Lillies

[runnerbean]

The Lillies in my garden are about 6 inches tall now, isn't this too early?

[stanhol]

I`ve just found mine in the garage! ooooppps think i was supposed to put them in the ground some time ago!

If i shuv them in now will they be ok?

Sandra

[runnerbean]

Yes, they will be alright, I bought 3 lillies today, from Wilkinson's, and I will pot them up tomorrow, so go for it. How many have you got and what colours? I love them, the smell is wonderful. I have red, white, yellow, red and white striped, orange, blood red, I bought 2 from the pound shop, called pineapple lillies, that look like pineapples, I am looking forward to seeing them when they bloom. Did you know that you can split old corms and replant into pots, so you can have many lillies!

[DunDiggin]

I bought a whole stack of lily bulbs a few years ago when they were reduced to 50p each. Having split them two years ago some of the bulblets have now reached a reasonable size, so from 8 bulbs that survived(of the original 15 purchased) I now have about 50.
I also found this site a couple of years ago http://www.mikesbackyardgarden.org/index.html and having thought I'd lost the link have just found this one http://www.thelilygarden.com/
One day I'll actually work out which ones are which. Those that over wintered in my greenhouse (unheated) are now about 18" tall. They'll go outside when the weather improves, probably in a week or so as I'm beginning to need the space for this year veg.

[runnerbean]

Thanks for that DD, plenty of snow here this morning in Kings Norton, Birmingham

[stanhol]

I only have white ones. Love them. must get some more.

I will certainly have a go making new ones from the offsets.

is it easy! Any hints and tips?

Maybe i should do it after they have flowered and died back this year.

Thanks for the advice,

Sandra

[DunDiggin]

I wait until they die down in the autumn, usually around the end of October, I'm in the south of the UK and we usually don't get a frost till then.
I grow all mine in planters/pots, and just empty out the pot (assuming I'm going to repot them which I either do once every 3 years or if I suspect I got Lily or Vine weevil problems).
I they sort the bulbs from the compost and usually find there are a number of new bulblets around each original bulb. You can also do this in the spring before they start sprouting if you're early enough. All the small bulblets I then pot either into margerine tubs or large shallow pots and overwinter in the greenhouse(unheated).
Larger bulbs, bigger than 1/2" (13mm), I'll either repot immediately of put in a box and cover with sawdust until spring.
I haven't tried this yet but the structure of the bulb is such that you should be able to break off the "petals" that form the bulb and get these to root in damp vermiculite. Sorry for the lack of technical terms but I can't remember what the correct name for the "petals" is.
I think this is all covered on the mikesbackgarden link I posted earlier.

[cajary]

Mine all stay outside, even the ones in pots. The ones in the ground are about 8" high. The ones in the pots about 10". I leave the ones in the ground alone. The ones in the pots I just pull out, cut the clump in half ( in Autumn) and put them in pots, seems to work O.K.