There are almost as many different lilies as there are roses. It's an enormous family. If you get into a conversation with a lily expert, you're going to hear about American hybrids, Harlequin hybrids, Aurelian hybrids. It's understandable if you feel overwhelmed. The lily family is vast and full of exotic specimens, producing some of the most dazzling, fragrant, exotic and tropical-looking flowers in the summer garden. Selection usually comes down to a matter of colour and style. Height can also be a factor. Lilies can be tiny or gigantic.

Most of the popular ones range in size from 3 to 6 feet (90 cm to 1.8 m). There are three main flower forms: trumpet-shaped, bowl-shaped (with petals curved slightly back) and turk’s-cap (petals curved fully back on themselves). Colors range from orange to pink and white to purple. Some lilies have two-tone speckled flowers like the familiar tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium), which has orange petals with black spots. (It is also known as L. tigrinum). Always popular are the Oriental hybrids, which take 120 days from planting to come into flower, making them the final act in the parade of lilies. The white ‘Casa Blanca’ lily is one of the best. It is fragrant, grows 4 feet (1.2 m) high, and is a very easy color to place in the garden. It is one of the show-stopping bloomers that give the garden a much needed lift of color and scent in late summer. Other outstanding varieties include ‘Stargazer’ (fragrant, strawberry-pink throat with a creamy white edge), ‘Mona Lisa’ (fragrant pink flowers), ‘Acapulco’ (watermelon red), ‘Arena’ (white with red and yellow markings) and ‘Montreal’ (white with yellow stripes).

Asiatic hybrids are the first of the family to bloom, usually by the end of June. They take 60 to 80 days to bloom from planting, grow 3 to 4 feet high (90 cm to 1.2 m), rarely need staking, are good naturalizers in the perennial border and come in an impressive range of colors. Old favorites like `Enchantment' (orange-red) and `Connecticut King' (yellow) have now been replaced by new hybrids, such as `Lollipop' (white with pink tips), `Marseille' (white with pink center accent) and `Chianti' (soft rosy pink). For balconies and patios, there's the Pixie series of dwarf pot lilies that grow to only 12 inches (30 cm). Best performers are `Butter Pixie' (primrose yellow) and `Orange Pixie', although you'll also find `Crimson Pixie' and `Pink Pixie'.

Following on the heels of the Asiatics come the speckled tiger lilies and the towering trumpet lilies, both of which are midsummer bloomers. The most famous tiger lily is yellow `Citronella', but there are also some red, pink, white and orange varieties. They all grow to 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm). Trumpet lilies have large flowers that can easily stretch to 8 inches (20 cm) long. One of the best is ‘African Queen’ (apricot-orange). Other quality performers include ‘Pink Perfection’, ‘Golden Splendour’ (pure yellow) and Lilium regale (wine-red buds becoming white).Grow lilies among perennials or alone in pots on the patio. This is one plant that really should be used more to add color to the midsummer garden.

They will tolerate average soil, but always need good drainage. For the best effect, plant them in large groups in the middle or at the back of the perennial border in full sun or light shade. Like clematis, lilies like their heads in the sun and their roots in the shade. You will keep your lilies happy if they are shielded at the base from the hot afternoon sun. Plant bulbs 6 to 9 inches (15 to 23 cm) deep. The rule of thumb is to put them down to a depth 3 times the thickness of the bulb. Taller varieties need to be staked or they will flop over the moment the flowers appear. Lilies are not bothered by cold, wet winters, but they will rot in poorly

drained ground. However, they will also not do well if left without moisture in fast-draining, dry, sandy soil. They are really not as temperamental as all this sounds and can be used to make a spectacular showing throughout the growing season. Contrast is the name of the game with lilies. They can be planted to provide striking color combinations with roses, hydrangeas, red-hot pokers, peonies and perennials such as late-flowering astilbes, white gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides), Echinacea purpurea and Monarda ‘Marshall’s Delight’, ‘Prairie Night’ or ‘Gardenview Scarlet’. Use lilies to inject color into those areas of the

* Lily connoisseurs delight in the Martagon hybrids because of their distinctive Turk’s cap flowers that are displayed in graceful, nodding clusters. Look for the pure white variety Lillium martagon ‘Album’, which has escaped the family curse of rank odor and has a very pleasant smell. * The Madonna lily (L. candidum) has very fragrant white flowers with yellow stamens in the center. It grows to 4 or 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) high and thrives in soil sweetened by wood ashes. You can also achieve a similar scent by growing Hosta plantaginea, which has fragrant white flowers in late summer. * Canna lilies: These are tender, summer tropical-looking plants that are grown from tubers. Top names are `Cleopatra', `Bengal Tiger', `Pretoria', `Livingstone’ and ‘Tropicana', which has variegated foliage.

Cardiocrinum giganteum (giant Himalayan lily): A real showstopper in any garden, this grows 9 feet (3 m) tall and has pure white, 6-inch-long (15-cm), fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers with red throats. The heart-shaped leaves also live up to the name, being a gigantic 18 inches (45 cm) long. Gardeners often leave the seed heads of the plant for decoration in the garden. A great conversation piece. * Eucomis bicolor (pineapple lily): Yes, the flower looks just like a pineapple. Eucomis grows 18 inches (45 cm) tall and flowers in July. It is best to grow it in a pot and then tuck the pot into the flower bed. This allows you to bring the pot into a frost-free place over the winter.

* Zantedeschia (calla lilies): Native to South Africa, they thrive in full sun to light shade and grow to18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm). They are loved for their colorful, sculptural spathes. There's the creamy white Z. albomaculata or more colorful hybrids such as `Flame' (scarlet red), `Gem' (lavender-purple) and `Mango' (orangy-peach).