Lilium 'Golden Matrix'

Lilium 'Golden Matrix': Short Gold Lilies Standing on Their Own

'Golden Matrix' is short, golden and freckled, with more buds per stem than you have unread emails. Sturdy little stems that never need a stake. NO CAGE. NO TIES. NO EXCUSES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Lilium 'Golden Matrix' (Asiatic hybrid)
• Common Name: Asiatic Lily
• Height: 40–50 cm (16–20 in)
• Spread: 30 cm (12 in)
• Flowers: Upward-facing, golden-yellow blooms with dark speckles in the throat, many buds per stem
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Narrow, dark green leaves on short, upright stems
• Features: Compact, sturdy stems that need no support, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Its short height suits the front of a sunny border, small gardens and containers, where taller lilies would look lanky. Plant it in groups for a solid patch of gold, and let lower plants around it shade its roots.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Golden Matrix' in a sunny or part-shade bed with a pink peony, gold daylilies and white phlox. Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro' edges the front with gold daylilies at 30 to 45 cm from June to September. Paeonia 'Shirley Temple' opens soft pink double peonies at 90 cm in May and June. Phlox 'Fashionably Early Crystal' adds white heads at 70 to 80 cm from June to August. Miscanthus 'Gracillimus' rises behind at 150 to 180 cm with fine, arching blades.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to part sun, in average, well-drained soil. It isn't fussy about soil type but won't tolerate standing water, so avoid wet clay or raise the bed. Water regularly through spring and early summer. Check often for the red lily leaf beetle, which is common in Ontario and Quebec, and remove adults and larvae by hand. Rabbits and deer may nibble the shoots. All parts of lilies are highly toxic to cats. Snap off spent flowers, but leave the stems and leaves until they yellow so the bulb can recharge. Cut back in late fall. Clumps multiply over the years and can be divided in fall.

History: Asiatic lilies are hybrids of several lily species native to eastern Asia, and they're the earliest-blooming and hardiest group of garden lilies. 'Golden Matrix' is an Asiatic hybrid with upright, early flowers, part of a family of compact Matrix lilies that includes the original orange 'Matrix' and 'Red Matrix'.

Final Thoughts: Cut a stem and five more buds are already lined up behind it. Plant a cluster by the door. SUNSHINE ON DEMAND.