TALISMAN 
Orange-red, densely spotted with purplish black, Talisman bears 
bulbils in leaf axils. It blooms in July on 6-foot stems, and shows 
Wilmottiae blood along with Tigrinum-umbellatum influence 
Golden Chalices 
Another strain came about from a blending of L. hol- 
landicum (umbellatum) and L. maculatum (elegans) 
strains. After raising several acres of hybrids between 
these two families, we found a surprising number of 
extremely vigorous plants with soft pastel flowers. The 
golden-yellow forms were segregated and inbred so that 
an almost true-breeding strain evolved. These lilies, with 
definite and unique golden-yellow coloring and with broad, 
overlapping petals, seem to have an inner glow, an inde- 
scribable radiance. They’ve been called the Golden Chal- 
ice lilies. 
After the Golden Chalice strain was segregated, a very 
pretty group remained, with colors from palest cornsilk- 
yellow to deepest maroon. These we named ‘Rainbow 
Hybrids.” Gardeners who’ve tried them like their at- 
tractive variations of color and form, good substance and 
unusual vigor. Four of these hybrids were so outstanding 
they are being propagated as named varieties. They 
are Flamingo, Mandarin, Radiance and Tangerine. I 
recommend these new varieties for show purposes rather 
than general use. In time there will be ample stocks at 
lower prices. 
Yet another line was achieved by mixing Tiger lily with 
Rainbow and Golden Chalice lilies. These are the Mid- 
Century hybrids, named for their year of introduction. 
Still other lines of breeding have involved L. henryi, the 
tall willowy lily from China that had golden yellow, nod- 
ding flowers, and various Chinese trumpet lilies. Results 
were again remarkable and their offspring, the Aurelian 
MID-CENTURY HYBRIDS 
The name Mid-century was chosen to indicate the turning-point 
these hybrids represent in lily development. Colorful and easy 
to grow, they vary from pale cornsilk yellow to deepest maroon 
hybrids, will be of immense value to gardens. Most of 
them will be featured in this fall’s bulb catalogues. 
Rose-Colored Trumpets 
We are attempting now something that has fascinated 
breeders for a long time—raising a hybrid lily with large, 
rose-colored trumpet flowers. It must, of course, have 
vigor and all the other good qualities. Several pink species 
exist, but they are such weak things as L. japonicum and 
L. rubellum. 
Nature, in its mysterious way, provided us with some 
mutations of large trumpet lilies. The petals had a defi- 
nite pink tinge. From gardeners the world over such 
mutations have been collected, many crosses have been 
made and already we have some fine, tall, large trumpet 
lilies, sufficiently pink to stand up in the Pacific Coast’s 
summer sun. They cannot, as yet, maintain strong color 
where high night temperatures prevail. But we have 
every reason to hope our efforts soon will be successful, 
and the time is not far off when we will have pink hybrid 
lilies in various shades and sizes. 
When that time comes, hybrid garden lilies will be as 
common in America as tulips and daffodils are now. 
Hundreds of new varieties and strains will then exist, 
for there will be lilies of every color, shape and size for 
every month from May to October or November. Modern 
lilies are already a plant to be reckoned with. If you want 
to be a progressive gardener, if you want the best and 
most beautiful in your garden, the best advice I can give 
is to look at these lilies. 
Reprinted from the July-August issue of POPULAR GARDENING, America’s new all-garden magazine 
Albany, New York—Copyright 1950 by Gardening Publications, Inc. 
