Ohhhhhhhh......
Another beauty! I love this one! First year with lilies, except for a small Walmart bag, and I'm loving them! This is Coral Sunset.
Sherry
Another first!!!
OOooo, nice choice for a first lily! It's beautiful.
Thanks Moby.
I have several others this year too. I am loving lilies a LOT!!!
Sherry
That's sure a showy one!
this is my first time to this forum and i know nothing about lilies. in the past i would have thought i could never grow something that showy, but you just made me want to try. that flower is beautiful!! please excuse my ignorance (i haven't done my research yet), but is it too late to plant bulbs? can you only plant them at a certain time of the year?
Ashley, I would think in your location, you could still plant. I think it stays cool enough there for roots to set. If you start going too late into summer, you may not see them this year, but they should come up next year.
Hi Ashley, and welcome! As long as you have good drainage, or provide for it, lilies are pretty easy to grow.
i'm so excited...something new to try! i went back and looked a few threads and noticed there are so many varieties...and so different. needless to say, i've got a lot to learn. i must of have had my head in the dirt for too long, i can't believe i haven't discovered these sooner. (note to self: you just became obsessed w/gardening this year. you don't know everything!) i guess i just always associated lilies with daylilies which don't excite me that much. (i hope that's not bad to say here :o)) or maybe, i just haven't found the right one. LOL
i have a rookie question: do they bloom once and that's it, or can they repeat bloom? (i promise to go learn something and come back w/an intelligent question next time.)
Most lilies bloom once and then the show is over. There are a few Orienpets that put out a second and sometime a third bloom. Silk Road is one of those that do. However, by doing so, the plant doesn't put energy into creating bulblets, therefore, the plant doesn't multiply as fast as an Asiatic would.
As bulbs mature, they put out more blooms each year. Therefore, the bloom time becomes extended as the bulbs mature and multiply. I have a neighbor with a little patch of yellow Asiatics that bloom for a good month or so. When you see the number of blooms indicated in the catalogs, it usually refers to a mature bulb. It may take a few years for the bulb to reach that blooming point, so don't be disappointed with your first lilies.
Gardening, in general, requires alot of patience. I just waited three years for a Martagon to bloom and then it was all over in a week. You need to plan ahead with lilies. Usually, I just buy just one Asiatic and one LA because I know that it will readily multiple. WIth the Trumpets, Orienpets and Orientals, I usually buy multiple bulbs because they don't multiply as fast.
Don't worry about asking what you may consider dumb questions. People are not born with the knowledge of gardening, it's a learned skill just like bowling. I'm always asking questions because that's how I learn.
BTW: I use to feel the same way about daylilies. But one day I saw one that was quite beautiful and I was hooked. I think the more you get into gardening, you start seeing the beauty of all different kinds of plants you would never have considered before. Daylilies can be a wonderful accent plant for lilies. Here's a pic of some lilies getting ready to bloom with Stella de Oro.
It is a sad truth ~ one cannot live by lilies alone. I wasn't much interested in daylilies either. Found a pink one and thought it was a real novelty until I joined DG and saw all kinds of colors and ones with eyes and edges, etc.. Check out the Daylily forum and there will be a new thread every day with 'what's blooming today'.
An easy way to get started with lilies is to buy some potted ones locally. They will most likely be done blooming for this year so you might get them cheap. You can also try planting Easter lilies ~ a lot of people discard them after the holiday.
Rest assured, nobody know everything ~ we sure don't! :)
i really appreciate how welcoming this fourm has been! thanks so much for all the advise. i bought some bulbs and once i get the soil ready they're going in! and my lesson on patience will begin. i've read that good drainage in vital, but any soil recommendations?
beaker, that is a beautiful daylily! i know they thrive here, so i've decided to reconsider. i guess all i ever see around here are the orange ones. anything in pink can't be bad!
thanks to all you dads out there! hope you get a special bloom.
Lilies don't like clay. If you have access to compost, mix that in. I don't, so I just use peat moss and lotz of it. Orientals especially need an acidic soil and the peat moss will do that for you.