Hello,
A DG enabler over in the Roses Forum posted lily photos to convert us all! I'd like to give them a try. Could you please suggest lilies that would do well and come back yearly in a very hot and humid environment? I'm particularly interested in pinks, peaches and whites. I don't know the difference in the types of lilies, but I'm guessing there are some that are more suited to Southern environments than others. Your advice and help are greatly appreciated! Evey =)
Good lilies for the deep south?
When you get the time, try B & D Lilies. They have some lilies that they call heat busters which might be what you are looking for. Here is I hope a link to their site. http://www.lilybulb.com Hope this helps.
Link to Heat Buster Lilies http://www.lilybulb.com/ot07.html
This message was edited Aug 7, 2009 12:38 PM
Those are perfect! Thank you so much, dlefferts! =)
EDIT:
Picked out and ordered... thanks so much for the link. I ordered three of each of these:
Bonbini - http://www.lilybulb.com/l9002.html
Candy Club - http://www.lilybulb.com/l9006.html
Maywood - http://www.lilybulb.com/l9225.html
This message was edited Aug 7, 2009 11:52 AM
This was my first year with lilies.I have lilies from several sources,including the lily co-op.This is what they did for me.....
DEAD--Casa Blanca,Conneticut King,Stargazer,Pink Perfection, and Red Dutch.
These bulbs are now sending up small shoots from the partially rotted bulbs.
DYING-Nerone and Girisa
LIVING and doing well-All the Tiger lilies,Queen of Spades,Urandi,Zsa-Zsa,Futura,
Landini,Commander in Chief,Royal Sunset,Dolly Madison,Suncrest,Flavo and Conco D'or
Now,these are all grown in filtered shade.I do believe that if grown in full Florida sun,many more would be dead.One interesting note...every one of these bloomed including those now on the "dead"list.I will try Stargazer and Conneticut King one more time.They are awesome.
pic is Tiger Black Beauty
Gone2Seed, what types of lilies are those? Are they Oriental-Trumpet hybrids?
They are an across the board mix.I expected one type to do better but that has not been the case so far.There are some of each,except Martagnons,in that list.
gone2seed, when you say dying, do you mean foliage or did u ck bulb and it was mushy. some of mine get horrible after they bloom but they return. Just wondering
When I say dying I am assuming that they will go the way of those listed as dead.Those had mostly turned to mush after they finished blooming.I suppose they are not really dead since they are trying to send up tiny new shoots from the parts that are not mush.I'm not really willing to wait years for those little ones to bloom only to have it happen all over again.I plan to stick with the ones that have done well and to try a few new ones each year.I do need to mention that all of these are growing in 5 gallon pots.The ground might stay a few degrees cooler.
I hope that others will add more to this list.It would be a big help when picking new ones to try.
Make sure that you are planting your new lilies properly, especially in hot climates. Your new lilies should have fresh or nearly fresh roots. If they have no roots then they will certainly have a difficult time adapting to hot climate. Roots need cool soil to grow and the bulb under the soil likes to be cool; dappled shade would be best if you are in a hot climate. Water them in once when planted and leave alone. If you keep watering them as if they are petunias or pansies, the leaves will likely die from the bottom up and the bulb may rot, also.
Oriental lilies dislike very hot and very cold weather. I think most OTs (Oriental-trumpet hybrids) fare well in hot weather. Bonbini, an OT, fared very well in our recent heat wave: 10 days over 90 deg including 4 or 5 of those days in excess of 100 deg and maxing out at 108 deg. here.
Gone2seed, your Black Beauty is actually an OT, not tiger lily. Star Gazer is an oriental lily, but if you want to try it again good luck!
Could you explain exactly what parts of the lily turned to mush? Are they growing in pots or in ground?
Bliss ~ you've made some lovely choices!
This message was edited Aug 7, 2009 2:38 PM
Pardalinum, thanks for the reinforcement that OT's typically perform well in hot weather. That's exactly what I need.
Thanks for the tips pardalinum.That's exactly the kind of info we newbies need.Giving up on Stargazer.
Moby,I will try to get a picture and post it tomorrow.
One thing I can not comment on is the effect of high humidity on the quality of lily blooms. Our humidity here is comparatively low, usually 35% or so.
pardalinum, I'm already growing bearded irises as well... a true challenge in our humidity. I think if I plant the heat tolerant OTs with the same strategy I use for the beardeds, they will have a fighting chance to perform well. Thanks again, everybody, for the help! =)
Bulb quality should also be considered. If you buy cheap lilies that are soft and mushy and plant them, then they are doomed. Firm bulbs are a must in challenging situations. And always water them in when planting. In addition, mulch them in hot climates.
I couldn't agree more w/ Mainiac's statements. It has made a lot of diff where I got my bulbs, for the most part. I did get a Red Dutch from WM last spring and it bloomed beautifully. But for a newbie, one wants to start w/as many factors on your side as possible.
I also got stargazer from WM and it it bloomed, not all 5 bulbs, I think 4. You'll be the first to know if it returns. I also got White stargazer, which I like even more.