Lilium Heartstrings - Asiatic Lily

The Lilium ‘Heartstrings’ is an Asiatic lily of the LA hybrid type (a cross-breeding between Longiflorum and Asiatic lilies) that captivates with its large, bicoloured star-shaped peach-yellow flowers, broadly edged with raspberry and delicately speckled. The flowering lasts for several weeks in summer, borne on sturdy stems. Of fairly tall stature, this lily quickly forms an elegant clump, highly visible in sunny borders or on the terrace. Very hardy, it returns faithfully year after year if the soil is well-drained.

A perennial bulb, the 'Heartstrings' lily belongs to the horticultural group of LA hybrids, prized for their large, well-opened flowers and their strong stems. Its erect flower stems reach between 70 cm and 1 m in height depending on the bulb size, soil, and climate. Its medium green, lanceolate foliage is inserted in a spiral along the stems. Each stem carries 5 to 7 buds that open into star-shaped flowers, facing upwards or slightly outwards. They measure about 15 cm in diameter, or even 18–20 cm under optimal conditions. The centre of the corollas is peach-yellow, surrounded by a broad raspberry border and more or less punctate with small dark spots. This lily flowers in June-July. It prefers a deep, humus-bearing, cool but well-drained soil, neutral to slightly acidic, and a sunny to lightly shaded exposure; it is hardy down to –20 °C (zones 4 to 8).

To use it in the garden, plant this Lilium ‘Heartstrings’ in small groups of 3 to 5 bulbs in the middle of a border. Its peach and raspberry tones pair well with the intense blue of a Delphinium Pacific Giant 'Blue Jay' or the warm pink of the Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’. It also makes a good companion for landscape roses like  ‘Bonica’, whose flowering continues all summer. In a more contemporary setting, you can pair it with the large, creamy, tousled flowers of a Dahlia 'Tsuki Yori no Shisha'. In a large pot on the terrace or near the entrance, it also provides superb flowers for summer cut flower arrangements.