On buying lilies...

It's that time of year... the new catalogs are out... B&D, The Lily Garden, White Flower Farm and others. Lots to drool over. I thought it would be a good idea for me and other experienced lily enthusiasts to comment on a few facts about lilies so that newbies will learn and not be disappointed. So feel free to add your comments as you see fit. I will start with:

1. Clone vs Strain: Many trumpet lilies (and other types to a lesser extent) are strains but a lot of catalogs DON'T tell you that. Blooms from a strain can vary somewhat one from another. A clone from a strain is a selection deemed best of all which is then vegetatively propagated. Examples of trumpet strains are Midnight, Golden Temple, Amethyst Temple, Pink Perfection, Summer Palace and others. Oriental strains include the “Elegances” (Silver, Gold, Rose, etc). The important point is if you want that lovely dark purple Midnight you HAVE to pay the big bucks to get the clone, otherwise it is a crapshoot!

2. Catalog colors: Personally I think some vendors deliberately misrepresent color to sell the product. On the other hand it can be difficult and probably expensive to try to adjust the color on all catalog photographs. Read the descriptions carefully and if in doubt contact the grower and ask questions. But don't bother contacting the "sells everything" Dutch type catalogs. They are ok but you won't talk to a real grower. My point here is if you see a picture of a really nice bright yellow trumpet lily with a really bright pink contrasting picotee edge think again.

3. Orienpets: Color can vary from the photographs (see #2 above) but they are also naturally variable due to growing conditions. For example, Scheherazade will show the golden yellow edge with cooler temperatures. My Boogie Woogie has never shown a pink edge and perhaps needs even cooler temperatures for it to show.

That's my 2 cents for now. What do you have to add that I haven't thought of?

Thanks for the great information pardalinum, esp. in #1.

Robert.

Thank you, very informative. :)

Diann

Thank you Pard for your advice. More often than not, going by the description and growing requirements is a better bet than the photo. When I have had questions in the past, I have found the Lily Garden, B & D Lilies and Buggy Crazy all to be very, very informed with each lily they grow and sell. As per usual, when you buy direct from the farmer, you have someone who knows their product very well. They also listen to their customers comments in different climate conditions and can pass along what they have learned to you.

How about bulb sizes? There's a big difference between what you get from B&D as opposed to one of those dutch places. Also, not all mature lily bulbs are big. Some of the species bulbs are quite small. SO, if you order an asiatic bulb from from Van B (please don't ever really do that - read the Watchdog) and the bulb is the size of a walnut (and perhaps moldy to boot), you could have gotten a nicer bulb from a specialized grower. If you order a species bulb and it's the size of a walnut, don't get upset, the size is probably appropriate.

Buggy Crazy's website has been recently updated with many lily selections. Some unusual, interesting , beautiful choices. The thought of next year's garden.....
http://buggycrazy.vstore.ca/

Holy cow! I checked just a couple of hours ago and most of these have been added since then! Thanks magnolia.

Ditto on that "holy cow!!"

My recommendation: 10 speciosum rubrums for $15! Now thats a bargain! I purchased from her last year 10/$25. They turned out great and they are not all exactly the same. The darkness of pink and area of spots varies. And Stunning is back! You won't find it anywhere else.

Pard, your L. henryi v. citrinum, YELLOW HENRY is what I have been waiting for! She sure does have some interesting selections and I will also try a couple of her seeds. I'm not sure how she keeps track of everything. It is a small operation, I think. I bet her fields are gorgeous too. I especially like her descriptions of how they grow for her.It really gives you a good idea of what the lily is like. Thanks for giving me the scoop in another forum on Buggy, Pard.

What great prices!

I was wondering about the quality.......

One note: Check multiple prices carefully: 24 Narcissus pseudonarcissus bulbs go for $5. and 100 go for $30. It would make sense to order 4 lots of 24 bulbs ( $20 for 96) as opposed to $30 for 100. Maybe it's a typo?

Robert.

