Turk's Cap Lily

Turk’s Cap Lily (Lilium superbum) is an eastern and central North American native perennial known for its bright orange-red flowers and tall, graceful stems. It blooms in mid to late summer, creating a striking and somewhat theatrical effect in the garden. The blooms have a unique reflexed shape, with petals that curl backwards to give the flowers a downward-facing appearance, earning the plant its common name, ‘Turk’s cap’. Its sunny to part shade-tolerant flowers make them excellent plants for rain gardens.

Turk’s Cap Lily is prized for its dramatic, singular blooms and adaptability to a variety of sunny to part shade garden settings. Gardeners appreciate its towering presence, unique flower form, and its ability to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It grows in a loose clump of erect stems that can reach 3 to 8 feet tall, depending on conditions, with narrow, lance-shaped leaves in whorls along the stems. In mid to late summer, the plant produces stalks of 6-petaled flowers that range from orange to red in color. The flowers are reflexed with petals curving backwards and stamens prominently displayed, creating a distinctive and eye-catching display. Turk’s Cap Lily also provides important habitat and nectar for pollinators such as hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees. The leaves are attractive too. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves form whorls along the stems, giving the plant a feathery, vertical look even before it blooms. Each sturdy stem can produce several flowers, ensuring a prolonged period of interest in the garden.  It is a versatile plant that can be used in wildflower gardens, native perennial borders, or rain gardens, where it will serve as a tall, showy focal point. Planting in an area with good air circulation can help avoid some common lily diseases, and while it is relatively low-maintenance, some gardeners prefer to mulch to retain moisture and reduce weed competition. 

Turk’s Cap Lily is a standout for its singular beauty, stature, and ecological value. The plant’s ability to attract wildlife, combined with its height and architectural form, makes it an important addition to native gardens. It is a long-lived perennial that will come back year after year, and in optimal conditions, may naturalize to form larger clumps over time. Gardeners looking for a native plant with elegant, eye-catching blooms and strong ecological benefits should consider adding Turk’s Cap Lily to their plantings.