Fawn lily 'White Beauty'
Erythronium californicum 'White Beauty' · Liliaceae
Creamy-white flowers with swept-back petals and a ring of rust-red at the centre, over broad leaves mottled with bronze.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around fawn lily 'White Beauty'
The planner designed this bed around fawn lily 'White Beauty' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why fawn lily 'White Beauty' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lingonberry × 13, pink
- 2 Polyanthus primrose × 8, yellow
- 3 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 4 Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' × 3, white
- 5 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 6 Wild geranium × 5, pink
- 7 Fawn lily 'White Beauty' × 12, white
- 8 Checkered lily × 5, purple
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 10 in it is the step between lingonberry (8 in) in front and wild geranium (20 in) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 12 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to early May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With polyanthus primrose, wild geranium and checkered lily in early May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 7 groups (71%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. There is more lingonberry than anything else, 13 plants in all. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 8 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where fawn lily 'White Beauty' goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
The easiest and most vigorous fawn lily. It builds into clumps in leafy soil under deciduous trees. Plant the bulbs fresh, and never let them dry out.
- Woodland gardens in spring
- Under deciduous trees and shrubs
- Mottled foliage
What to plant with fawn lily 'White Beauty'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Foamflower: in flower together for three weeks, from late April; medium leaves against its bold ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Wild ginger: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; fine leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about fawn lily 'White Beauty'
Does fawn lily 'White Beauty' need sun or shade?
Fawn lily 'White Beauty' grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does fawn lily 'White Beauty' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does fawn lily 'White Beauty' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid April to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should fawn lily 'White Beauty' be planted?
5 in (12 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many fawn lily 'White Beauty' plants do I need?
At 5 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 74 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 26 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 238 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used 12 in two groups.
What can I plant to hide fawn lily 'White Beauty''s leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid July to mid August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost': 16 in tall and 18 in wide, in flower late April to late May.
What does fawn lily 'White Beauty' look like in winter?
Fawn lily 'White Beauty' is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
More Erythronium
- Trout lily 'Pagoda' Erythronium 'Pagoda'
- Yellow trout lily Erythronium americanum
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 in (12 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; hanging bells; white, cream
- Leaves
- Bold texture, summer-dormant; green, bronze
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Liliaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.