Lillian is an avid plants woman. She was an active member of the North Star Lily Society and in 1980-1982 was its first woman president.

Lillian and her husband, Dick, raised their family in Hastings, Minnesota. On a city lot Lillian grew a wide variety of perennials. She had a special interest in lilies and in a 1976 edition of the North Star Lily News it was reported that she had 200 lily cultivars, 70 different hostas and hundreds of rock garden plants. She reported at one point that as her garden expanded, there was no more room for sod. She did, however, leave enough space for a pathway that the postman could use to access the mailbox on her house.

Lillian enjoyed showing her lilies and was a consistent winner of ribbons, not only for stems, but also in artistic design. She also took delight in creating arrangements of lilies to take to other groups. She was often requested to speak on lilies and give demonstrations on such things as bulb scaling.

Lillian did take an interest in lily hybridizing and registered a lily she named L. 'Moon River.' She is also recognized for her hosta introductions.

In 1979, Lillian was recognized by the Minnesota Horticultural Society with a Distinguished Service Award.

She's not able to be as active as she once was, but she does occasionally attend meetings and when she can, will help out at bulb sales and new lilies still find their way to her garden.

Photos are the property of the North Star Lily Society