If you'd asked me before this year I would have told you I hated lilies.
I'm allergic to the easter lily it's scent gives me a migrane.
2 years ago I put stella d'oro day lily in with my coral bells & other perennials. I've always felt kind of 'meh' about it. It's pretty common in gardens here & I like it when I'm the only one in the neighborhood with something (who doesn't).
In June Holland Bulb Farms had mystery grab bags for $20. I ordered one for full sun. Lo & behold lily bulbs lots of lily bulbs. So I said whatever & planted them figuring that if I hated them I could give them away & if they didn't bloom it was no big loss.
Oh my word I AM IN LOVE! I received night embers daylily, Bernini Oriental Lily, Sphinx double astic, Mero Star & Mona Lisa. I am absolutely totally in love with these plants! The mero star are blooming their heads off big beautiful blooms & aren't heavily scented so no scent sensitivity!
Now I'm no longer 'meh' and going "How do I make sure these babies come up next year. I have lily fever.
I'm going to thread daffs in with the lily bulbs this fall. Should I mulch for the winter?
Do I pull up & over winter in the plant room?
What should I fertilize with?
What suggestions does everyone have for more of these pretties?
The mero star & mona lisa are beautiful beautiful pinks & I find them enchanting but want to put some other colors in purples, blues, whites, deep reds, vibrant yellows.
Oriental vs astic which do you prefer & why?
I've been reading through the forum & really want to do some brain picking here.
Thanks for any advice you can send my way.
*edited because I cannot spell "lilies" correctly & always spell it "lillies".
This message was edited Aug 11, 2012 11:28 AM
I'm new to lillies.....
You will do fine leaving them in the ground, no need to pull them out of ground. They will spread more each year. If you become addicted like myself this year also, try
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290752823614?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Blueridgebuttons sells healthy lilly's, I received some this year from them, and they also sent many extras.
I have a bit of everything except martangnon (sp). they don't do well here. But the rest do really well. I think a 10-10-10 once in the spring before blooming and once after blooming to get those bulbs bulking up. I don't mulch, but then I have deep snow so no need to. Like you I try to get some of every color. I have found that once you have lilies, even when you move them, they leave those little bits of the bulbs so you have lilies coming up in the oddest places at the oddest times (years after they were moved or died.)
Everyone is right.Dont dig
I feed Bolb-tone fertalizer in the spring when they first pop out of the ground and then again in late summer after they finish blooming.
Daffodille will keep moles and voles away.
Do NOT cut stems in the fall until they are completely brown
If you want to pick a lily for the house,be sure to leave at least 2/3rds of the stem or the lily bulb will not bloom again.
Not all lilies are fragrent.
I'll have to warn my neighbors daughters not to touch & cut them if they want one. :) They're 9 & are gaga for my flowers. I told them they could pick flowers I'll have to revise that. :)
Ok I'll leave them in the ground. Yay less to dig!. Will prob mulch that area after fall planting for weed control.
My pineapple lily (ok I bought it for hubster so technically it's his he just doesn't take care of it. If it flowers it's mine lol.) has all these green seed pouches (?) where the flowers were. Does anyone know if the seeds it sets are viable. I mean from personal experience.
There is a gardener who plants dozens of lilies and other flowers just for a cutting garden so her grand daughter will noy pick in her garden,just the picking garden/
also, when it comes to picking and cutting flowers,,I got some plastic tubes from the florist,,fill those with water,,cut at angle your lily just before it opens, not the stalk,,just the flower branch..,put 5 tubes,one bud for each tube,, in a coffee cup at the end of day,,and the next morning they will be opened just perfectly..no more tall lanky vases..they may charge 10cent each tube,,,they last forever..have fun!
Beautiful display.I like the iris in the lily bed and have been looking for a place to put more iris.
Must be me you're speaking of with the designated cutting granddaughter garden. Believe me, it works!
Hartzell, just so you know the pineapple lily (eucomis) is something different. It may not be hardy for you. And from seed will take around 4 years to flower. I understand you can start them from leaf cuttings, too. Maybe someone in bulbs, or in the tropicals areas could help better with them.
Glad you've come to love lilies!
Oh, and d_lilly, how wonderful those strips of flowers are!
I was speaking of your GD Polly.Its a great idea.
Pollyk:
I know I have that one in a pot. That's it's home. I don't expect them to bloom from seed the 1st year. I like the idea of starting from seed and nurturing something until it blooms even if it is years later :).
Going to check in with the tropicals on that one :)
Thanks!
thank you for nice comments,,there are also daylilies mixed in,,ive had color all year,and now the re-blooming iris have started..post a picture of the pineapple lily..id love to see it :) d