Lilium asiatic ‘Fancy Dance’

We’ve grown this one on our Thurning ground for a few years and it always draws the eye. The flowers are the main event, a complex mix of warm pink, white, and a central mustard-yellow flame, with a final flourish of maroon speckles. Each sturdy stem can hold a good number of these upward-facing blooms.

Lilium ‘Fancy Dance’ will reach about a metre in height, forming a slender, upright clump of narrow, green leaves. It thrives in a spot with good, well-drained soil where the flowers can be in the sun but the roots are kept cool and shaded by other plants. Full sun or partial shade is fine for them.

They are easy to look after. The key is not to cut the stems and leaves back until they have turned yellow and withered in the autumn. This allows the bulb to store energy for next year’s display. They work well planted in groups in a border or as a vibrant centrepiece in a container.