does anybody grow this lily successfully in zone 9a? how about other varieties? thanks for your help
chianti lily
I looked that up on plant files and couldn't find it. What is it?
asiatic lily chianti. I know it would do well in zone 8, but i'm in Z9.
Vossner,
I know you probably don't want to hear from me since I'm a zone and a half north of you, but I think Asiatic lilies are a good bet for you, and here's why:
1. You DO at least have a discernable winter, even though it's warmer than ours. Your winter lows are very comparable to those in San Francisco or Eureka, CA ( I just looked them up), which are both considerably farther north than you, and both of which are known to be good areas for many types of lilies. Your summers are comparable to ours, and maybe even a little less-hot since you're near the coast.
2. I found some bulbs sites, including B&D lilies (very reputable and I buy from them all the time - they grow their own crops), and they claim Asiatics do well through zone 10. Read what they have to say:
http://www.bdlilies.com/asiatics.html
You could always experiement with a handful and see how they do rather than investing a lot of money. Experimentation is half the fun of gardening. To be safe, though, I would do the following:
Plant in a raised bed, or an area you're sure is well drained. I noticed you get a heck of a lot of rain in your area, and soggy soil is death to most bulbs (moist is fine as long as it drains).
Choose an area with a northern or eastern exposure to maximize winter cooling and to avoid the intense afternoon sun we get anywhere in Texas in the summer.
I would have sent you some of mine if I'd known beforehand that you were interested! Good luck!
Steve
This message was edited Dec 10, 2005 9:43 AM
Thanks everybody.
Steve, I always want to hear from everybody. I found some chianti at Blooming Bulbs on sale and have bought a few to experiment, as you suggest. I "discovered" bulbs last year and really love the notion of planting, forgetting about them and then being surprised with beauty popping out of nowhere. So sweet of you to offer to share! Thanks, I think I'm set.
I will ck BDs
Larry thanks for the tip. Now I have to expand my budget so I can go buy a bunch of z8 and z10 goodies I have been lusting after! lol
Nery,
Before you invest in large sums of money, check to see how many chill hours the bulbs need. Many bulb come pre-chilled so they do well the first year, but declining in health over time. The bulbs need a certain amount of cold weather, between 32ºF - 45ºF, or they won't break dormancy. If the bulbs need more than your climate can provide naturally, you may have to dig up the bulbs every year and pre-chill in your refrigerator.
While San Francisco may have the same winter lows (Winters are mild in the San Francisco Bay Area with an occasional dip into the low 20's every once in a while. I lived in San Jose for 22 years and it got down into the low 20's only twice during that time for a couple of hours.) However, it remains cold or cool all winter so the number of chill hours available in the area is pretty high ranging from a low of 900 chill hours (during a warm winter) to over 1300 chill hours. By comparison, this small part of central Texas gets around 600 chill hours — sometimes more, sometimes less. Contact A & M's Extension Service to find out how many chill hours you get.
I've included a link to a University of Florida's Extension Fact Sheet on Asiatic Lillies. Hope this helps.
Veronica
P.S. If you have room in your refrigerator, go for it!
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/CN003
hmmm. Thanks, V. What entry did you type when you googled this? This is extremely useful, thanks. The bulbs will be delivered to me in Feb. I will email Blooming bulb and ask (and hope) they are prechilled.
It is helpful info, but, just a note on that - chilling hours mainly apply to fruit and nut trees and above-ground crop production as necessary hours between 32 and 45 F to set bud and flower, and therefore produce fruit. Hours below 32 F generally do not count when factoring chill hours for trees. Circumstances are somewhat different for underground bulbs, as variations such as microclimates, mulching, etc can have a great impact on sub-surface soil temperature. Soil temperature also fluctuates much less and changes much more slowly than air temperature over time, especially when mulched. I agree it is helpful information, but I still say experiment and see what works for you. I was told when I moved down here that most bulbs would not flower in the DFW area without prechilling, and I have found that statement (with the exception of tulips) to be patently wrong. I even got peonies to bloom last year here - 3rd year in the ground.
Steve
Just wanted to add Steve here that after reading some of your posts that I went out and bought some Spring bulbs to plant in the garden and try to see what is going to happen.
I don't know alot about bulbs, but I agree with Steve that gardeners always need to push the envelope. It's the learning process that makes gardening so much fun. I am beginning to experiment with bulbs like narcissus and lilies and it really helps to read others stories about them and learn from them. It's much cheaper that way.LOL I want to try my luck with certain tulips that I've heard are hardy here. Can't remember which ones they were.
Sylvia here on Daves planted (I think I have the number right) 200 tulip bulbs to try and get them going - the trying part is some of the most fun of just growing the plants.
Thanks 75154 & silverfluter - I agree - and the experts aren't always right about everything! Sometimes we find nice surprises on our own.
I know some of the species tulips are supposed to do well in the south. The only one I tried (and it DID return and flower better the second year than the first!) was Tulipa bakeri "Lilac Wonder" Strangely enough I did have a Kingsblood and a few Rembrandt tulips that have returned three years now.
after much trying I will not do any more tulips, but my crocus have some back, daffs come back strong... and I am trying almost everything else..
75154, I had great luck with daffodils returning also, as well as hyacinths and lilies. Like you, standard tulips don't return well for me and I consider them annuals. The species crocus like seem to return better than the Vernus types for me. I am trying Leucojum (summer snowflakes) for the first time this year to see how they do. They're supposed to do well in wet areas and even in clay. I know they're in the same family as daffodils, and physically the bulbs look very much like narcissus bulbs.
