naturalises over time in neutral to very calcareous, well-drained soils, even those that are very dry in summer. Its main enemy is the lily beetle, a small bright red beetle whose voracious larvae can completely wipe out its foliage.

The white lily belongs to the Liliaceae family. It is a botanical species native to the Balkans and Asia Minor (Lebanon, Syria). It is occasionally sub-spontaneous in the Mediterranean basin and has been grown in many regions since antiquity. The lightly-coloured bulb is slightly flattened and composed of fleshy scales. It grows just at ground level. The vegetation emerges from the ground in late summer or early autumn, unlike that of other lilies that develop in spring. It takes the form of a basal rosette composed of bright green leaves. This rosette rises in early spring to form a leafy flower stalk along its entire length easily reaching 1m (3ft) in height. The basal leaves are oblong and spreading, 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) long. The smaller leaves at the top of the stem are lanceolate and erect, arranged in a spiral. Their colour is a bright light green. At the end of this stem are 5 to 10 elongated flower buds. Each bud opens into a large, trumpet-shaped flower, 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) in diameter, composed of immaculate white petals. The throat is slightly tinged with yellow-green, and the stamens are golden yellow. This flowering emits a powerful, almost heady fragrance in the evening. It blooms between May and June, depending on the climate. The vegetation turns yellow and then dries out in early summer, while the bulb enters dormancy. This lily lasts for years by producing bulbils that are born on the periphery of large bulbs.

We plant it as soon as possible, because it takes advantage of the autumn rains to develop the leaves. It looks beautiful in beds, borders, and pots, and is perfect for making bouquets. Plant it with shrubs with small flowers (deutzia, bush roses, dwarf lilacs, physocarpus, etc.) or with beautiful, robust perennials such as peonies or sage.