Complete and Utter Newbie

14 years ago

Hello:

I was given some lily bulbs last year (and this year) for my B-Day.

The bulbs I planted last year were large and beautiful. . .well. . only 3 flowers, the deer got the rest. This year, the flowers are smaller, the stems weaker.

Questions:

1. I live in Zone4, (-35C not uncommon). Am I supposed to dig up these bulbs and store in the basement or something?

2. From the research I did on the web, I thought the bulbs would get bigger and better every year (i.e. good flowers). This year, the lilies were not better at all. (NOTE: not planted in optimal sunlight, but they did ok last year). I haven't dug up the soil yet to check on the bulbs.It's a raised bed,with well drained soil so I doubt it rotted. There seemed to be lots of little tiny bulbs, but no flowers on the plants.

3. If I can leave them in the ground, when can I dig them up and replant? -- The bulbs were a complete surprise and I had to sacrifice a vegetable bed to plant them. Not sure where I'm going to put the lilies! Raised bed ok to overwinter?

3b. The bulbs that I planted this year were about 2/3 the size of a baseball and had scales coming off them. If I do dig them up and the scales are still there, should I break off the scales and plant those too?

If the type of lily is an issue, they're mostly Asiatic (Wizard, landini, bestfriends). Others are Asiatic Longiflorum cross (eyeliner) and a few pot lilies (I think these are all asiatic)

My searches on the net came up with differing information and I was getting confused. Hope at least one of you can help me out here. Although I have tons of room on my property, I can't dig down a foot. Too much builder's crap (broken bricks etc). I'm hoping you'll say a raised bed is ok to overwinter the bulbs and I can do a temporary bed in full sun in the back and just dump everything there. Maybe separate the tiny bulbs from the mature? If they have to be stored indoors, well. . .my garage is probably too cold and the basement too warm. ..kinda screwed.

