Ask the Expert: Is this an Orchid? My neighbor has this plant with beautiful purple & white flowers. I think it is an Orchid, but could not find any photos that looked like it. I want to ID it, so I can buy some for my garden. I hope that it is a perennial & can take full sun. Do you know what it is? Thanks, Rob Plant Expert Reply: Although the plant has an exotic presentation with it long stem and multiple blooms, it isn't an orchid. What you neighbor has is a common Oriental lily. I'm not sure exactly which cultivar. These beautiful blooms come from a bulb that is hardy in zones 3-8. Once planted they come back year after year and multiply. Oriental lilies are planted in the spring. However, in some zones they are planted in the fall as well. Oriental lilies usually bloom in the summer and their cousin Asiatic liles bloom 4 to 5 weeks earlier with a similar form and bloom. They prefer full sun to partial shade. They need to be planted in [...]