Lily Breeders
Our Canadian Breeder pages list the lily breeders who have registered lilies with the official RHS Lily Registrar in the United Kingdom. Where possible and known by us, we have included a brief descriptive paragraph regarding the breeder, other photos and details, etc.
Canadians should be proud, some of the best lilies in the world originate here! Canada may be known for its vast size & fickle cold weather, but it's also known for it's fantastic garden lilies. Many of the best known lilies in the world were, and continue to be hybridized right here in Canada. Many are sought after by breeders around the world so they can add outstanding qualities into their own lily breeding efforts.
Records on lily registrations date back to the beginning of the RHS Lily Group back in 1958. Supplements to the Registry are printed yearly, although there has been the odd year where it has been skipped. With so many records to go through, you will no doubt understand why these pages are a constant work in progress. With over 6000 lilies registered up to the year 2000, there is much to read and sort through! We also like to add our own comments to the descriptions where possible when we have grown that particular lily. Of course there is also the tedious and time consuming task of linking as many as possible to actual photos so you can see them for yourself. Many of the pages you find here are incomplete and may even be inaccurate - we have yet to verify that certain lilies were in fact bred by and not just registered by the person named - lots of work to do yet! Keep checking back to see how we're coming along with this project.
Alex Burnett (1922-2012)
Alex Burnett hybridized the infamous Night Flyer asiatic lily, right here in sunny Alberta. The year Alex passed away (2012) was the year this same lily was mass produced in the Netherlands, making it readily available around the world. Although I am sure he would have had something derogatory to say about the lack of royalties paid to him by these big companies for this stunning hybrid, I'm certain he still would have been very pleased to know it achieved such popularity.
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I was pleased to be growing and evaluating Darm's hybrids. Unfortunately due to hail and personal issues I was unable to get an accurate evaluation their first few years in the ground here (starting 2008). Once I was able to do so, my bad luck continued. Scroll down to the page bottom to read the updates.
Pictured here is Darm Crook, myself and Terry Willoughby (l to r). Photo taken at the NALS 2007 show in Edmonton, AB.
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Dr. Ronald standing with an established clump of Starburst Sensation, in front of his home in Manitoba, July 2001. Dr. Ronald is over 6 feet tall, giving you an idea of how tall this orienpet he hybridized can grow! I was fortunate to not only meet Dr. Ronald during this trip, but to see his very efficient nursery operation as well.
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