North American Nature Vanguard
Pink roses hold the distinction of being one of the oldest rose colors in cultivation, since many of the earliest known garden roses bred in Europe and the Middle East centuries ago were naturally pink or rose-toned long before yellow, orange, or true red hybrids became widely available. Today pink roses are produced across nearly … Read more
Yellow roses occupy a special place in the world of roses, since true yellow pigment was almost entirely absent from European rose breeding until the late 19th century, when hybridizers began crossing in genetics from the Persian yellow rose native to the Middle East. Modern yellow roses now span an enormous range of tones, from … Read more
August is the high season for the latest-flowering divisions of the lily world, since the earlier Asiatic types have typically finished their show by early July, leaving Oriental, Trumpet, and interdivisional hybrids to carry the garden through the final weeks of summer. Most August-blooming lilies belong to the Oriental, Trumpet and Aurelian, or Orienpet divisions, … Read more
The word “lily” is one of the most misleading plant names in the entire pet safety world, since it gets applied to dozens of unrelated plant families that have nothing in common except a passing resemblance to a true lily bloom. True lilies, from the genus Lilium, along with daylilies from the genus Hemerocallis, are … Read more
Most true lilies are sun worshippers, but a meaningful number of species and hybrids have adapted to life beneath a woodland canopy or along the north side of a building, making shade gardening with lilies more achievable than many gardeners realize. Generally speaking, a lily described as shade tolerant still needs 3 to 4 hours … Read more
Lilies are among the most celebrated flowering bulbs in the world, with a cultivation history stretching back more than 4,000 years to the earliest known depictions of the Madonna Lily in ancient Mediterranean art. True lilies belong to the genus Lilium, distinguished by six petals and six anthers, and there are roughly 90 to 100 … Read more
Purple lilies bring a rich, regal presence to the garden, ranging from the softest pale lavender to deep, saturated eggplant and near-black plum tones. Purple is genuinely one of the rarer colors in the lily world, and most true purple-toned types are members of the Asiatic or Oriental divisions, or hybrids derived from crossing the … Read more
Cornflower is one of the most beloved wildflowers turned garden favorite, instantly recognizable for its vivid blue, fringed blossoms that once grew wild throughout European grain fields. A single plant typically reaches 12 to 36 inches in height, sending up slender, gray-green branching stems topped with flowerheads that measure roughly 1 to 1.5 inches across. … Read more
Orange lilies bring a bold, fiery presence to the garden, and for many people the color orange is the very first thing that comes to mind when picturing a classic lily bloom. Most orange lily types grow from bulbs planted 6 to 10 inches deep and send up a single upright stem reaching anywhere from … Read more
Red lilies bring a bold, dramatic energy to the garden that few other flowering bulbs can match, ranging from fiery orange-red to deep, near-black maroon tones. Most red lily types grow from bulbs planted 6 to 10 inches deep and send up a single upright stem that reaches anywhere from 18 inches to over 6 … Read more