Seven years and bad luck as rare lilies ruined

Staff at the Alnwick Garden, Northumberland, have tended the 7ft Himalayan lilies since 2004, waiting for the moment they would make their stunning display.

But heavy rains since the weekend have ripped most of the blooms from their stems, “decimating” the display, head gardener Trevor Jones said.

“I’m a bit gutted,” he said. “Normally they would be in flower for about three weeks but not this year.

“They started coming into flower at the beginning of last week but the heavy rains have decimated them.

“They would have been one of the highlights this summer but we have more coming next year.”

The flower is monocarpic, meaning it has a dramatic lifecycle of bursting into flower just once before dying.

There were 12 lilies – Latin name cardiocrinum giganteum – flowering simultaneously in the tourist attraction gardens, and each one had up to 20 beautiful white trumpets on its slender stem, producing an intense, sweet smell like honey. As the name indicates, the giants originate from the Himalayan mountains and despite its delicate appearance, the plant is able to survive at altitudes of between 1,500 and 3,600 metres (4,900ft to 11,900ft) and favours woodland clearings.

The gardens will stagger replanting of the Himalayan lilies so that they have a display every year.