From Booklist
Like many Timber Press books, this one is geared to experienced gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists. McRae provides techniques for hybridizing and explains the biology of the lily plant. He discusses propagation, cultivation, diseases, and pests, and explains how lilies can be used in the garden. A chapter on exhibiting lilies is followed by one on growing them around the world and one on commercial bulb production. A large portion of the book (175 pages) is a list of various species and hybrids with a detailed description of each. The author, who has developed many hybrids himself, also gives brief sketches of some prominent lily hybridizers. The text is augmented by 108 color photographs and eight botanical prints. George Cohen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This comprehensive book by one of the world's leading authorities on lilies offers practical advice on cultivation, propagation, pests, and diseases, with suggestions for garden uses. The heart of the book documents the wild lily species, with particular emphasis on their history in cultivation and their use in hybridization. This is followed by an extensive listing and evaluation of currently available Asiatic, Oriental, trumpet, and polyploid lilies. The author's years of professional experience starting with Oregon Bulb Farms, the pioneer in modern hybrids, uniquely qualify him to write the extensive chapters on hybridizing techniques and commercial production of bulbs, pot lilies, and cut flowers. The book concludes with an account of some of the personalities whose work led to the profusion of exciting lilies available today. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, this book is indispensable for the serious lily grower and will inspire many gardeners to explore the riches of this extraordinary genus.

FROM THE CRITICS

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