Lilium 'Sweet Betsy' (IIc/d)

RHS Plant Profile
lily 'Sweet Betsy'

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lily 'Sweet Betsy' RHS
Bulbs

A bulbous perennial to about 1.5m with whorls of leaves on upright stems topped in summer with a spire of about 20 recurved, cream flowers flushed with light pink and speckled with dark pink, with prominent orange anthers

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or East–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Liliaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Columnar upright
Potentially harmful
Ornamental bulbs - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. TOXIC to pets if eaten (cats) - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus
Lilium are bulbous perennials with erect stems bearing whorled or spirally arranged leaves and terminal racemes or umbels of bowl-shaped, trumpet-shaped, funnel-shaped or turks cap shaped flowers, often fragrant, and white, yellow, orange or red
Name Status
Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

These Martagon lilies have downward-facing flowers

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in any well-drained soil enriched with leaf mould or well-rotted organic matter

Propagation

Propagate by separating offsets after the foliage dies down

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
  • Cut flowers

Pruning

Remove seedheads unless required and cut down stems once foliage dies down

Pests

May be susceptible to lily beetle, aphids and slugs

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds and a virus. For more advice, see lily diseases