These instructions are for Asiatic and trumpet lilies. Oriental seeds have a different procedure.
First, store your seeds air-tight in the refrigerator or better the freezer until you are ready to start them.
Start them in late winter/early spring inside. I usually start in late Feb. to March. Starting temperature is 65-70 deg. I don't use the paper towel method. I do use qt. size ziplocks with drainage notches cut in the bottom. I also use soilless seed starting mix. If you want you can place regular potting soil in first then a 1 inch layer of seed start mix. All of this should be just slightly damp. Seeds should be planted about 1/4" deep.
If you aren't starting that many of them you can use a pot-- 5-6" deep would be good. I just find baggies convenient because I start so many. Germination should take 3-6 weeks. Once they come up they will need light in whatever form you can provide (window, artificial).
Here are two sites with excellent instructions for starting the most common lilies. I recommend you bookmark them if you are just getting into growing lilies from seeds.
http://www.cascadebulbandseed.com/lilygermination.html
http://www.lilyseeds.com/growing.htm
Edited to update url for Cascade Bulb and Seed.
This message was edited Feb 5, 2007 7:02 PM
Starting Asiatic and trumpet lily seeds...
thank you so very much. this should probably be made a "sticky" posting.
Thank you, Pard, for helping us newbie seed starters. The links you give are great too.
I am bumping this up for those who are receiving/have received lily seeds from me.
Pard, I recieved seeds yesterday afternoon. Thank you so very much , and thank you for the very good starting ionstructions.
John
Since I have had a few more requests for seeds I am bumping these instructions back up.
I really appreciate those links on germination, too - and right on the first page! Thank you so much, pardalinum. A sticky at the top of the forum would be great - I can think of a couple more links to include along with germination:
One for foes like the lily beetle and what to do about it - I don't use chemicals in my garden, so am trying to concentrate on lilies that flower relatively quickly from seed, grow in pots & winter in downstairs refrigerator. Are there more possibilities than that?
a link for mice & voles - I make baskets of 1/4" gauge hardware cloth (like chicken wire, only with smaller holes) and sink them into the ground with lilies planted inside on 1" thick pads of sand on the bottom with their heads pointing slightly sideways so as not to get too waterlogged during rainy periods - so far, that's worked for protecting the bulbs from those mice that follow behind tunnel-building moles and dine on the bulbs...voles, too. Are there other ways to build these contraptions or other ways to handle this situation?
A link for companion plants - either just for pretty or aromatic ones that fool woodchucks or both...have been able to grow lilies among plants with fragrant leaves like southernwood, rue, caryopteris, Siberian catnip, etc. with woodchucks loose in the garden. Usually they get trapped in the Harvahart cage before taking too many bites. Would love to hear what others are doing in this department, too.
Those lily beetles devastated half a large, old clump of Black Beauty last summer. I was about to give up on lilies, but then generous DG gardeners have given me some lily seeds, so perhaps with your help this coming summer will not be such a debacle for lilies in my garden.
If anyone wants any cuttings of caryopteris, let me know in March. As soon as the ground thaws, those cuttings can just be put in the ground without any more to-do - they are that easy to root. Then, in following years, cut them to within a few inches of the ground to make them bushy and they'll reward you with good-looking, fragrant, silvery foliage to about 3' all summer with blue flowers in July-August.
bluespiral--I wonder if the caryopteris would grow in my humid heat. If so I would love some cuttings. I will be gone the first two-thirds of March and away from my computer (can we all spell withdrawal?), so wanted to let you know I am interested.
I have my first Star Gazer seeds and am not sure how to start them. Would they be very different from what you have posted above?
Re: the plastic bags--do you just put the seeds in with the moist starting mix? You have completely blown me away with that thought.
Diane
1gardengram: Star Gazer is an oriental lily and the seeds are started by a different method. They take 5-6 months to germinate. They need 10-12 weeks of warm temperature followed by 10-12 weeks of cold temperature, making this a not very good time of year to start them. Best to wait till fall as summer temperatures drop.
Follow the instructions for martagon lilies:
http://www.cascadebulbandseed.com/lilygermination.html
Unless you have other varieties of oriental lilies growing in the same area your seed may be just chaff. Most lilies don't self pollinate or pollinate from blooms of the same variety. Your description of your seeds being like tissue paper makes me think they are chaff:( Good seeds are usually heavier than chaff and if you hold them up to the light you can see a "line" in the middle which is the beginning of the new lily in the seed.
Thanks, pard. I'll check them out in the morning. The only other lilies growing right there are the shorter Star Fighter.
I candle my seeds thusly. a cardboard box with a lightbulb inside it. A piece of glass over top of the box. Put seeds on the glass. Then you can see which are viable and which are chaff.
inanda
Thanks for the information. You all are very helpful.
Got my seeds today! I went ahead and reviewed all of the links that were provided and am confident that I will have lilies next year. Thanks!