I would e-mail her about that. She told me that if I found any mistakes, to let her know. Pard can give you the scoop on Buggy & I think I remember her saying it was a neighbor of hers, so she would have the scoop. Watchdog has her with good marks.
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/3719/

This message was edited Aug 27, 2006 9:28 AM

This message was edited Aug 27, 2006 10:38 AM

I have coming from Buggycrazy:

1 x GODZILLA LARGE BULB (GODZILLA LARGE) = $12.00
2 x WOODRIFF'S MEMORY (WOODRIFF'S MEMORY) = $10.00
2 x STUNNING (STUNNING) = $10.00
2 x ROSEPOINT LACE (ROSEPOINT LACE) = $10.00
2 x JULY MINT (JULY MINT A641) = $6.00

Now, If I could just find Dot.com. :)

Diann

Raydio is wondering about the quality... For lilies, she digs the bulbs for each order. You can't get any fresher than that short of buying potted lilies. Price anomalies may be due to the size of the bulbs but also the fact that they part some of the shipping into the price. This info is somewhere on the site; I was up half the night perusing it and making a list especially of what she claims to be sun and heat tolerant orientals. I'm tired of poached orientals and there is no point in having them if they never look good during bloom:-(

Well she isn't my *neighbor* any more as she has moved to what she calls the NIGHTMARE farm. I expect I will have to have my orders shipped even though it is only 15 or so miles they don't want visitors there. I will miss the long visits I have had with her. She cracks me up no end. Have you guys noticed her special of one free "Dryrot" lily with each trumpet "Skyline" purchase? Very funny.

She does call it the nightmare farm. Sounds like lots of work, in addition to power outages, which haven't made things easy for her. With a lot to do, it is amazing she keeps her humor, but she does.

Ticker-- I purchased Dot.com this spring from (ducking the rotten eggs..) Van Bourgondien. Not popular, I know, but I made a small order to get them so wasn't risking much. The lilies I purchased from them were all true to name. They had sprouted but so had a lot of other lilies I got from other sources.

Hmm, thanks for the information Pard! ;)

diann

The site says they are unable to ship to my location. Don't understand that.

Pardalinum,

I agree on the Boogie Woogie - not a hint of pink on mine, though being in Texas what can I expect?

And, on your point #2 on catalog color I TOTALLY agree. Places like Breck's and Dutch Gardens are some of the worst offenders too when it comes to color doctoring, in my opinion. I got a Royal Dutch catalog once that had pink daffs that actually looked colored in (I have never ever seen a truly PINK daff, at any rate!)

A word for Southerners in hot cimates like mine (from my experience) - Orienpets are a much better bet than Orientals, and Silk Road is one of the best of all when it comes to heat tolerance and perennialization!

Beak-- if the site is giving you problems with your location/address then email them. They admit there are bugs in the system and they need to know what they are.

I bought Dot Com from Brecks(help, rotten eggs!). They came partially sprouted, but all grew very well and were true to name. It's nothing like the bulbs you get from the family growers, but again, I knew what to expect, and bought from them anyway.

http://brecks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_69655

This message was edited Aug 27, 2006 3:10 PM

This last Spring, a bunch of us in our lily society purchased what they call 'Tango' lilies (spotted ~ Dotcom being one of them and the only registered name) from Van B's. I was very pleasantly surprised with their accuracy and healthy bulbs. Not that I would endorse the company across the board, but it is heartening.

Hmmmmmm, Ok, I've donned my rotten egg proof armour. I just ordered dot com, Shocking and Burgundy splash from Brecks. It's a small order so I'm not out too much if it goes bad.

Thanks guys, I've really been wanting dot com. :)

Diann

I've had good luck with the orientals by planting them in with other plants so that the ground is shaded. Earlier in the season before there is good cover, a thick mulch of pine needle has helped.

Some of the best "Tiger Lilies" (lancifolium) I have ever seen were the ones my mother grew. They probably weren't started that way, but over time, Japanese hollies spread over them and the strongest growers were the ones that came up through the shrubs. The shade helped keep them moist and cool-rooted.

Robert.

This site provides info on sizing terminology; it delineates, for example, lilies - extra large = 16 - 18 cm.
large = 14 - 16 cm.
med = 12 - 14 cm
small = 10 - 11 cm

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=52

I did want to share with everyone that Buggy Crazy just listed a ton of reduced prices (under sale section) http://buggycrazy.vstore.ca/specials.php?osCsid=9efe2f1c813f156200fbf395cc490e09
for lilies and other items. And I thought I was done shopping! Rats!

