2026 Plant of the Year, Honorable Mention

Proposed by: a member of Alamo Heights-Terrell Hills Garden Club, Zone IX

Lilium superbum attracts hummingbirds and is pollinated by the eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), one of the largest butterflies in New England. Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus), pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), and great spangled fritillaries (Speyeria cybele) are also frequent visitors. The lily's abundant nectar makes it a valuable food source for various insects and wildlife. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, and voles are tempted by the leaves and bulbs. Insects like the lily leaf beetle, and sometimes lily aphids, purple-spotted lily aphids, bulb mites, snails, and slugs enjoy the plant.

L. superbum attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. You can find L. superbum in borders, cottage gardens, native plant gardens or meadows. It is a good plant for moist low spots, pond peripheries, rain gardens, stream banks, anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, shrublands or thickets, and wetland margins (edges of wetlands). They are best grouped or massed.