St Bruno's Lily

Paradisea liliastrum is an elegant species, native to the alpine meadows of southern Europe. It is also a fiendish plant to photograph on a windy day. The tall stems wave elegantly in the wind while the garden background is a mass of distractions. So we kneel before the saint and aim for the sky!

The common name, St Bruno's lily, refers to the 11th century founder of the Carthusian order of monks, whose motherhouse was in the French Alps, where this plant can be found.

It has been grown in English gardens for many centuries, although not so common now it is easily raised from seed ... and self sows here too.