You have an orange theme in your garden, and you’re after flowering plants that’ll match the color palette. Or maybe you have a lily bed that lacks the vibrant, happy hues of orange. There are hundreds and thousands of lily varieties, and poring over catalogs or browsing gardening websites to find plants with orange flowers can be a daunting and time-consuming task.
Some of the best looking orange lilies are the Leopard Lily, Canada Lily, Double Tiger Lily, Lilium Fiery Belles, and Henry’s Lily. Fire King, Orange Pixie, Gran Paradiso, and Royal Sunset are also excellent cultivars. Make sure you provide flowering plant fertilizer for the best blooms.
Let’s take a deep dive and learn more about these orange lilies. Knowing when the flowers bloom, how the blossoms look, and what kind of soil the plants require will help you choose the suitable variety for your garden.
1. Orange Lily or Lilium bulbiferum
Lilium bulbiferum, commonly known as the Orange Lily or Tiger Lily, is a robust, fuss-free, fast-growing variety ideal for beginner gardeners. Its broad open, deep orange flowers turn reddish toward the petal tips. The flowers also have dark chocolate, raised bumps that add to the striking look of the plant.
Most members of the lily species sport downward-facing blossoms that resemble pendants. This is to protect their pollen store. But the Orange Lily is a delightful aberrant in that it has upward-facing flowers to invite pollinators.
Mature bulbs usually produce a profusion of blossoms, and when planted in clumps, they add bold pops of color and an aura of abundance to your garden.
2. Henry’s Lily
Henry’s Lily is a showstopper and an award-winner. It has clusters of delicate maroon speckled blossoms with vivid orange petals that curve gracefully upward. This variety of lily can grow up to 8 feet (2.44 m) tall, and when planted in clumps, the plants create a spectacular border cover. Its maroon-orange blossoms look even more glorious next to blue-flowering plants.
This bird and bee magnet is ideal for planting in partly shady areas of your garden. They can also tolerate full sun provided you don’t let the soil dry out. Plant them in groups of at least three bulbs, provide them with rich organic matter, and you will be rewarded with healthy, hardy, and prolific bloomers.
3. Double Tiger Lily ‘Flore Pleno’ or Lilium lancifolium
The Double Tiger Lily ‘Flore Pleno’ or Lilium lancifolium is a unique variety even in the remarkable family of lilies. It has bright orange double flowers covered in dark purple spots that resemble the hide of a tiger.
It’s a hardy plant and easy to grow. It’s a prolific bloomer, and mature bulbs produce up to 25 blooms crowning a single stem. The flowers appear during mid to late summer and have a delightful fragrance. Once established in your garden, they’ll multiply readily to form a huge clump within a few years.
The intricate blooms of the Double Tiger Lily ‘Flore Pleno’ make great cut flowers and last for up to two weeks in a vase.
4. Lilium ‘Fiery Belles’
The Lilium ‘Fiery Belles’ lives up to its name. The blossoms are large, flare outward and up, and sport a shimmering orange color. They flower in early August and continue to blaze up your garden till long after most summer blooms have faded away. The flowers are also fragrant. Place a few plants near the patio to enjoy the delightful scent on breezy days.
5. Lilium ‘Orange Pixie’
The Lilium ‘Orange Pixie’ is a dwarf, hybridized cultivar of the Asiatic Lily family, but its appearance has no dearth of elegance and flamboyance. The blossoms are large and sport vivid orange tones. The petals face outward. They work well in the front of garden beds or planted in clusters amid herbaceous shrubs, grow just as well in containers, and make excellent cut flowers.
The ‘Orange Pixie’ lily is a hardy, fuss-free plant that grows well in full sun or dappled shade. They prefer well-draining, crumbly, and alkaline soil. Although the blossoms are devoid of fragrance, the plant more than makes up with its rich hues, statuesque form, and low-maintenance nature.
6. Lilium ‘Brunello’
The Lilium ‘Brunello’ is a hybridized member of the Asiatic Lily family. It is an extremely cold-hardy perennial that grows well in USDA zones 3-9 and is an excellent addition to northern gardens.
Its upward-facing, bowl-shaped blooms unfurl in early to mid-summer and draw in bees and butterflies. These lilies thrive in full sun or partial shade and can grow up to 3 feet (0.91 m) tall. Plant them in clumps along perennial borders, in seasonal flower beds, or in containers to add pops of color in your garden.
The ‘Brunello’ is easy to grow and is a fairly low-maintenance and hardy plant. However, ensure that you plant it in a location that receives some shade in the afternoon.
7. Lilium ‘Fire King’
A cultivar of the Asiatic Lily family, the ‘Fire King’ is a riot of colors! The reddish-orange petals are dotted with bright purple spots and curve gracefully outward to reveal vibrant orange stamens. The flowers sit atop a single, tall stem and amid pointy-shaped leaves of a contrasting dark green color.
This lily is a delicately scented variety and grows up to 6 feet (1.83 m). It is a frost-hardy variety that thrives in full sun or part shade. Plant a few bulbs in a container and keep them on your porch. The colors of the flower will light up a staid space, while the delicate floral whiffs will enchant you on breezy days.
8. Lilium ‘Gran Paradiso’
The ‘Gran Paradiso’ is a member of the Asiatic Lily family. The flowers have broad, glossy red-orange petals that curve daintily at the tips. There’s a blob of bright orange smack in the center of the flower and a hint of dark red on the underside.
The flowers of the ‘Gran Paradiso’ are bold and showy, and the large blossoms command attention whether you tuck a few plants in one corner of your garden or arrange a few cut stems in a floral arrangement. The bright blooms of this lily also attract butterflies, making the ‘Gran Paradiso’ a great addition to pollinator and wildlife-friendly gardens.
