Tropicals & Tender Perennials: What kind of Voo Doo lily do I have?, 1 by AuntB

AuntB wrote:
I have to tell you, I've been growing them for several years. I am not an expert, by any means. As I know these plants/bulbs.. I started with 2 big bulbs from my uncle. The biggest one reminded me of a squashed basketball size, and it had this huge interesting looking bloom. The smaller had already bloomed for him. We bagged the bloom up in a trash bag and I was off! Although it was April and quite cool out, I quickly rolled every window down in the car... He bloomed on my front porch and after a couple days the smell was gone. Once the bloom died back, I planted them in the ground, BBsize in back and the other one in front.. They both grew tall "trees". Sometime in Sep. the on in front died back. I left it for a couple weeks and dug them both the same day.. the one in back I dug up, whacked off the growth, hosed them both off and let them dry on my covered front porch. Stored in basement for winter. The next year, volunteers came up in back, and have every year since. The next spring both bulbs bloomed and I planted in separate big pots once the blooms had died/dried back. That Fall I had withheld water from them and prepared to store in the basment... I figured it was easier to dig the bulb than drag the heavy pots in. I took the "smallest" one, dug in with a spade and slowly worked my way around. Then I lifted up and it almost fell apart.. It looked like.. cow manure...(I have a pic at work) I believe the bulbs feed on themselves and reform before spring if left in the ground or in a pot. After seeing that, I didn't touch the BB one. So if you dig it, dig it before it's "tree" has withered away. (It's natural for the ones in the ground and in pots to die back and be dormant every year) I'm having dirt work done this summer...okay, fall now, and I dug all the volunteers up. There was no bulb, just long stems into the ground and roots at the end. I'm planting them here and there in my yard.. I think they will be fine, don't want to chance freezing the big bulb(s?) I'll leave them contained. This year it bloomed early in my basement, there was not much smell or color as it was dimly lit where it sat in the pot. I brought it out in May and watered, a nice size nub appeared and I was happy. The stem reached up, opened and relaxed. As I passed it one day there beside it was and even bigger "nub"! It has grown taller than the first one and is just now starting to relax. It's getting late, hope this makes sense.. (front blue pot on the right)