Thread: my first lilies
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Old October 31st, 2007, 06:25 AM
CearaQC's Avatar
CearaQC CearaQC is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Great White North
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I LOVE lilies!! Great pic!! Those seem to be young bulbs though. Look forward to 6-9 blooms next year, and 12-15 the year after that, and a giant thick stem, approx 2" or more diameter and 3-5 feet tall. When they start to get crowded the year after you get the most amount of blooms, dig them up and separate them. You might even find the main bulb deeper than you planted it. The buggers have the amazing ability to dig themselves deeper via their fleshy roots at the base of the bulb. And you'll see tons of "baby" bulbs all along the stem and around the mother bulb.

Currently I have a little over 100 bulbs and I propagate a few every winter via scales.

I think anyone with any amount of space should grow lilies. lol I know of a gentleman in the UK who doesn't have any lawn space and grows many lilies in tubs outside. As long as the pot is big enough, the lily could care less. They are so forgiving and strong in the wind. They aren't that expensive either. If you catch the right sales, you can get many for $1 or less each bulb in pack of 25 or more from the specialty dealers in Canada. Many of mine came from Veseys and from a specialty vendor in Alberta. Can't remember the name for some reason. But buying bulbs from a farmers' market may not be the best, because there have been people who use bulbs for cut flowers, and then once the flower stem is harvested and sold, they dig up the bulbs and sell them. Problem with that is you possibly might get a bulb that is depleted of energy and may not bloom again for two seasons but it will eventually recover. Best thing to do with those kinds of bulbs is to split up the scales, and each scale has the potential to produce 3-5 babies, which in 2-3 years will be flowering size bulbs.

They love sandy, well-drained soil, in full sunlight. Well, most of them anyway. The Martagon types like a bit of shade, whereas others prefer their heads in the sun and feet in the shade and can have the potential to grow 6-8 feet tall (like the Orienpets). Some are fragrant like the Orientals or Trumpets, and others have no scent at all. Some have pollen and some don't. I find they like growing among other plants like Johnny Jump Ups (viola) because the viola roots are shallow and create the shade towards the soil. There are so many types that you can literally have blooms from spring to fall, although most of the types you get at gardening center bloom June/July. Martagons for spring blooms and Orientals/Trumpets for August blooms.

Here's a link to learn about propagation and where/how to plant. They take minimal care once they are in a place they like and just need separating every 3-4 years to avoid crowding and the bulbs and scales are fun to trade with other gardeners.

These are pics from my front lawn center bed, I have three other beds in front but the center one has the most bulbs, along with several daylily, some iris and other perennials.

http://www.lilies.org/propagation.html





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