Lilium x asiatica Forever Susan - Asiatic Lily

The Asian lily 'Forever Susan' is a variety that offers remarkably colourful flowers that have a great impact in the garden and in bouquets. It is a rather early, sturdy and very floriferous cultivar. Easy to grow in any well-drained garden soil, this quite fantastic plant is within reach of novice gardeners. Once well established, it faithfully blooms every year and multiplies spontaneously. Also create a superb bouquet by combining it with small white flowers.

The genus Lilium belongs to the Liliaceae family, its representatives are bulbous plants whose vegetation is deciduous in winter. Their bulb rests underground during winter. Asian hybrids are floriferous and robust lilies, without fragrance, offering a wide range of bright colours. These plants flower early in the season, are very hardy, and their cultivation poses no particular difficulty.

The Lilium 'Forever Susan' is a Dutch horticultural selection from Lily Company B.V. dating back to 2010.  Its vegetation starts around April, to produce a leafy stem. It will reach 90 cm to 1.10 m in height when flowering, depending on the bulb size and growing conditions. The plant will spread indefinitely over time, with bulbs producing bulblets through vegetative propagation. Flowering occurs from mid-June to mid-July, depending on the climate. Towards the top of the leafy stems, several upright flowers measuring up to 12 cm in diameter form on a mature plant. Inside the petals, there is a beautiful deep orange-red violet, enhanced by a large flame-shaped spot in shades of dark red-violet and dark brown. The throat displays a bright orange-red, with a honey-green groove. Externally, the petal edges show a gradient from brown-orange to orange-red, with a slight light green reflection at the base and along the central vein. The inside of the petals is orange-red, with brown-orange nuances above and around the central vein. Some brown-violet spots dot the petals, which are without papillae and smooth, slightly curved. The pollen is a bright orange-brown. The leaves are a fresh green, measuring about 10.5 cm long by 1.1 cm wide. The green stem supports up to five flowers.

A bulbous plant requiring light and fertile soil, this 'Forever Susan' lily will thrive year after year in any well-balanced and well-loosened soil. It brings an exotic and bold touch to the garden with its flamboyant tones. Plant it in groups in a sunny flower bed or border, it can become the centerpiece of a plant scene. To enhance its remarkable colours, it can be paired with Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' with fuchsia pink flowers, 'Crimson Pirate' daylily with bright red petals, and 'Midnight Blue' Agapanthus producing intense blue umbels. Together, these plants create an exotic tableau, without requiring complex growing conditions. This medium-sized lily is naturally sensational in bouquets.