Cybister Lima

Reblooming for me this season is Cybister Lima, with one scape that is about 25 inches tall and four flowers with light green and burgundy color combination. Lima was developed from species Hippeastrum cybister, native to Bolivia and Argentina and Hippeastrum papilio, native to Brazil. Bred by Fred Meyer of California.









Lima's parentage:

Hippeastum cybister andPhoto: Doug Westfall (www.bulbsociety.org)

Hippeastrum papilio.Photo: Doug Westfall (www.bulbsociety.org)

Here is a list of cybister hybrids, maybe some are readily available and maybe some are hard to find.

Chico
Reggae
Emerald
Jungle Star
La Paz
Bogota
Quito
Rio Negro
Rosario
Ruby Meyer
Night Star
Machala
Meringue
Cyber Queen
San Miguel
Santana
Sumatra
Santa Rosa
Tango
Toscana
Autumn Star

Lilium Kushi Maya

With all of these interdivisional hybrid lilies being introduced, here comes the hottest hybrid that is causing a sensation worldwide.




Kushi Maya was created by Arie Pederse, a world renowned lily hybridizer for H. W. Hyde & Sons of Ruscome England. Bred from L. nepalense and an unnamed vigorous white oriental lily by embryo rescue. She carry the traits of both varieties, having the sweet smell of an oriental by day and the fragrance of L. nepalense by night.

Arie Pederse is also the breeder behind the beautiful OT Robina.

Species Lily Nepalense photo from Wikipedia. Native of the Southern slopes of the Himalaya. The flower is pale green with purple throat.


Kushi Maya was introduced to the world at the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show by Richard Hyde. A repeat Gold Medal winner at Chelsea and many other English flower shows.

Calvin Helsley of Missouri entered Kushi Maya for the NALS Annual Show in June 2009 and won both the Hornback Award for Best Hybridizing Advancement and the Hod Hoepner Award for Best Potted Lily at the show.

A mature bulb of Kushi Maya grows to about 4 feet tall and can have as many as seven blossoms per stem. It creates stem bulblets and reproduces vigorously. It has been proven hardy to 6º F.

Kushi Maya is now being crossed with a number of Interdivisional Hybrids in hopes of creating a whole new line of lilies for the future to delight lily lovers all over the world.



Kushi Maya is the name for female Nepalense children translating into “Happy Love.”


Source: NALS Quarterly Bulletins/Ramona Titus
Photos: Ramona Titus

Interdivisional Hybrid Lilies

Nowadays more and more interdivisional hybrids are coming out in the market. Thanks to the hybridizing works of different hybridizers from around the world. Lilies are classified in 9 divisions:

1. Asiatic Hybrids
2. Martagon Hybrids
3. Candidum Hybrids
4. American Hybrids
5. Longiflorum Hybrids
6. Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids
7. Oriental Hybrids
8. Miscellaneous Hybrids(Interdivisional)
9. Species.

Crossing lilies from different divisions resulted in many new and wonderful lilies that are worth trying to grow in the garden.

Dr. Wilbert Ronald along with Lynn Collicut in Canada developed lilies from Asiatic and Trumpet (Asiapets) divisions- Silky Belles, Ivory Belles and Fiery Belles.

Judith Freeman of The Lily Garden in the US developed Seafarer, also an Asiapet.

Lynn Collicut bred two lilies from Longiflorum and Trumpet (Longipets) called Easter Morn and Easter Charm.

De Jong Lilies in the Netherlands developed hybrids from Oriental and Asiatic (OA): Sunny Crown, First Crown and Elegant Crown.

Longiflorum-Asiatic(LA),Oriental-Trumpet(OT,Orienpet) and Logiflorum-Oriental(LO)are also interdivisional.

The work of David Sims of USA about Martagons and Asiatics (Martasians) are truly an advancement in the lily hybridization.

LO lily Faith with smallish pink-lilac flowers. This image is from its first year growing in my garden. A pretty lily with lovely shape and flower orientation.


LO lily Gizmo


LO lily Triumphator

There are a lot of LO lilies out there. El Condor, Vandella, Bellsong, Pink Heaven, Chiara, Miyabi and more. One particular variety that I am interested to grow in my garden is the yellow one called Deliana. The first yellow LO I've seen.

Here are some links for additional information.

The Lily Nook

Lily Classification

Sequoias of the Lily World

Sowing Seeds and Other Stuff

Hello there everyone. I apologize for my long absence. Been busy all these days and today, I've finally found the time to do a post. No amaryllis is blooming yet. Lima is on the verge and everything else are still asleep.

Sharing with you what is going on here and what are my future endeavors.

The Muscari armeniacum bulbs I planted on Christmas eve are now growing. After a week in the cold and dark spot in the basement, they were so eager to grow as seen on the above photo. Muscaris send up leaves in the fall and they stay green all winter, then their flowers come up in spring. (Just mentioning this fact for my readers in tropical climate.) I have patches of album and armeniacum growing in the garden and are planted where the snow thaws first when the temperature warms up. It is great to see those green leaves in winter time, sign of the arrival of spring.

This is how they look right now. I put them under regular fluorescent lights. The Poeticus Recurvus daffs are planted in the bottom of the pot. I hope the daffs will bloom in the spring. I am concerned that they are not getting enough cold treatment.

I started sowing some of my lily seeds (following the Cramer method). These are the results of my maiden hybridization efforts last year. I started with asiatics and trumpets, both divisions are easy to grow as they germinate epigeally. The crosses in the containers are Centerfold x Chianti, Tiny Ghost x Lollipop and Tiny Todd x Tiny Ghost. The trumpet crosses will be sown soon. (The tags you see are from B and B's and I reused them.)

These seedheads are from a gardening friend and winter sown them today as seen on the bottom photo. I have been reading about winter sowing and tried it.

Pulsatilla seeds sown today.

These are from a trading friend in Minnesota. I read that they are kind of tricky to grow, requiring warm period of germination followed by cold treatment. If anybody grew this plant from seeds, please share your experience.

Trillium grandiflorum from eBay.

I found them in bad state. The growth on the rhizomes are drying out except for one. Stored in the fridge for a few months in peat moss, potted them up today and I put them in a cold area and see if they will come up in spring.

Lily seeds from NALS and Dr. Griesbach.

Lily seeds from my crosses.

It will take me a while to finish sowing all of these seeds.

Liatris spicata seeds.

Hosta Ventricosa seeds.

I have collected some seeds for my winter sowing project. This hosta variety is an oldie but goodie with dark green leaves and dark purple flowers and the only hosta I know that comes true from seed.

So much stuff to do, so little time. :)