why are my Star Gazer lilies so much smaller than last year?

14 years ago

This is the second year for my Star Gazers and they were quite stately when I bought them last year. They came back much smaller and shorter. Why would that happen?

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Comments (4)

northerner_on
14 years ago
Hi, I will be very interested in seeing if anyone has the answer to this question. I have been growing Star Gazer liies for several years (at least ten) and when they first bloomed they were about 2 feet tall. Thereafter, they became not only shorter, but fewer. I am left this year with only one and it is barely visible among all the taller lilies in the garden - just about 12 inches tall with a single bud on it. All the literature put out by bulb sellers state that they are very hardy and should multiply over the years but that has not been my experience. I am already planning to buy some more this year.
duluthinbloomz4
14 years ago
My experience wih Stargazer has been the same - in a few short years, they simply diminished themselves out of existence. And I have good lily growing conditions; other tyes thrive and multiply.

Only thing I've ever read, and can't remember on whose authority, is that Stargazer lilies should be expected to last for several years - the bulb catalogs, etc. would never use the word "several". Truth be told, they can decline after a few years of bloom. The bulbs pull themselves down and form deeper in the soil and need to be lifted and set in higher so they aren't wasting energy pushing through deep soil.
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hostaholic2 z 4, MN
14 years ago
Orientals are the least hardy of the main lily varieties. They like an acid soil and because of their late bloom they sometimes don't have time for the foliage to ripen and feed the bulbs before frost, so the bulbs tend to diminish rather than replenish. That said, my Stargazers have been hanging around for about 10 years now but I usually only get 2 or 3 blooms per stem. Casa Blanca does somewhat better for me, probably because it blooms earlier. Beautiful as the blooms are on the orientals I no longer buy any orientals. I can plant something like Scheherazade and have 40 or more gorgeous blooms on a stem. For me it's a no-brainer.
jaceysgranny
14 years ago
My stargazers did the same thing. Last year I only had about 2 of them show up. This year my DH has fertilized everything every 2 weeks with Miracle Gro and I had about 5 or 6 come up and bloom. They didn't have but a couple of blooms per stem though. I like the orientals the best because they are larger and scented but they don't seem to be as hardy.

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why are my Star Gazer lilies so much smaller than last year?

Comments (4)

northerner_on

duluthinbloomz4

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hostaholic2 z 4, MN

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