Gloriosa Rothschildiana

The Glory Lily - otherwise known as the Gloriosa Lily or Gloriosa rothschildiana - is perhaps one the most delicate and beautifully flowering climbing plants you will ever come across. A native of North Africa, this exceptional plant was named after Baron Z.W. Rothschild, a renowned ornithologist who brought it back to enter it in to the English Horticultural Society’s exhibition of 1901.

Related to the Lilium family, the Glory lily is a tender tuberous rooted perennial climber that will require cold protection in all but the mildest areas within Great Britain. Despite its tropical looks the Glory Lily is relatively easy to grow, best off started in pots and then transferring them to the ground during May to June once the threat of frosts are over. Similar to the oriental lilies the growth of the Glory Lily is upright at first, but these are climbing plants that love to scramble. If you look carefully you’ll see that the tip of each leaf has a barbed end which it uses to support itself on whatever is at hand to climb on.