9. Lilium ‘Enchantment’
If you’re after a lily variety that’s easy to grow and will quickly multiply to cover a bare patch in your garden, choose the ‘Enchantment,’ a hybridized member of the Asiatic Lily family. The large flowers have rich orange tones with black specks in the middle. They bloom in early summer and add color to the beds and borders of your garden.
Ensure that you plant the bulbs in well-draining, fertile soils that are rich in organic matter. Don’t let the plant dry out. Don’t overwater if your plants are in a container because they don’t like sitting in water.
10. Lilium ‘Royal Sunset’
The name ‘Royal Sunset’ is a nod to the fiery hues of a sunset that find expression in the large blossoms of this variety of Asiatic Lily. The center of the flower is burnt orange speckled with dark red dots and touches of yellow. The tips of the petals are pink.
The flowers have an intoxicating fragrance and bloom from June to July. The flowers blooms on rigid, erect stalks and are excellent choices for cut flower arrangements.
11. Philadelphia Lily
The Philadelphia Lily, a native wildflower of North America, is also known as the wood lily or prairie lily. Its erect flowers bloom in various shades of orange, from fiery hues to more pale tones dotted with brown freckles, and its petals reach outward and upward to catch the beams of the sun. The Philadelphia Lily, with its open petals, is a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds.
These undemanding and hardy lilies thrive in sandy soils and dry conditions. However, they do not like to sit in water and have to be planted in well-draining soils. They flower profusely when planted in full sun. They can withstand prolonged droughts and are the ideal addition to the garden of a forgetful gardener.
They bloom during June-July and are ideal for planting in clusters in a meadow garden, as border plants in a butterfly garden, and along woodland edges.
12. Michigan Lily
The purple-speckled nodding orange-red blossoms of the Michigan Lily resemble the hide of a tiger. They’re hardy and prolific bloomers. The slender stalk of the plant can often support up to eight flowers, and when planted in clumps of at least three, the tight clusters of blooms give your garden a decorative look.
These lilies are hardy and can even tolerate wet soils. Plant them in humus-rich soil to help them grow strong and sturdy and bloom profusely.
The Michigan Lily attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. They naturalize well, and once established, they spread and bloom year after year to keep your garden looking vibrant, colorful, and dramatic during early to mid-summer. Plant them in clumps in a semi-shade location of your garden to add contrast to the rich greenish hues of your other shade-loving plants like ferns.
13. Leopard Lily or Lilium pardalinum
Let the Leopard Lily take over a shady section of your garden and add color to a dark, gloomy environment!
The gracefully drooping orange flowers of the Leopard Lily or Lilium pardalinum are dotted with numerous brown spots and sit atop stout stems. The bulbs are small, but if you leave them undisturbed in the soil, they’ll spread to form a colorful carpet underneath a towering pine or Douglas fir. The bright and showy flowers of the Leopard Lily attract butterflies and hummingbirds in droves.
These woodland plants thrive in moist soil but don’t like wet feet. They grow best in shady conditions but will tolerate full sun if you keep the ground well irrigated.
14. Canada Lily
The perennial Canada Lily is an erect perennial plant that gets covered in charming, downward-facing bell-shaped flowers during early and mid-summer. The vibrantly-hued blooms have dark purple or red spots, and there can be up to 20 blossoms crowning a single stem. The flowers are showy and light up shady corners of the garden.
However, flowering is most prolific when you plant these lilies in an area that receives full sun. Make sure that you water regularly and do not let the soil dry out.
15. Lilium ‘African Queen’
Also called the Trumpet Lily, the Lilium ‘African Queen’ is an award winner. Pictured in yellow but more orange ones are also available.
With a heady fragrance and huge apricot-orange trumpet-shaped flowers that face outward and droop a little, the ‘African Queen’ easily steals the show wherever you plant it in your garden. It’s a prolific blooming variety, and a single stem can have 15-20 blossoms crowning it. The blooms are long-lasting and make for excellent cut flower arrangements.
Plant a few bulbs near the patio to enjoy an intoxicating fragrance on breezy summer evenings!
16. Lilium ‘Sunny Morning’
Lilium ‘Sunny Morning’ is a cultivar of Martagon Lily, a species that is amongst the earliest flowers to bloom in your garden.
Lilium ‘Sunny Morning’ is just the right naturalizing feature to provide a point of interest in between shrubs or in woodland gardens. It’s a hybrid that blooms profusely and sports golden-orange flowers with dark mahogany speckles on them. The flowers bend downward and the petals curl gracefully backward. Sometimes, with up to 50 blooms crowding atop one stem, the plant resembles a floral candelabra.
Once established, the ‘Sunny Morning’ will prosper and bloom readily, unbothered by pests. It thrives in full sun or partly shady locations. Plant these in groups to brighten up a dark corner of your yard and to provide a vibrantly contrasting backdrop to the lush green foliage of your ferns and hostas.
17. Lilium ‘Mrs. R.O. Backhouse’
Lilium ‘Mrs. R.O. Backhouse’ is a dramatic presence in any garden and makes a statement in a cut flower arrangement. It blooms early to mid-summer. Its orange-yellow blossoms have a delicate tinge of pink, and perched on slender stalks with whorled leaves, they provide a striking contrast to low-flowering shrubs and bulbs.
This variety of lily has a vigorous blooming nature. It adds dollops of color and texture to the garden in early summer when most plants are just starting to come along and are yet to burst forth in their full glory.
Lilium ‘Mrs. R.O. Blackhouse’ is hardy once it has made itself at home in your garden. It is not much bothered by insects and is not fussy as long as you water and feed it periodically. It thrives in full sun or part-shade locations and is ideal for planting en masse in a dark spot of your garden.
