Lilium 'Lollypop'

Grown for their flamboyant, often fragrant blooms from late-spring to summer, lilies are a stalwart of summer borders. They're well suited to growing in containers, where they can be positioned in borders as and when you need them.

Unlike their oriental cousins, Asiatic lilies are not scented and their flowers tend to be smaller. However, what they lack in size they more than make up for in colour – some of the most brightly coloured lilies, in dazzling shades of yellow, orange, red and almost black, are Asiatic. Asiatic lilies thrive in an alkaline soil, so, unless your soil has a low pH, you can plant bulbs directly in the garden.

Asiatic lily Lilium 'Lollypop' produces large, upfacing white flowers flushed pink towards the tips. The bulbs are best planted in autumn while they are still plump. Grow Lilium 'Lollypop' in well-drained soil in full sun, ideally with a little shade at the base to stop the bulbs drying out. Alternatively the bulbs can be planted in deep containers, in loam-based compost.