Steve have you been to Lowes? They have bulbs 75% off here. I picked up a ton of Spring Bulbs cheap so I dont mind if they are lost in a year...
75154,
I did a similiar thing I went to Garden Ridge and bought hundreds of bulbs at 85% off. I just planted them today. I am hoping that at least some of them bloom. I planted them one right next to the other. We will see what happens.
Siggy
Who I loved I picked up Fritillaria Persica for .75 cents!!!! I almost ordered a few just that same day online but headed over just o see first and WOW I was shocked - Siggy dont you love sales on these things?
I just looked up Fritillaria Persica. I looks pretty cool. I want to try some.
If they grow I will share in a few years (seeing I picked up our last two) I have been dying to try one for ever and now if they bomb it is ok .75 is no big deal!
Don't know much about growing things in Ft. Worth, but here Leucojum is one of the hardiest plants you can buy. Mine were already here when we bought the house, but they reseeded and I moved the babies to a place where they wouldn't get stepped on and forgot to water them. They couldn't have cared less. Came right up and never looked back.
75154, I have not been to Lowe's to check out bulbs but I had bought LOTS of them on line and still don't have them all planted - though I'm 90% + finished. 85% off is pretty impressive, though, and hard to lose! I almost tried some of the Fritillaria Persica you talked about - they have the purple variety and the white one - but I never got any. You'll have to let us know how they do for you.
Thanks for the info on the Leucojum, silverfluter. It is nice to try something different and it is also nice to hear they do well in this area. I am excited to see how they look.
I am banned from online shopping for a while - - sooo Lowes, Homedepot, and Fosters I try and hit every soooo often. Lowes is full of Prenns too - baddly damaged from the frost sooo they will be seeing them cheap to get the brown color out of there (brown plants are not good for sales!)
75175,
I went the Lowe's on George Bush and found they had discount bulbs. I didn't see any Fritillaria Persica but they had a bunch if Fritillaria Imperialis. I bought a few. Although I don't know what to do with them :-)
Good deal!! Any Fritillaria is well worth the trouble. I dug out a hole 3 times the size of the bulb and about a foot deep, added some sand, peat, and compost to the soil I dug out (I have heavy clay soil so change based on your needs) put some new soil in hole first with some gravel, then the bulb, and then everything else on top.. .. . . that is how I plant most of my bulbs - I lost several before I figured out how to save them from my clay soil. So in a few years we will have bulbs to trade!! (Just to let you know box store bulbs are not the best at being named the right thing soooo you might have Persica or Imperialis or I might have the wrong one two I just think of it like part of the fun of buying them cheap!)
Thanks 75154! I will follow your instructions and plant them today.
I found the same thing, 75154. The heavy clay soil we have is unfriendly to most bulbs because of drainage issues. I put in a large raised bed with good loam soil and I have had very good results as well with them returning over and over..
I'm sure looking forward to all your bulb flower photos in the Spring!
I have a few rasied beds but on the whole I am trying to get the soil on the whole improved - I have big dreams for the back for a grass free yard so a big raised bed would not be toooo pratical!
Speaking of Bulbs I havent planted my 200 tulip bulbs yet, they are still in the refrigerator. I guess I will just pot them up too. Its too cold to be digging in the ground now. :(
Sylvia
That's going to be a lot of pots Sylvia! Are they the kind that will come back and bloom?
Sylvia - I thought you had them all in the ground? It will warm up to be ok sometime in the next two weeks . . . and that might give to time to get some of them in the ground... From what I have heard they grow better in the ground, that said I have planted some in a metal planter in hopes they will chill better and I will get more of them to come back and bloom next year!! (I have to go with some black ones :-))
Mitch, even though you couldn't make your whole back yard a raised bed, you could do some raised beds within the yard. Adding heights to some areas (like making a berm or something) can really add depth, dimension, and interest to a flat yard.
Sylvia, woa! You have a lot of work ahead of you! Can't wait to see pictures of your tulips when they bloom!
Someone gave me some gladiola bulbs they found - they don't know how old they are or anything. I've never grown any, thought they'd have a better chance of growing if I plant them than if I don't, so I'll go ahead and try. Since it's pretty late, anybody have any ideas? Soak the bulbs first? Put 'em in pots?
glads - I plant them in the early spring right outside every year and they do fine.
I had not thought about berms... will have to think on that one and see what can be done - could be fun to build a mini row off hills... Anyone watch The Last Supper? When I think of berms I think of that movie where they burry the bodies.
Glads come back every year for me. They seem to do well in this climate.
Steve - yes they return for me I should have said that I set out new bulbs in early spring, they should do fine for you there Mary - my parents are in Southern Mexico and have Glads come back year after year with no problem!
Yeah, I think they do fine in this area, but I just don't know anything about them. So you plant them in Spring? Are they a Summer bloomer? Do the bulbs need to be soaked before planting? Any hints?
The bloom summer - and they need nothing special from what I hae found. I bury about 8 in deep place in a small grouping and let it grow!
75154 is correct, especially on the depth - the only thing with gladioli that you might want to watch for is they tend to fall over if not planted deeply enough and/or staked since with the bloom stalk they can be very top heavy. Mine are all at about 6" deep but I have to stake some of them. Also mine seemed to be eaten by slugs a lot so I put slug bait around them when they emerge. They usually form a new corm on top of the old one each year, and sometimes multiples. Sometimes you'll end up with dozens of cormlets around the new corm as well.
Thanks guys! Now to figure out where to plant these...