Concerning Martagons

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone out there in Lily land has or had Martagons in the garden? I just started to look into them and I think I am interested in trying one or two for starters :*) My DW was shocked at the prices though, I have to say I am too. So if you have pictures of them in your garden or have experiences to share let us know!

First of all I would like to know how cold hardy they are. I was only able to find a brief statement of some growing in MN.

Not very many online shops sell them, even the popular ones. Here is a link of some pictures from the Lily Nook.
http://www.lilynook.mb.ca/library/library-martagons.htm

Good Day,
Andrew

I've had good luck with them here. I think I have 3, maybe. I bought them from a place outside Stoughton called The Flower Factory. The ones I have aren't anything fancy. Seems like $7 or $8 is what I paid. They do take a year or so to "settle in". Often, in my limited experience, and also from what I have been told, they don't flower the first year after planting.
Buggy Crazy offers some martagons this year.
http://buggycrazy.vstore.ca/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=martagon&osCsid=e80f986771d641e6b8e06c70b26b5eab&x=0&y=0
I have also seen them, one like RO Backhouse offered at our spring garden show. I have also seen some offered by Brent & Becky's bulbs in the spring. I guess I am one to try an inexpensive , more common one, to see how much I adore them, before getting serious at the Lily Nook, with the extra charges it takes to get them in this country and the prices.
Andrew, they really do well in Zone 5. You'd have no trouble.

Andrew, martagons grow slowly and therefore the prices on them are high. I have a few pictures at home I will post later.

One of the easiest to grow is dalhansoni. I think I paid ~10.00 at Lily Nook a few years ago. It bloomed the first year and has only gotten bigger and better. They say this one rarely pouts after it's planted. Some are not that expensive, comparatively, to some of the prima donnas we throw our cash at. Look for Paisley Hybrids or Backhouse, Brocade. The species are usually only 7.00 or 8.00.

L nepera

Dalhonsonii

I have two. The first one I planted was three years ago (Terrace City). This summer I had my first blooms, but only a few. I also had two stems. I expect this one to start being better and better from here on end. The first two years with this plant, it put out about an 18" stem and then sometime in July, the stem disappeared.

The second martagon I planted was last fall and I'm having the same experience as with the first. They do take a long time to get going, but once established, a nice plant for a semi-shady garden.

I was able to obtain a martagon scale this fall and I'm guessing 5 years before I see a bloom. If you're looking for instant gratification, I agree with Echoes, that perhaps going with a species lily might be better.

Pink Taurade

AS you can see, I have posted a few pictures from my photos. Martagons are hard to sell because of the steep prices but there are a few good places to buy. S-W gardens in Canada has a decent collection. Hartle and Gilman sells them but it is too late for this year. I would hesitate to buy a martagon in spring as they won't do anything the first year. Even fall planted, might not show for two years. Few people want to pay the money and wait that long. I occasionally have a few I sell when they multiply but not often.

The other thing that makes them more expensive is that they rarely (if ever) set stem bulblets. Makes propagation all that much slower. Martagons are hardy to at least zone 3.

Beaker, most of my martagons, as you saw, are in full sun. They would prefer some shade, but do fine, although they look a little worn by the end of the season. Still, they are green right up to frost. But if yours are wimping out by mid summer, maybe you ought to think about trying them in a cooler spot.

As for the finickiness of transplanting, true. But if you can find someone local, who can dig them and you plant them withing a few days, they shouldn't skip a beat.

Lilium martagon 'Claude Schride'

Lilium (martagon x tsingtauense) 'Super Tsing'

Mine are in semi-shade, Rick. The ones that bloomed this year didn't disappear. Only the ones just starting out seem to disappear and I understand that is a normal occurrence. The scale I obtained is Claude Schride.

Personally, I'd rather put my money into a lily with a more substantial flower, but I haven't seen mine at full maturity, so I just may change my mind one of these years.

But the best thing about martagons is that they are the first lilies to come up in spring and usually the first to bloom! :)

This is Orange Marmalade

Five years, indeed is a long time to wait. Martagons do have a similarity to species lilies don't they. Since I like to experiment I may try to find a less expensive one and see what happens. Some of the pictures I have seen of healthy flowering martagons are quite interesting.

Is it too late to plant them now?

The lit says 12 weeks to produce the bulblet, then 12 weeks dormancy. I think there is definitely still time.

I bought two martagons from the Bulbmeister coop (Bulbmeister also posted an ad in the classifieds regarding an end of season sale). I planted them with three L. pardalinums in a raised bed that gets morning sun and mid to late afternoon shade. They are 8-9" deep in soil that is half compost and drains really well. I put bulb food in the hole.

Is this all correct procedure? Do you think they will grow? But will they flower next year? I am lily ignorant, but so want them to grow!

Beaker, you have mail.

