Lily Varieties at Kasui Yuri no Sono
Around two million individual flowers from over 150 varieties of lilies are grown at Kasui Yuri no Sono. Native varieties are considered difficult to maintain, and the majority of plants cultivated in the park are imported from the Netherlands. Each bulb is meticulously selected, and quality is prioritized over cost when acquiring new lilies.
At the beginning of the display season, the “openwork lily” (sukashi-yuri), named for the gaps between its open petals, is in full bloom, followed later by various hybrid varieties. Care is taken to ensure that many blossoms are on display during the park’s entire 40-day opening period.
A preference for hybrid lilies over heirloom varieties allows the staff to have more flexibility in developing new strains that are both visually appealing and better suited to the park’s particular environment. The gift shop sells a selection of rare lilies that are hard to find commercially, including the dwarf “tiny lily” series ideal for gardens with limited space, as well as the larger, double-flowered (yae-zaki) lilies that give the impression of two lilies blooming together, one within the other.