Thanks for reading.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

hostaholic2 z 4, MN
14 years ago
I'm in zone 4 as well. There should be no problem growing asiatics including LA's in zone 4.Mine always stay in the ground. If you feel you must dig/move them, wait until the foliage has turned brown. As long as the leaves are green they are producing energy to feed the bulb for next years blooms.
As to the lily that came back weak, did the deer eat the leaves off as well? If so they may not have had enough stored energy to bloom this year. Or hungry critters may have eaten the mother bulb leaving you with just babies.I grow several of my lilies in raised beds, Should be fine. Also if they've only been in the ground for a year they shouldn't need dividing yet.
0
summermusicz4ia
14 years ago
Leave the bulbs in the ground, try not to disturb them for at least a couple years so they can become well established. As noted, lilies need their leaves to feed the bulb for next year. I have had stems stripped bare by rabbits which has caused thinner stems/weaker plants the next spring. We now
use the green vinyl coated chicken around many of our lilies so the rabbits don't eliminate them entirely.
0
Related Discussions
How would these 'containers' work?
Q
Comments (2)
Alina, on another forum, I asked about sheet mulching in winter, the response basically was....wait until the snow is gone, at least, because sheet mulching over the snow might prevent it from melting and the plants would have cold feet for too long. So, if you have snow, I probably would recommend against doing this overtop the snow, or over frozen ground. You're basically creating a cold frame, as opposed to winter sowing. It might be ok if you put your WS containers under the glass, but to me, the idea of WSing is to let them be exposed to nature..the weep holes in the tops allowing some snow, rain, etc.. inside the containers, etc... Of course, I am a complete and utter newbie, and there are likely numerous variances on WSing that work better in different regions.
...See More
Complete Newbie seeking advice/fellow obsessives
Q
Comments (14)
Hi, Rosefan, and welcome to the forum! Sounds like you've got the bug, lol! Don't worry, we all do. For your yellow one, you can cut out dead wood at any time. So just take out any black canes. Otherwise just keep it weeded, watered and fertilized and just dead head the spent blooms just below the hips. That will give it a chance to grow out where it wants to and you'll get a better Idea of how it grows naturally. Tess is a beauty! If you wish to you can spray for the rust but I can't suggest anything because I don't know what would be available in Ireland. Ask at a nursery for a good fungicide that works for rust. As for not blooming I'm not sure. Lack of sun will slow down rebloom. Is it putting on ANY new growth at all? Maybe since it's very new it's concentrating on the root ball? Rambling Rector is a BIG one so I hope you gave it lots of room. Sorry about your little one's disappointment. It's not uncommon for the cheapie bagged roses to be mislabeled. You can move it to another spot and replace it with a good healthy Zephy in the same spot. There does seem to be a bigger problem with replant syndrome in Europe than there is here in the States but since you just planted that other one so recently I don't think it would be any problem. I would check with some good local nurseries or online to find a Zephy you can trust to be the correct rose. Standards will depend on your winters. Because the grafts are at the top of a tall trunk, and the graft is the part that needs winter protection, you may not be able to winter them there in the ground successfully. Not knowing anything about how bad your winters are I couldn't say for sure. To do some kind of pillars you would need structures for them to grow on. That could be quite pretty though. I hope I answered some of your questions but, please, don't hesitate to ask more!
...See More
complete newbie here--choosing between 3 houseplans
Q
Comments (22)
Thank you for the responses! You've all given me more to think about. I guess maybe things are a bit cheaper here in the sticks? plus there's already a driveway most of the way (there's a barn on the property). Public water is available. We are planning to use a Mennonite builder who is very flexible about us getting our own discounted materials. But even without that his prices seem to be competitive with Schumacher Homes--we priced out a single story 1800sf Schumacher home with attached garage & unfinished basement for 160k, not including site prep. A relative used him to build their home (it's a more expensive home than we want to build) and others have recommended him as well. He built a home nearby that's 2000sf, 1 1/2 stories, no garage, unfinished basement for 140k. We're going to go look at it later this week--who knows, maybe we'll like it and build the same thing? That would sure make things alot easier! You've convinced me that a main level full bath is pretty important :) I guess we've lived the last 11 years without one so I don't know what I'm missing! I didn't think about the fact that there are many reasons besides old age that would make stairs an issue.
...See More
total newbie, completely bewildered (zone 10A)
Q
Comments (2)
I don't grow freesias being out of that zone, but there is no doubt that you should plant them now. No plant thrives on dry storage. You should probably plant them and water them in to eliminate air pockets and then let them live on natural rainfall till they start to grow. If they can't make it on natural rainfall or can't tolerate rainfall, then they are not suitable for your area.
...See More
mitanoff
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the replies. You've given me a plan of action. I'll build a bed to get the lilies that are in my vegetable garden (deer proofed and space limited) out of there. The lilies that the deer got last year, had only their flower buds eaten, not the foliage. Maybe the light just wasn't enough. They'll get replanted too. I'm inferring that I can leave the lilies in the ground then. No need to store in the garage. Whew!
Thanks a bunch! Now I can start planning and get something done instead of wondering what to do.
0
flora2b
14 years ago
Mitanoff,
Sounds like you are off to a great start. Asiatics are a great lily that can be left in the ground from year to year. Not sure for your zone, but fall is the best time usually to move and plant lilies.
Do you have other garden beds? I like to mix my lilies with other plants to help support them and hide the foliage as it browns down.

{{gwi:1026492}}

A raised bed is a great idea if your soil is compact and poor.
Have fun and remember.....it can be very addicting!!!!!!
0

Complete and Utter Newbie

Comments (4)

hostaholic2 z 4, MN

summermusicz4ia

Related Discussions

mitanoff
Original Author

flora2b

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Complete and Utter Newbie

Comments (4)

hostaholic2 z 4, MN

summermusicz4ia

Related Discussions

mitanoffOriginal Author

flora2b

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

mitanoff
Original Author