Giant Lily is a towering bulbous perennial that brings woodland drama to shaded gardens in zones 7-9. Native to the Himalayas, China, and Myanmar, this botanical variety grows 6 to 8 feet tall and produces stunning white trumpet-shaped flowers up to 8 inches long, with greenish outer petals and purple streaking inside. The blooms emerge in June through August in nodding clusters atop thick, rigid stems, releasing a haunting fragrance that drifts through the garden. Growing this spectacular plant demands commitment, but the reward is a flowering display of genuine grandeur that few perennials can match.
Partial Shade
Moderate
7-9
96in H x 36in W
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Moderate
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Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense towers 72 to 96 inches tall, making it one of the most vertically dramatic bulbs you can grow. Its nodding, fragrant trumpet flowers bloom in terminal racemes throughout summer, each bloom reaching 8 inches long with subtle two-tone coloring, white petals blushed with green on the outside and marked with deep purple streaks within. The plant rises from a handsome basal rosette of broad, hosta-like, glossy leaves with heart-shaped bases that are ornamental long before the flowers appear. These bulbs are monocarpic, meaning they flower once and decline, but they produce offsets and seed that can sustain a colony for decades of blooming.
Giant Lily serves as a dramatic focal point in shade gardens, woodland settings, and sheltered borders where its towering height and luminous summer blooms command attention. The showy white flowers and fragrant racemes make it valued as a cut flower for large arrangements, though its height and structural stems must be accounted for in design. In regions where it thrives, experienced gardeners cultivate it as a specimen plant in deep, fertile borders where its monocarpic cycle can be managed through offsets and seed saving, creating a continuous display across successive years.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seed in bulb trays indoors; seedlings should be planted out fresh each year to establish strong bulb development.
Plant new bulbs in early spring with the tips at soil surface level into deep, fertile, humusy, organically rich soil in part shade.
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“The giant lily originates from cloud forests and woodland areas throughout the Himalayan range, China, and Myanmar, where it has grown for centuries in its native habitat. The var. yunnanense designation reflects the plant's Yunnan province origins in southwestern China. Collectors and botanists have documented this species for well over a century, and it remains relatively rare in cultivation outside specialist gardens, a testament to both its environmental needs and the patience required to grow it from seed or offset. The plant has never been widely commercialized precisely because of these demands, which keeps it among the treasured discoveries for dedicated gardeners who appreciate botanical authenticity and are willing to invest years in its development.”