Oriental lily (Lilium 'Black Beauty')
Lilium 'Black Beauty' is a showy Oriental lily with fragrant, dark raspberry blooms, maturing 4-7 ft tall in zones 3-8.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ stands out as a dramatic addition to any summer garden, recognized primarily as a highly desirable Oriental lily hybrid. Its primary appeal lies in its strikingly dark raspberry flowers, which are both showy and notably fragrant, offering significant aesthetic impact in mid-summer displays. This robust bulb typically develops rigid stems reaching between 4 and 7 feet, making it an excellent vertical accent.
As an easily grown perennial, the success of the Oriental lily relies on consistent moisture and well-drained, enriched soil. Gardeners value Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ not just for its spectacular appearance but also for its long-lasting blooms, often producing between 20 to 50 flowers per mature plant. Furthermore, these lilies naturalize well over time via bulb offsets, rewarding patient gardeners with increasingly impressive displays season after season.
This hybrid creates powerful contrast in perennial borders, providing rich color when many spring flowers have faded. Successfully cultivating Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ ensures a mid-to-late summer event in the garden, bringing fragrance and drama to both landscape beds and fresh cut flower arrangements.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Liliaceae
- Plant Type: Bulb
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-8
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 4-7 ft
- Spread: 1.5-2 ft
- Bloom Time: July to August
- Bloom Description: Dark raspberry
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Planting Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ bulbs is best performed in the fall, though many nurseries offer potted plants that can be installed from spring through fall. Prepare the site by ensuring the soil is average, medium moisture, and exceptionally well-drained, ideally enriched with organic matter to support this Oriental lily. Bulbs should be set 4 to 6 inches deep, spaced about 12 inches apart to allow room for naturalizing.
Consistent watering is crucial; these bulbs require good, even moisture year-round, but take care to avoid sogginess, which promotes bulb rot. A popular cultural trick is ensuring the upper plant receives full sun while the roots remain shaded—mulching heavily around the base accomplishes this, keeping the root zone cool and moist. Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ generally requires low maintenance, but staking may be necessary for the taller stems if they are subjected to strong winds or grown in excessive shade which can weaken them.
After the fragrant flowers fade in late summer, promptly remove the spent blooms to prevent seed development. Do not cut back the foliage after flowering; allow the stems and leaves to yellow naturally as the bulb stores energy for the next season. Only prune the dead stems completely once they have fully turned brown.
Landscape Uses
Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ is highly recommended for adding vertical structure and intense summer color to perennial borders. Planting these Oriental lilies in groups of three helps maximize their collective impact, creating blocks of dark raspberry hue against contrasting foliage. Their impressive height (up to 7 feet) makes them excellent mid-to-back-border specimens where they can contrast with lower-growing perennials.
Beyond the garden bed, this variety adapts well to container culture, although flowers grown in pots may be slightly smaller than those in the ground. For gardeners focused on maximizing visual yield, Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ is suitable for use as cut flowers, bringing the incredible fragrance and striking reflexed petals indoors. Their naturalizing tendency means they should be sited where they won’t be disturbed, allowing them to slowly spread and create an established drift over the years.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
- Fragrant
Noteworthy Characteristics
Lilium is a genus of about 100 species of bulbous, herbaceous perennials native to Europe, North America and Asia south to the Philippines. Lilies typically feature 6-tepaled flowers in a variety of shapes (trumpet, funnel, cup, bell, bowl or flat), sometimes nodding, sometimes with reflexed petals, atop stiff, unbranched stems (1-8’ tall) clothed with linear to elliptic leaves. Flowers are often fragrant and come in a broad range of colors except blue. For classification purposes, the Royal Horticultural Society and North American Lily Society have organized hybrid lilies into eight divisions based primarily upon parentage, habit and flower type.Genus name comes from the Latin name meaning lily.‘Black Beauty’ is an oriental hybrid lily (Division 7d) that is a cross between L. Henryi and L. Speciosum. It typically grows on rigid stems to 4-7’ tall. Fragrant, dark raspberry flowers (to 3”) have distinctively reflexed tepals with thin white edges, protruding anthers and small green centers. This is a floriferous mid-summer bloomer (20-50 blooms per mature plant). Good fresh cut flower
Tolerances
No specific tolerance data was provided for this entry.
Potential Problems
One significant pest concern for lilies, including the Oriental lily ‘Black Beauty’, is the lily leaf beetle, which can cause severe defoliation in certain regions. Beyond insect pests, proper soil management is key to preventing disease; bulb rot is common if the soil remains overly wet or poorly drained. Furthermore, watch out for lily mosaic virus, which is transmitted by aphids, emphasizing the need for prompt aphid control as there is no cure for infected plants.
Staking is sometimes necessary, especially if Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ is planted in too much shade, as the stems become weaker and more prone to flopping over in contact with wind or rain. Monitoring for signs of botrytis is also recommended, particularly in humid conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Oriental lily suitable for?
Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ is hardy across USDA Zones 3 through 8, offering wide adaptability for many North American gardeners.
How large does Oriental lily grow?
This impressive Oriental lily typically reaches heights between 4 and 7 feet, with a moderate spread of 1.5 to 2 feet at maturity.
What sun exposure does Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ need?
For optimal performance, position Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ where it receives full sun to partial shade, ensuring the roots benefit from cooler conditions provided by mulch or neighboring plants.
When does Oriental lily bloom?
The primary bloom time for the fragrant flowers of Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ is throughout July and August, offering a dark raspberry hue.
Conclusion
Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ remains a vital plant for gardeners seeking dramatic height, intense color, and powerful fragrance in mid-summer. Its low maintenance profile combined with its ability to naturalize ensures that this Oriental lily will become a reliable feature in your landscape for years to come. Before planting, verify your local USDA hardiness zone compatibility and plan for fall bulb installation to maximize next season’s spectacular display.
Companion Planting
When planning beds around Lilium ‘Black Beauty’, consider plants that fulfill the cultural requirement of shading the lily roots while providing contrast to its dark flowers. Low-growing groundcovers act perfectly to shade the soil, keeping the root zone cool, which lilies greatly appreciate. Suitable companions include low-mounding Hostas, especially yellow-leaved cultivars, or creeping thyme, which offers textural difference without competing heavily for airspace.
Pairing these tall lilies with mid-height perennials that bloom later in the fall, such as certain hardy Sedums or Asters, helps extend the interest of the perennial border after the Oriental lily has finished its spectacular show. Ensure companions share the need for medium moisture and well-drained soil to maintain the health of the Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ bulbs.
Design Ideas
The reflexed form and deep coloration of Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ lend themselves perfectly to cottage garden designs or formal groupings where drama is desired. Plant them along structural pathways where their height doesn’t obstruct views but their fragrance can be appreciated. For a striking modern effect, group them tightly against pale green or silver foliage plants to make the dark raspberry blossoms appear even deeper and more saturated.
Because this variety can reach 7 feet, it works well when interspersed within shrub borders, allowing the structure of the shrubs to provide natural staking against wind. Remember that the beauty of the Oriental lily extends beyond the flower; the architecture of the stiff stem carries visual interest even after the bloom period concludes, provided you wait until the foliage has fully died back naturally.
