The first Saturday after the Fourth of July is typically the particular date for theNew England Lily SocietyShow , and I hate to admit it , but I think that I ’ve been to almost all of them since – here I go – 1974 or so . Yes , I am that honest-to-goodness ! Actually , I started when I was about a very nerdy 14 year honest-to-goodness – when the NRLG , or New England Regional Lily Group used to apply their shows at the former Horticultural Hall in downtown Worcester , MA , the home of the Worcester County Horticultural Society , which today has move and become Tower Hill Botanic Garden .
For whatever reasonableness , the Lily Show is my favourite – and deplorably , nothing like it used to be ( like most flower demo – why are n’t more people stupefy interested in joining and competing in plant beau monde any longer ? ) . I recollect that the first works high society show that I ever attended aside from a outpouring peak show , was the lily show ( mayhap 1971 or so ? ) . By 1974 , I started participate , although I must allow in , I am quite shamed for not unite the lily club . I did join , once or twice over the year , but honestly , I go to so many plant societies right now , that I have decided to just savor raise lilies – I can join when I am recede . Not setting a good example here folks , but , it is what it is .
Lilies are confusing to many new gardener , and even to relatively experienced gardeners , as there are different types which can be confusing . Asian and Oriental seem so like by name , but they are sluttish to identify – Asiatics are earlier crashing , unremarkably have upright flowers although some are outface or pendant ( most of the lily in this show are Asiatic)whilst Oriental lily have larger , by and by - blooming flowers , and , they are often highly fragrant . Just think Casa Blanca , the most typical and iconic Oriental . Trumpets are , well – think Easter Lily , but there are many name mixed bag of Trumpets . Naturally , to mix up thing , there are metal money lily ( those launch in nature ) in all family – for example , there are many types of godforsaken trumpet lily species . Turkscap lilies are more often than not a term which includes the Martagons ( with waxy , down facing turkscaps ) and some of our aboriginal species such as Lilium canadense here in the North East , and then there are those ‘ tiger lilies ’ . Sure , they could be considered ‘ turks cap ’ in expressive style , but generally speaking , all ‘ tiger lily ’ are Lilium tigrinum , a metal money form .
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To confuse thing more , of course , Tiger Lilies are sometimes what folks call the wild orange day lilies ( Hemerocallis fulva ) that has naturalized all over much of Eastern US . Not a reliable lily , even though it ’s common name has ‘ lily ’ in it . Simply said , true lily arise from bulbs , Daylilies grow from rhizomes .
Onto lilies at this year ’ lily show . Last years show was SO spectacular with so many later blooming Oriental and Trumpet crosses ( often called OrienPets or Tree Lilies ) , that I had mellow promise this year but this was a show predominate by Asiatics , and at that , not that many . I have a impuissance for trumpet lilies , Orientpets and mostly down facing Asiatics – if I have to let in it , I really detest up facing asiatics – hey , we all have our thing . I think I was influenced by a member of the lily guild back in the 1970 ’s who first turned me onto exhibit and growing lily – fellow lily grower and illustrator Giny Howie ( Virginia Howie ) who was so kind to take me under her backstage at one of these former shows , and encouraged me to get and exhibit lily . She gave me one of her autographed books , and I read it on the bus all the elbow room home , clutching it so tightly . I still have a copy ( and you could still get onhere ) .
Virginia Howies illustration reminded me of my forefather illustrations that he used to do for the local paper , so maybe we nted to recreate in my own garden these very illustrations – some of which were on display at this lily show , which was very nostalgic for me .
Those other lily show often had tabular array with many lilies not seen anymore – I remember ‘ Connecticut Yankee ’ and many wild down facing Lilium canadense ( illegal to pick today , but one can raise them from seed or light bulb purchased ) . I miss these ‘ Virginia Howie ’ style lilies , but many of the newfangled Oriental - Trumpet crossbreed look even more like her sketches than many of the down facing Asiatics do .
Even though Virginia Howie ’s vignette captured those bit in the Worcester County Horticultural Societies summer exhibition , the Modern exposition hall at the society new place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden are equally as nice , and the lighting is better .
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