I have kept Madonna lilies going that were in my family from almost 100 years ago. I have letters refering about them in the 1930s and my dad sold the flowers from 40s through 70s. I brought the last bulbs to WA after he died. I move the bulbs frequently to new ground to prevent virus and will try starting seeds this summer/fall. I have seen bulbs offered in several bulb catalogs. The Madonna lilies have a very short dormant time. Here it is roughly the month of August. I replant them in September and then the green starts to come up. Check with BandD they are local to me and would have them in August if they have them. I do know that some times they have bulbs not listed in the catalog, but will sell, if you ask....very nice people.

Hi Reilly, You can buy it from The Lily Garden now. They also have other immediate epigeal seed for sale (Lankongense, Pumilum, and Regale and possible others). Also the North American Lily Society (NALS) has their seed sale in the spring - and toward the end of the sale makes seed available to non-members. My L. Candidum were grown from NALS seed which had "Cascade" strain available that year. My lilies have some ripening seed pods now. Botrytis got many of them. Unfortunately Candidum, while virus resistant (hence it may be a virus carrier) is fungus susceptible and I didn't get to them fast enough with my antifungal spray. But each pod produces a lot of seed so while I will donate most of them to the NALS sale I'm sure I can spare some in a month or so when they are done ripening. There is no reason you can't start them now in pots and bring them inside during the winter so they can get a super long first season. I accidentally did that last September when seed pods I brought inside after a rain got warm for too long and germinated. I potted them up and waited to put them outside until the following spring and they are still on my porch going strong. My e-mail link on "My Page" is active so feel free to contact me. -Helen

Thanks, and I hope so! I read that madonna lilies can't be grown further south than zone 7, and even though I am north of atlanta, the climate has changed from the original map to a zone 8. It seems like no one really knows, so I guess it'll have to be trial and error. :)

Toad lilies (Tricyrtis)grow very well in zone 8 in partial shade & moist soil. They are spreading, can be pretty invasive. Toad lily is not a bulb. I doubt if it belongs to the lily family. Madonna lily ((Lilium candidum) I do not have, so I better not comment on it.