Lane's Favorite Lily? African Lady

 "I took a day to search for God, And found Him not; but as I trod, By rocky ledge, through woods untamed, Just where one scarlet lily flamed, I saw His footprint in the sod."
                                                                                      -William Bliss Carman

Lane DeVries knows a thing or two about lilies. Sun Valley has been growing stunning lilies of all shapes, sizes and varieties for decades. Last fall, while writing an article about our big and bold OT Hybrid Lilies, I asked Lane what is his favorite lily.  This was sort of like asking a parent which of their children is their favorite, but Lane surprised me and answered without hesitation.

"African Lady."

At the time we didn't have any of these OT Hybrids in the ground. "OT" stands for Oriental Trumpet and these lilies have been bred to bring a more diverse color palette to the wonderful world of Oriental lilies.

African Lady is now being harvested on our farm, and all I can say is WOW! I sat down with Lane quickly to get some more details on this outrageous lily.

Huge Blooming African Lady

Lily: Why is African Lady your favorite lily?

Lane: It is one of the hugest flowers I've ever seen, and it's not just size, the striking colors are so dramatic. Dark red, with bright yellow make this lily similar to the classic Shocking OT Hybrid, but African Lady is incredibly saturated.

Lily: Do you do anything differently to grow flowers with such huge blooms?

Lane: We grow these in the glass greenhouses, like a regular Oriental. We use our "Humboldt Gold" soil mix that is very rich and full of nutrients. The bulbs themselves are really big, so we grow about half the amount per crate as we would a Starfighter or White Cup lily.

African Lady

Lily: Who is the breeder for African Lady?

Lane: The bulbs come from our friends at Rooijakkers in Holland.

Lily: How long will we be harvesting these beauties?

Lane: We have some big plantings in the ground, and in the future plan, so expect African Lady to be available through fall, and beyond.

Lily: Thanks Lane!

Our guiding principle #9 is "Continuously improve and innovate." and with African Lady we are staying true to this principle, which leads us directly to guiding principle #6, "Delight and amaze customers."

 African Lady is a very special lily, and really I think you need to see it to believe it. Sun Valley sets itself apart from other growers by bringing new and innovative flowers to market, and this is one of the best examples.