A GARDENER with 75 years of experience has inadvertently created a new species of lily in his back garden.
Ray Mellor has grown a light orange-coloured lily – a completely new species – that he has named Janice after his wife.
Ray, 80, has always been a keen gardener, starting at five years old.
He said: "My love of gardening and the need to be interested was accelerated by World War Two when food was short and needed to be home-grown. I've always loved flowers and have lots in my garden. I spend my time keeping them up and making sure they're in great health."
Ray, of Spondon, said that the lilies were left over from last year but, as they are a bulb flower, they regrow in season – and when the sun shines – with very little encouragement.
He said: "Lilies are quite tough and when they gave up the ghost at the end of the summer last year, I just left them without cutting them back for the winter.
"There were two different types, a small one and a larger one and the two have created a new species of flower. I'm very proud of them, I didn't have much to do with it because it just happened. I think that makes it even better!"
Mark Smith is the plant area manager for Swarkestone Nursery and visited Ray at home to see how the lilies had developed.
Ray had two different types of lilies in pots close to each other and very different in height.
Mark said that when the lilies died at the end of their last life-cycle and were not chopped back, the seeds from the tallest lily fell into the pot of the one below.
Mark said: "The seeds have cross-pollinated with each other and created this amazing new type of flower.
"It's taken the light yellow colour of one and the burnt orange lily and come out like an apricot colour.
"It's the first time that I've seen a lily this colour. It's beautiful. If I was a breeder and trying for this outcome I would be very pleased, so for Ray to create this by accident is an amazing feat."
Ray has asked Mark for help with cultivating it for future years.
Ray said: "It would be a shame to see it disappear after just one year and I'd like to see it back year after year.
"Mark has said he would help me keep it going. I'm looking forward to seeing it come back again."
