I have several lilies which has this year come up with very thick stems. Normally the stems would be 1/2 - 1" wide (diameter) but this year several of them are 2-2.5" wide.
I have tried to take a few photos of them...
Very thick stems
Here is another picture
This is another lily, but with an extremely thick stem (2.5" diameter). So far the lily is 3 feet high, but I think I remember that it easily gets 6 feet high in summer.
With all the weird weather, I'd expect almost anything this year. I also have some really think stems coming up. I bet we even have some of those faceted (is that the right word) lilies this year.
I've seen some enormous heads on lilies that are only 3 years old. Maybe BIG ones this year? If the bunnies or frost don't get them....
I took this pic a few days ago ~ nearly thought it was fasciated but there are 2 of these stems coming from one of buggycrazy's monster bulbs, plus 4 normal size stems.
Please to explain "fasciated"
That's the word I was looking for, fasciated. LOL, hope I remember it for the next time I want to use it!. Hum, how to explain. It's like a lily gone haywire and it puts out a jillion blooms when it should have only put out a half dozen. You have to see it to believe it. There was a picture of one in B&Ds print catalog. Not sure if it is online, but probably a picture somewhere.
Oh, wow. That's going to be gorgeous, Moby. Is that something with a broken stem in front? bummer.
Just to the right of the marker? I think that's just an old acorn cap. :)
I couldn't find that really good pic of the fasciated lily but this should give an idea ~ http://shop.store.yahoo.com/snowcreek/noname2.html and http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/index.html#http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/fascia.html
Found it! I think I would drop dead if I saw this in my garden http://www.oldhousegardens.com/regalCate.asp
Me too! Very strange looking.
one more thing about fasciated lilies is that the stems are 'flattened' rather than round. It is generally only a one year thing, but I had one oriental that was like that for 2 blooming seasons.
It may be an oddity but I sure would mind seeing one. :)
It reminds me of that old sci-fi movie, 'The Day Of The Triffids'. LOL!
I have some dwarf Asiatics coming up that have very large stems. Or maybe its just me cause I haven't grown many lilies before! LOL! I'll have to go measure it to see how wide it is. I wish I would get a fasciated lily...
Steve
Ok, I think it's just me. They're only around 1". That's about right for a dwarf? Right?
sounds 'normal' to me :-)
MUTANT DANDALIONS ATTACK
fasciated wide stem ribbon shapped stems, one topped with 3 yellow flower heads URGGGGGGG
just what I wanted........lots of those weeds blooming
Rachel
Can you take pics? I know it's just a weed but I'd love to see it!
Steve
Me too!
YIKES!
Ditto YIKES! One dandy making 3 times the seed!!!
Yesterday my DS asked me for a couple of little baggies that I use to collect seeds and pollen. I asked him what he wanted them for and he said he wanted to collect the dandelion seeds so he could spread them around the yard later. I had to break his heart and tell him that, although I "really like it" when he brings me dandelions to put in a cup of water, dandelions are weeds and I put stuff on the grass to kill them so I don't really want him to spread the seeds in the grass. He asked if he could take them to the field where his brother's t-ball game was that night and spread them there.......I said, "sure!!" LOL
Here's a tidbit I heard on the radio this morning. They had a gardening guy on and he said not to put weed inhibitor on your lawn too soon as the soil needs to be about 50 degrees for the inhibitor to work. He said when the lilacs bloom, that's when to put it on.
Great info.......my lilac is in full bloom right now.......guess it's time. ;o)
Your DS is really sweet, Mendy. Have you ever considered dandelion wine?? ;)
Thanks, Moby! :o)
I've never heard of dandelion wine..........is it good??
This message was edited Apr 20, 2006 7:57 PM
Oh, is it ever! But the morning after, I was pretty sure a mule had kicked me in the head......
LOL! I better stay away from it then!
Dandelions were originally introduced into the US to make wine. Now I fight them. Only a few this year--the last neighbor got into the program & is mowing regularly plus killing dandelions.
Thank goodness for Plantskydd--my tulips & lilies look to be escaping the "bunny buffet".
Would these be fasciated lilys then? All 3 bulbs have a single stem but the tops have multiple blooms coming. The one has 4 or 5......another has 2....and the third has 3. This Lily was bought in 2005 from Wally World. Its name was Samur. Last year it got frost nipped...no blooms.
WELCOME to the Lilies Forum.
Are the stems flattened?
Where is Meservey?
Has anyone contacted you about the IA Round-Up in Des Moines on May 6th yet? :-) You can meet many like minded gardeners at this fun gathering! Heres a link to get you started!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/582933/
Now that I've asked enough nosy questions I'll just sit back and lurk like I usually do!
From what I can see in your picture, your stems look normal to me. As bulbs mature, they grow in size and will put out more and more buds with each season; which is why we all go crazy over big bulbs. The fasciated stems are suppose to be flattish and you would see dozens and dozens of buds.
It is difficult to see from your "top-view" picture, but if only one stem which splits into many growing point then this is quite unique for lilies. I have never heard of that before.. That would be a MAJOR breakthrough in lily growing.
Take lots of pictures (from side/top, bottom) at several intervals through this growing season.
If it repeats like this next year, you may have a bulb which many people would pay top $$$ to propagate.
Very interesting.
The stems don't look split to me. I think they are just normal.
This is very interesting!
Being new to the lilies, I wasn't aware these kind of things could happen.
Dee
I'm inclined to think they are fasciated, particularly the ones at the top and left in the photo. They have an oval appearance from the top. It will be very interesting to follow their development.
These 2 stems are coming from the same bulb. Here is a pic of how mine are coming along ~
It appears that one of the three Samur Lily plants does have the thick stem.
But I don't think more than one stem is unusal. I received some bulbs from B&D that had 2 and 3 stems coming out of the softball sized bulbs. Are the stems you're watching, Moby, flattened? I also don't think the thick stems are unusual. Again, I think it's just the maturity of the bulb. I also have an oriental, or should I say 2 orientals, that are coming up so close together that it looks like they are coming from the same bulb. But I think what happened is that I was digging in that area and probably moved one of the bulbs.
Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. We'll just have to wait and see if these stems put out dozens of buds.
Thick round stems are very good and normal. If the stem is flattened it is most likely fasciated and will probably produce a ton of blooms.