Carolina Lily

Lilium michauxii

Carolina Lily is a bulb for bulb layer, focal point, suited to full sun to partial shade and clay, loam or moist ground, flowering Jul, Aug, Sep.

Where to use it in a border

At around 120 cm, it sits best toward the back of a border, or on its own as a focal point with room around it. Give it about 30 cm of room to spread, roughly 3 to the metre when planted in a drift. It is hardy across USDA zones 6a to 9b and rated H6 by the RHS, so check it suits your area before planting.

It appears in our lists of full sun, clay soil, wet soil, pollinator-friendly plants.

Border Builder uses Carolina Lily's height, spread, soil, bloom months and companions to place it in a full border plan for your own conditions, on iPhone and iPad.

Flowering through the year

Worth knowing

• It copes with ground that stays wet, which most border plants will not.
• Not recorded as pet-safe; site it away from pets that graze if that matters to you.
• Its flowers are valued by bees and other pollinators.

Good companions

Plants that share its conditions and style, chosen to complement its place in the border:

• Candelabra primulato edge in front
• Candelabra primula 'Miller's Crimson'to edge in front
• Common Honeysucklefor height behind it
• Common Yellow Azaleafor height behind it
• Crocus 'Cream Beauty'to edge in front
• Drummond's Onionto edge in front

Garden styles

Cottage garden Wildlife garden Woodland