I grow a few from seed every year, since my plants produce lots. They take about 3 years to bloom, in my experience, so I'd recommend growing them in pots for the first couple of years with good light and occasional feeding. After the vines die down (they may not make it a whole season the first year - the vegetative growth seems to last longer each year as they get older, much like that of Arisaemas), I keep the pots on the dry side and above freezing. The following spring I moisten the soil and wait for new growth to start. My mature plants are grown in large clay pots which are set out around the bases of small trees, shrubs, etc. and watered in spring. They then use these for support as they grow (my favorite combo has them growing through a Franklinia and blooming at about the same time). Once the vines bloom, fruit, and die back, I cut them off and move the pots into the garage, where they spend the winter. I've built up enough stock to try leaving a few in the ground this year; they're marginally hardy here, but I wouldn't suggest doing that in zone 4. Hope this helps!

Thanks! That helps a LOT! I've been going through my (rather large) library of books on plants, etc. and could not find any information on the natural development of a Glory Lily, so I had no idea what to expect. I might have thrown the vine out if it hadn't lasted a whole season, thinking it had died. Do you think they can be stored at room temperature in winter (but without light) and stay dormant, or does it have to be cooler than that? I know my garage does not stay above freezing in winter, and I don't heat my greenhouse in the dead of winter ($$$). What do you think? MacThayer

Hey MacThayer,

I'm guessing they'd be okay, as long as they were kept in dry-ish soil at room temperature; they're subtropical, so shouldn't need cool conditions. I don't think light matters, either - I've kept them hanging on my tool panel in mesh bags all winter as well, with light coming in the garage windows and from my grow light setup all winter. The only problem might occur if they decide to break dormancy before it's warm enough to put them outside, in which case you'd have no choice but to start them into growth in a sunny window or under fluorescent lights inside. Your winters are a lot longer than ours (you probably knew that already - didn't mean to rub it in...), so keeping subtropicals dormant for so long might be a problem. It's worth a shot, though - I've learned way more by killing plants over the years than by any other method; that's a good reason for learning to grow mass quantities of plants from seed - you then have lots with which to experiment.