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Virus free lily bulbs

17 years ago

Are there growers out there who supply virus free bulbs?

I am old enough to remember 20 year old stands of various Aurelian & Oriental lilies. My mother sold the house back in the late 80s. I dug from those gardens lilies that had been planted in the late 60s & early 70s. Brought them here where they made wonderful forests of themselves till the turn of the 00s when all--with the exception of Black Beauty & an unknown cv Gold band-- began to decline.

We had 7 foot tall Casa Blancas that perfumed the whole street. The Aurelians cannot be described.

Since then I have attempted to replace the various cultivars, all to find with various virus. It would seem that most lilies now are essentially 2 or 3 year plants at best.

The garden at this time of year ought be full of that wondrous glow & fragrance of towers of lily.

I note that B&D mentions virus & lays blame on Aphids. However it would seem to me that if a grower could supply virus free bulbs to begin with then the aphids would have naught to spread.

Are Orientals & their late summer magic a thing of the past?

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Comments (2)

deeds1
17 years ago
It's not quite as simple as
"However it would seem to me that if a grower could supply virus free bulbs to begin with then the aphids would have naught to spread"

I belive most reputable bulb growers do try to do just this, but while people will buy huge bags of bulbs at knock down prices without knowing or caring about the origin of these bulbs then there is little chance.

Also it would take every one the virused plants being removed from ever garden etc so there would be no virus pool out there for the aphids to spread.

Many Lilies are carriers of virus but show absolutely no symptoms, so testing every lily before it is marketed is an impossibility and a on-cost that people aren't prepared to pay. The majority want to buy cheap and don't really care.

I am a professional grower and destroyed one whole bed of one species lily last year due to virus - it showed no symptoms, but was a carrier,and could most likely have lived and thrived for years. Maybe I'm in the minority, but what with the current problems with Lily Beetle and the scare stories about 'don't grow lilies in your garden if you have cats, because they will be poisoned and die' I am considering giving up!
irish_rose_grower
17 years ago
I just started growing lilys and was not aware of this situation. What a shame to think that all this money I am spending on these beautiful lilys and they will only thrive for a few years.

Maureen
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