I was going to start this post by declaring that if I could only have one Lily, that would be the Oriental Lily ‘Casa Blanca’. But then I realized that I only have 4 kinds of Lilies altogether: there’s the Oriental-Trumpet hybrid ‘Conca d’Or’, a couple of Asiatic Lilies (variety unknown), and a few Martagon Lilies. The Martagons are enjoying their first season in our garden and have decided not to bloom this year.
So you may not be impressed by my declaration on the primacy of ‘Casa Blanca’. Even so, I will not offer any retractions.
There are 2 things that make ‘Casa Blanca’ stand out. The first is the fragrance, which perfumes the entire garden. (‘Conca d’Or’ is also fragrant, but more faintly than ‘Casa Blanca’.) The second is the ivory flowers that seem to glow in shade, shadow, or early evening.
We have 3 small clumps of ‘Casa Blanca’. The first is at the sidewalk end of the Driveway Border, where it can be fully appreciated by passersby. The second is among the ‘Raspberry Wine’ Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) in the Sidewalk Border. The third is in the Back Garden, where we can enjoy the fragrance while relaxing on the patio.
The ‘Casa Blanca’ planted among the Bee Balm are gradually being squeezed out. ‘Casa Blanca’ is not as tall as ‘Conca d’Or’, just about 5′, and does better with shorter companions.
‘Casa Blanca’ starts blooming just as ‘Conca d’Or’ starts to fade. Its bloom time seems an appropriate way to announce the arrival of the peak of summer in the garden.
gardeninacity 
It is my favorite Lily as well. Unfortunately, mine were crowded out this year by a common Lily that I don’t know the name of and did not plant. It took over my Lily garden in two short years. I thought I had pulled all of the offensive plants last year but not so apparently. I will have to completely dig out that garden and start over.
Thanks for sharing your photos.
Every once in a while a garden bed makes us start over to get it under control.
Best of all, it is WHITE!
Because of your gorgeous casa blanca lilies, I decided to plant a clump of ten last fall. They certainly exceeded my expectations. They’re just finishing up and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Thanks for setting a good example!
Wow! A clump of 10 would be magnificent!
Beautiful! Now I’ll plant some for next year.
Enjoy!
What a glorious bloom!
I think so, too!
A beautiful lily. Used to have them in my garden until the lily beetles got them.
Curse the lily beetle!
Sigh.
They’re awesome, I think you picked an excellent favorite.
You forgot to mention how huge they are! Nice of you to plant them down by the street for passerbys.
You’re right, they are an impressive size!
Pingback: ‘Casa Blanca’ – Welcome to the World of Stephanie Sydney
“Casa Blanca” is in a class alone. Unfortunately, I have not had her in my garden for about three years and need to restock. “Manitoba morning” martagon lily is blooming right now for me. Love it too.
That sounds interesting. My martagon lilies came up this year but they aren’t blooming. Maybe because this is their first year.
Fragrance is such an important part of the garden. Sadly my lilies are attacked now by the red lily beetle despite my hand culling and vigilance. Amelia
That’s very sad. But there are other fine fragrant plants for the garden besides lilies.
I agree and I always try and choose perfumed plants where possible. At the moment it is our Wisteria which is reflowering that is the main perfume.
The annual Sweet Alyssum provides a great return in fragrance for almost no work.
A “must” for any garden! Our’s self-seeds. It makes me think how much it gives back for so little care. Despite the fragrance we see very few pollinators on it, here.
It is lovely! It looks fabulous with the raspberry bee balm.
They do go well together.
White is such a nice “color” for summer and those lilies are gorgeous! I really like them paired with the bee balm. Lovely photos, too!
Thanks. Usually I only like white in shade, but these do well in a sunny border.
I agree, you can’t beat Casa Blanca, the red stamens against the white and the fragrance, gorgeous. Mine seem to have disappeared, next year I must get some more.
It’s a beautiful thing!
Indeed!
Jason I am so with you about Casa Blanca … it was my first love of that lily family and will always be my favorite .. it certainly does glow in the shade .. and the fragrance is heaven.
But … we have a terrible lily beetle problem here and it has broken my heart to see so many of mine decimated by that very bad insect .. I have so enjoyed seeing your beauties though .. reminds me when we didn’t have a beetle problem .. I still try to sneak a few lilies in no matter what.
My martagon did not flower it’s first season either .. just be patient and it will reward you !
Thank you, that is reassuring about the martagons.
I really must try to get a Casa Blanca lily for the garden. I can see the Bee Balm is squeezing it out a bit, but on the other hand, many lilies bend over too much if they are in a pot or not supported.
True. The taller Oriental-Trumpet hybrids do better combined with the Bee Balm.
I’ve not been extremely successful with Oriental lilies, but the fragrance keeps me coming back for… I’ll be getting Casa Blanca next, knowing of it’s extraordinary scent. Those standing among the Monarda make for a fabulous photo.
Do they attract beetles, or is there some other problem?
She is beautiful, I have her too and that fragrance is just delicious.xxx
Isn’t it??
Two questions: what zone are you in and do you have to dig them up each fall? Thank you.
Zone 5b and no, they can overwinter in the ground.
It is a beauty. I used to have it in the garden. I wonder what happened to it? You make me want it again with all these photos and talking about its fragrance. 🙂
Why not give it another shot this fall? At least 3 or 4?
So, so, so gorgeous. They last about two years here–bloom fairly well the first year, weakly or not at all the second, then vanish. Really, really enjoy seeing yours.
No ‘Stargazer’?
Many tulips here are like that, people often grow them as annuals. Fortunately, some are more long-lived.