I have to say, after getting bulbs from places like Buggy Crazy & B&D Lilies, the Bulbmeister Co-op thing severely disappointed me. The bulbs I got were soft and questionable at best. I got some martagons and hopefully they weren't already too soft to be living. It looked like something that may just compost itself. 4Paws, how did yours look?

sigh
The same. I ordered 20 bulbs, 5 for me, the rest for two others and both commented on their condition.

I've never grown lilies before, so I hope these will grow. My pards were also soft. I planted them and my fingers are crossed. But two years 'til bloom...oh my!

The only other I bought for myself was Black Beauty, and it sure didn't look like photos of lily bulbs others have posted here.

You've gotta try Buggy Crazy, if you haven't already. Perhaps I am spoiled, but I don't mind :0)

I received the Bulbmeister Coop lilies a few days ago, but hadn't opened the box yet. I was already disappointed in the bulbs that became unavailable after ordering, but these bulbs are just short of rotting. I'm more than disappointed, I feel cheated.

Beak, if you get your bulbs planted they will probably be OK. Are they small bulbs? (just wondering). Maybe you can pot some up and keep in the garage just in case the ones planted in the garden disappear over the winter. I think one of the problems with this type of source (vs buying direct from reputable growers) is that the bulbs get harvested too soon, i. e., they are still in green foliage when the stems are ripped out. Anyway, I have planted some pretty limp, rootless, sprouted bulbs in the spring and they did OK. My concern is whether these subpar bulbs will make it through winter in your cold zone.

beaker, I'm glad you spoke up.
I thought it was just me.

Same concern here, Pard. They also look shriveled. I was wondering if they might be better off cut up for scales. The ones that look really bad are Hansonii. My garage would get too cold for them, it would have to be the basement (too warm I think) or the fridge and I would worry about rot at this point. I do have 4 of them, so maybe I'll plant the best three and scale the worst.

I had some soft lily bulbs from one supplier a few years ago who, when I called, recommended that I put them in a bag with moistened peat for a couple of days to see if they perked up....mine did (most of them anyway) and I eventually planted and they did ok...

Wouldn't hurt to try. Thanks for the suggestion, esw.

Hansonii is also one that I ordered, Beak. Actually, they looked the worst. I have gotten bulbs from all sorts of places in the past, but really, can I say, these were the worst I have seen. I planted mine out the minute I opened the box and I am hoping for the best.
Oh, and I was so excited about these.:0(

Hansonii is pretty tough I hear. They may sulk a bit like the martagons.....you may have to wait two years. Maybe not!
Good luck.

Hi lily experts -- I got some martagons from Old House Gardens. The Blackhouse bulbs I got seemed healthy, but the species bulbs were light and loose and lifeless seeming. I've never planted martagons before so I don't know what they're supposed to look like, but I was concerned and wrote to Old House -- they assured me they were okay and if they didn't come up in the spring they'd replace them. But if martagons tend to wait a season or two before coming up, how can I know this first spring if they're okay or not????

I don't think there is a way to "know". But I think it is safe to say that the more trama a bulb has been through (i.e. time out of soil, dehydration, warm temps, etc. [whatever else etc. there is]), the more likely the bulb will sit for a season before sending up growth. I can say that planting within a few days of digging is of no consequence. I wish I could be more specific and relevant.

Thanks Leftwood. Old House did say that their fall shipping was delayed because their bulbs from Holland went to the wrong country before getting to them finally. That little side trip can't have been good for them.

I have had very bad luck whenever I have planted Martagons..tiny things come up and one tiny bloom and rarely return..I have tried moving them to different places and nothing seems to work...I think they are just very tempremental I will keep trying however because I love them.

Stop moving them. They tend to sulk for a year or two after each move. The best way I've moved mine was to dig in the spring with as much soil as possible and put them into their new hole immediately. That way, they may not even know they have been moved.

For the first couple of years after planting, they may come up a few inches - maybe even a foot or so, and then die back down. Just leave them alone. I always plant with a marker so I know where not to dig the following year - just in case they don;'t show above ground.

You cannot be impatient with martagons.

inanda

Thanks for the advice

inanda, exactly how deep should they go? I may have to dig up the ones I planted last week because I planted too deep in a newly made raised bed with lots of compost and sawdust. If they are too deep, will they just die?

inanda, you are so right about martagons pouting. We listened to a lecture at NALS about growing them.by Eugene Fox. He reccommends planing them on the north side of a structure to avoid spring thaws & freezes. They like to come up early once established in a shady area. Terrace City was 2 foot tall this year with several blooms before Walker the Wonderdog chased a rabbit & broke it in half. :{

So, should I dig mine back up and put them in a shadier place-half and half now.

I don't know. All I'm doing is trying to follow the Martagon expert and his book. We should ask Maxine--she sent me some nice martagon bulbs this fall.

Good information thanks