Michigan Lily, Lilium michiganense

Michigan Lily

Michigan Lily is one of my favorite wildflowers and begins to bloom around Independence Day, continuing sometimes into August. This gorgeous lily can be found in wet prairies, meadows, moist woods, thickets, bog and roadside ditches across much of the Lower Peninsula.  Whorls of lanceolate leaves are arranged along the stem. The erect perennial rises from 2 to 6 feet tall from a very small yellowish bulb and has 1 to 20 or more attractive orange flowers per plant, usually in threes. Each nodding, orange to reddish-orange bell shaped flower is spotted with maroon spots. The sepals and petals are both alike and are strongly recurved backwards.

Although Michigan Lily makes a handsome addition to the garden, it is best grown from seed and transplanted in the first couple years of growth. The small bulb and size of the mature plant make it impossible to transplant without breaking the stem from the fragile bulb. It will grow nicely under normal garden conditions of sun to part shade and medium to moist rich soil conditions.