Well leave it to someone in Wisconsin to tell me buggy is having a sale. And I just checked the site this morning! For those drooling for a yellow henry it's only 5 bucks now! (should I buy more or finish growing it out from seed? hmmmm...)

Oh goodie, I never did place my order last week. She did get back to me and let me know they fixed the shipping info for my area.

Ratz, the site is down for maintenance.... Oh well, later... :)

Diann

Yeah, it went down but not before I loaded my cart up thanks to magnolia... magnolia, did your lily seeds ever come up?

it's back up

Pard, I was going to ask you when I should start those seeds for next Spring. The ones I sowed directly outside in May from the Lily Garden did not germinate. I searched and searched, maybe they had too much competition from the resident weeds (I'm guilty of that, especially in the area I planted them).
So I will try your way. It seems better than what I have tried. Do I do Orientals and Trumpets at different times? Do I start Fall or Winter for logical lily cycle? I split some Madonna lilies the other day and the scales seem to just come off easily. Got me thinking about scales from upcoming purchases.
Also did buy Yellow Henryi seeds from Buggy. Can't wait!

If there were too many weeds how do you know they didn't germinate? They look like weeds (tiny, grasslike and just one little blade to start). Anyway, the baggy method or pot is best where you can easily keep track of them and control conditions.

Orientals should be started soon-- they need 10-12 weeks of warm to make a little bulb. Then into the fridge for another 10-12 weeks. Martagons are started the same way. Starting these types now means they wuld go into the fridge in early December and remain there until early March after which they should sprout.

Asiatics, trumpets and the seeds that the Lily Garden sells are started in the late winter and will germinate after a warm period just like marigolds. I start in late Jan or Feb. as I can get to it. Germination takes 3-6 weeks but I have had some come up after 10-12 days.

The best information on starting lilies from seed is found at

http://www.lilyseeds.com/growing.html

and

http://www.open.org/~halinar/lilygermination.html

I think I will get some oriental and mart seeds out of the freezer and start them this week.

Thanks Pard. The growth that came up in the garden had a very different fluffy , billowy grass texture and a seed head on top. What I planted may have frosted out in a late frost, that I covered, but who knows. Controlled conditions might be the key here.
Get ready fridge! I bought some oriental seeds from Buggy too. Wasn't going to try those, but couldn't help myself :0)
This Wisconsinite is off to Boston!

I'm thoroughly disgusted. I ordered Dot.Com and Burgundy Splash and another one of some sort from Brecks. Well, I they were supposed to be delivered this fall. I get a post card in the mail saying dot.com and Burgundy splash are not available and the other thing I've ordered will be delivered next spring. I went to Brecks on-line and they are still listing dot.com and Burgundy splash as available, but they are different order numbers from what I ordered, or so says customer service. I canceled everything. I'll have to wait and get dot.com next year from a reliable source. Oh well, live and learn, This is the only time I've ever ordered from Brecks, and it will be the last time.

Diann

That's a bummer. :(

I purchased Dot Com and Starburst , both tangos, from Van Bourgondien this past spring and they both bloomed true to description. They were sold by 2's, something like 2 for $7.50 or $7.95 or there-abouts.

Ticker...what a bummer. It was me that gave you the bad advice. The way they present things is quite deceiving, noting that the website acts as if it is in stock. Ugh!

Mags, it is certainly not your fault! And I would not blame you or anyone else in the least bit for this silly thing. :) It's not unusual for a mega-mart supplier to do a sale and over sell what they have in stock and then back out. I think the ones I ordered were in groups of three and the ones they have listed now are in groups of five. I was a bit nervous ordering from them to begin with since they are/were affiliated with the infamous Michigan Bulb group of retailers. We are just numbers to those people.

It's going to be in the upper 30s and lower 40s for the next few days and so, I'm really thrilled to not be dinking around outside. ;) I figure when my other bulbs arrive I can store them in the fridge for a bit hoping we'll have one or two nice days before we get buried in snow. :)

Besides, my Buggycrazy order is on its way!! Yippee!! :) We're not numbers to her. :)

Diann

I hope that companies that accept (and often encourage) early ordering, fill those orders in the order they were taken. I'd hate to hear that people that placed orders after I did got bulbs I was denied. Not nice!

Robert.