In the early part of the 21st Century, Sun Valley Farms in California, a large commercial flower farm, developed a pink lily similar looking to the Stargazer that had no fragrance. It is incredibly beautiful, very easy to grow, not too tall and has strong stems. But this one has become everyone's favorite because it's the lily that has everything. Stargazer is one of many hybridized from the world-famous species, Lilium speciosum rubrum, the wild red lily of Japan. 'Sorbonne', 'Starfighter' in the pink and 'Siberia', 'Casa Blanca' in the white), there is a small minority of the public that does not like the fragrance. This is the most famous lily of them all. Many commercial florists report that while most consumers love the appearance and the fragrance of the Stargazer lily and other Oriental lilies (e.g. Woodriff called the new cross 'Stargazer', because the blooms faced towards the sky. The 'Stargazer' lily was created in 1974 by Leslie Woodriff, a lily breeder in California, to overcome this downward look. As such, consumers and other end users thought the Rubrums' downward-facing flowers looked wilted.
Rubrums were a predecessor commercial lily to the 'Stargazers' whose flowers pointed down to the ground. Stargazer lilies are often incorrectly called "Rubrum" lilies. When mature, 'Stargazers' can grow to a height of 36 inches with a spread of 10 to 14 inches with 2 to 8 flowers per stem.
#Star gazer oriental lily full#
They have a fast growth rate and should be planted in full sun in well-drained loamy or sandy soil. Stargazers are easy to grow and do best in full sunlight. Oriental lilies are known for their fragrant perfume, blooming mid-to-late summer. Lilium 'Stargazer' (the 'Stargazer lily') is a hybrid lily of the 'Oriental group'.