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Lilium michiganense

Michigan lily

Liliaceae Central and eastern North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Attracts Hummingbirds Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 3–7

Overview

Lilium michiganense is a bulb-forming perennial growing 2-5 feet (0.6-1.5 m) tall on a single upright stem, with lance-shaped leaves 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long arranged in whorls along the stem. From June to July it carries one to several nodding flowers on long, arching stalks at the top of the stem. Each flower is 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) across, orange to reddish-orange with dark maroon spots toward the centre, and the six tepals curl strongly backward to form the recurved shape of a Turk's-cap lily. The long stamens and style hang well below the flower, tipped with rust-brown pollen. The plant grows from a white, scaly bulb and spreads slowly by short rhizomes into small clumps. It occupies wet meadows, prairie swales, streambanks, and moist thickets across the central and eastern United States and adjacent Canada. The flowers are pollinated mainly by swallowtail butterflies. All parts, especially the bulbs, are poisonous to cats and can cause kidney failure if eaten. A limitation in the garden is its need for steady soil moisture, since the bulbs decline in dry ground.

Native Range

Lilium michiganense is native to the central and eastern United States and southern Canada, from Ontario and Manitoba south through the Midwest to Arkansas and Tennessee. It grows in wet prairies, meadows, and moist open woods.

Suggested Uses

Grown in rain gardens, moist meadows, pond and stream margins, and the back of damp borders, spaced 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) apart. Suited to naturalised plantings with steady moisture and room to form clumps. The flowers draw swallowtail butterflies and other large pollinators.

How to Identify

Recognised by its nodding, orange-red flowers with strongly recurved, maroon-spotted tepals and long, dangling stamens, carried above whorls of lance-shaped leaves. The Turk's-cap flower shape and whorled leaves separate it from upright-flowered garden lilies. Plants grow from white, scaly bulbs in moist ground.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2' - 5'

Width/Spread1' - 2'

Reaches mature size in approximately 4 years

Colors

Flower Colors

orange

red

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Summer

Nodding orange-red flowers open from June to July, one to several on each stem. The recurved tepals and long stamens are held on arching stalks above the foliage. Each plant blooms for two to three weeks in early to midsummer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

orange-red with maroon spots

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam silt clay

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-4 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Lilium michiganense grows in full sun to part shade and consistently moist, fertile soil rich in organic matter. It is grown from bulbs planted in autumn or from seed, which takes several years to reach flowering size. The bulbs need steady moisture through the growing season and tolerate seasonal wetness, but decline in dry or droughty soil. A cool root run, with low planting among other perennials or under a layer of mulch, suits the bulbs. Voles and deer browse the bulbs and stems where populations are high.

Pruning

No routine pruning is needed. Spent flower stalks are removed after bloom to prevent seed formation where self-sowing is not wanted, leaving the stem and leaves to feed the bulb. The whole stem is cut to the ground after it yellows in autumn.