One of the lilies growing in my garden has changed from its usual round stem to a flat one. Also, there sure seems to be a lot of growth near the top of the plant. One pic is straight on and the other from the side. Does anyone happen to know what is causing this? Thanks.
It's called fasciation and while it looks unusual, there really isn't anything 'wrong' with it. There is only speculation as to what causes it and mosly likely will come back perfectly normal next year. Occasionally some of the buds will abort but that is normal too. Be sure to take lots of pics!
Does the lily have a name?
And when fasciation happens, they usually have tons of flowers--like 20 or 30 or more. It's kind of unusual for a plant to fasciate but not rare. It's more often seen in vegitable gardens with tomatoes, etc. Your lily will return to normal next year. Some people speculate that over culture like a little too much fertilizer or too rich a soil may cause it ( too good of care). But that's pure speculation of those who push things to the very limit with gardening. It can happen regardless. In the meantime, enjoy the occassion while it lasts--and take lots of pictures to post for the rest of us to enjoy!
This message was edited Jun 11, 2013 9:56 AM
Wow! I was really thinking some kind of virus! That is good news. I will take lots of pictures and post them here. I do have the variety written down somewhere and will find it in the next few days. Thank you very much for your information. Oh, and I can throw in my info regarding rich soil/fertilizer: I am a lower fertilizer kind of person and so there is no way it was in a very fertile location. In fact, I have been feeling guilty about not fertilizing enough.
I found a fascinated dandelion last year and right now have a fascinated stalk of valerian.
