I am new to DG. Have a question. I bought about 5 packages of stargazers from Wal-Mart in June (clearanced). Planted them but of the 25 planted, only one came up and that was about 2 months after planting. Will these come up in spring or should I write them off. That one that came up is only about 2" tall.
Stargazers didn't come up...
How deep were they planted? Did you use any bone meal? How's the drainage?
Not sure I'd give up on them until next summer... assuming they are deep enough, and any bone meal wasn't touching the bulbs as it willl rot them.
This message was edited Oct 27, 2004 6:22 PM
Darius - did you mean bone meal in that last sentence?
Whoops, yes, I did. I also use blood meal around the garden so this was just a case of my fingers and mind not working together, LOL.
I'll go back and edit it, Thanks.
LOL - No problem, just hoping I wasn't missing an important step! ;)
j_canning: First off - WELCOME to DG!! You've come to the best place for your garden questions. Real live day-to-day gardeners here to ask personal questions and you'll make lots of garden friends for life along the way!
First of all, Stargazers are in the Oriental division of Lilies. They usually bloom in July-Aug although that can vary from locale to locale and depending on garden conditions. As you bought these on clearance in June it was a getting a bit late in the season to plant for same-year blooms (that's also why you probably got a good deal on them! -- that's how I like to shop too!).
As long as you planted them deeply enough and in good draining soil you should see blooms next year. Lilies (with only a few exceptions...Madonna Lilies come to mind) should be planted 6-8 inches deep or so to prevent frost heaving (also helps with the temptation of thieves like squirrels!) Lilies also are one of those "feet in the shade" and "head in the sun" plants. Mulching them and planting 6-8 inches deep keep them cool.
Most varieties grow 3-6 feet tall so the depth is also important for anchoring them in the soil and preventing them from toppling over with the weight of their heavy (and heady) blooms!
Hope that helps!
THANKS for all the info. They were planted about 6" deep. Did not use any bonemeal. Some were probably in clay, but rest were in ok areas. We will see next year. I had bought some earlier this spring and they came up and flowered.
Happy Gardening All...