REGIONAL LILY SUPPLIERS
A word about buying lilies - if you live in
the West or Northwest, you should buy your bulbs from Western sources. It is very likely that they have been grown here, and
even the best Eastern nurseries are selling lily bulbs that are actually grown here in the Northwest, often for higher prices.
And buying mail order ensures that they are healthy, vigorous and ready to grow, as they will be shipped to you when the time
is right. Please do not buy your lily bulbs off the shelf, especially from "big box" stores - they are usually sprouting
prematurely or dried out and dying, as they are kept indoors in heated areas. Unfortunately, even most retail nurseries do
this. Lilies never go truly dormant like tulips or daffodils, and they must be kept in cold storage to retain their vital
moisture, as they have no protective covering like most other bulbs. Buy local, buy mail order and you will really see the
difference.
**NEW LISTING**
Faraway Flowers
This internet-only bulb merchant
is quite new on the scene, but they have already garnered a reputation
for quality. If you want the newest varieties available in today's market, check them out. They specialize in cutting-edge
lilies you will not have seen elsewhere.
**NEW LISTING**
Lilyseeds.com
Mailing address:
Ribbon Nursery
PO Box 82
Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805 USA
This company offers seeds only, with an especially nice selection of Western American hybrid seeds, as well
as species and other hybrids. Photos of the parent lilies on the site are very helpful in making your selection. You will
find seeds of unusual breeding that cannot be found elsewhere.
**NEW LISTING**
Rainbow Lily Seed
c/o
Rainbow Francom
PO Box 1296
Middletown, CA.
95461
This small mail order company specializes
in seeds of Western American native lily species, and they also have a nice selection of hybrid Oriental, Asiatic and Martagon
seed, as well as other lily species seed. This is a great way to try growing lily species without spending a lot of money -
with a little patience, you can have lilies from seed in just a few years. Also, it is very hard to find some species in bulb
form - seeds are the way to go.
The Lily Garden
4902 NE 147th Ave
Vancouver WA 98682-6067
The Lily Garden specializes in
true garden lilies; healthy, hardy and long-lived. Owner Judith Freeman is a world
class hybridizer and has introduced many of her own creations to the trade over the years. A lovely color catalogue is available.
The Lily Pad Bulb Farm
3403 Steamboat Island Rd, PMB 374
Olympia WA 98502
The
Lily Pad is a mail order company specializing in lilies but they also have daylilies and other perennials. This company carries
many very popular lily varieties, a good number of which they grow themselves to ensure the highest quality.
B & D Lilies
284566 Hwy 101 S
PO Box 2007
Port Townsend WA 98368
This family-owned mail order nursery has a
huge selection of Northwest-grown lilies, and daylilies too. Many new varieties are introduced to the trade for the first
time by B & D. Their gorgeous color catalogue is a must-have!
Cascade Bulb & Seed (Please
note NEW web address & e-mail for this merchant.)
PO Box 271
Scotts Mills OR 97375
This small mail order company is one of the
few that sells lily seeds as well as bulbs, and has a small but quality selection of lily bulbs selected for good health and
hardiness. Also featured are hard-to-find species Hemerocallis (daylilies).
Wallace W. Hansen, Grower,
Native Plants of the Northwest
2158 Bower Ct SE
Salem, OR 97301
This is a small regional Northwest grower who carries only
Northwest native plants, and occasionally has lilies for sale. (Lilies must be picked up at the nursery, no shipping.) The
species available for 2005 are L. columbianum, L. pardalinum, and L. washingtonianum. Even if you do
not buy any lilies, check out the impressive list of Western native plants listed. Many of these would be wonderful companions
for naturalized beds of lilies.
Collector's Nursery
16804 NE 102nd Ave
Battle Ground WA 98604
This small "boutique" nursery specializes in the unusual.
They do have species lilies from time to time, but this is the place if you want perennials for shade or companions for your
naturalized lily plantings. The selecton of Epimediums alone will amaze you. An online color catalog will entice
you further. **UPDATE - this nursery is closing and no longer accepts mail orders, but they may be re-opening
in 2008 with a new direction. They are keeping the web site updated and there is a vast amount of plant information on it
for everyone to use.**
NOTE: This is not by any means a complete list of regional lily merchants. We have not listed any wholesalers
here, and cannot endorse one company over any other, but the ones shown here have a history of customer satisfaction
and reliability. If you know of another Pacific Northwest lily grower who should be on this list, please let us know.
RECOMMENDED READING
**PLEASE NOTE: For a review of and information on obtaining Dr. Eugene
Fox's new book on Martagon lilies, please see the link on our News and Events page.**
Lilies: A Guide for Growers
and Collectors by Edward Austin McRae, Timber Press 1998
This book has become the standard by which
all others are judged in a few short years. Ed McRae has spent nearly his entire working life with lilies and it shows in
this wonderful book. Extensive cultural advice, great photos and a truly outstanding section on growing the wild Lilium
species are some of the features of this book. You can't go wrong with this one.
Lilies, by Victoria Matthews,
Collingridge 1989
This fine book is one of the Kew Gardening
Guides published in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens in England. It has a very nice species section and also features
many European lily varieties not commonly seen in the United States.
The Gardener's Guide to Growing
Lilies, by Michael Jefferson-Brown and Harris Howland, Timber Press 1995
Another excellent book by British authors,
this is a complete guide to lily culture as the title implies, and also has sections on hybridizing and growing your own lilies
from seed. Highly recommended.
Let's
Grow Lilies, by Virginia Howie
This
48-page illustrated handbook packs a lot into its pages. It is available with NALS membership (click on the link at left to
find out more) and although intended for beginners it is valuable for all lily growers and full of humor as well. One of the
best things about it is a list of lily species complete with a pronunciation guide - very helpful!
Again, this is NOT a complete list of lily
books, as many excellent ones are out of print and hard to find. However, if you really want to search them out
a rare book specialist can be of help. One such source is a regional company specializing in gardening and plant books:
Calendula Horticultural Books
1411 NW 120th St.
Vancouver, WA 98685
Phone: (360) 573-6581
