Hi, all, thanks to a generous DG'er, I have tiger lilies to plant this spring. (They overwintered in pots). I know I can't put them too close to other lilies, I was told not in the same bed. How far away is OK? How about potted bulbs nearby, is that OK if the tiger lily bulbs are in the ground?
Thanks much,
Laura
Tigerlilies need planting
Tiger Lilies carry diseases that don't bother them, but are dangerous to your Orientals. I don't have enough knowledge having only "Gone lily" in the past 4 years or so. maybe llilyfan, Iowaron or Moby will pop in.
Wow! I had no idea that was a problem...I don't have my Tigers in bed with other lilies, but I didn't know I shouldn't! Hope someone comes along and shares their knowledge on this subject! Will be keeping watch.
The issue with "Tiger Lilies" (Lilium lancifolium) is that they can be infected with virus and not show it, so you'll continue to grow them on instead of pulling and destroying them as you would an obviously infected plant. "Typhoid Tiger Mary" spreads the virus to your other lilies. :-(
At one time it was said that *all* Tiger lilies were infected, including new ones from reputable bulb companies, and *all* the ones that your friends have. Truth? Scare tactics? Hysteria? I just don't know. Wish there was an easy home test........Some people just won't take the chance with them at all.
If they were propagated by TC from clean stock, they'd be fine to add to your collection. But then, if they picked up a virus, they'd never show it and that's the problem all over again.
So, how far to keep them from other lilies depends on how far an aphid or other sucking-type insect in your yard can travel. If you have infected Tigers and an insect drinks or eats thereof and goes to another lily and eats, it can spread the virus. Maybe someone can tell us that or maybe that info is on the 'net.
R.
I've got my Tigers all isolated in one bed by the garage. Can't give them up since they came from Great Grandma's garden decades ago. I don't see any problems yet with my other lilies, cross my fingers.
Hmmmm, Is it that any hybrid that has Lilium lancifolium (syn. L. tigrinum) genes is susceptible? I will be getting King David that TLG sells.
My understanding is that hybrids of tiger llilies don't have the tolerance problem, but I just don't recall where I read that, or maybe the subject came up at a lily society meeting. So I think King david should be OK.
I will move them in pots to a location as far as I can from the other lilies I have and hope for the best, I suppose. At this point, I really want to try and have some in my garden, if I can. Is this virus limited to oriental and that sort of lily? How about day lilies?
Does the virus have a name? I've had trouble locating information on it.
Laura
I believe it is called Tulip Breaking Virus and it can be spread to a number of different plants. Besides tulips and lilies, I've heard of a similar virus that can affect coneflowers. Your best defense is to keep the aphids at bay. Some people have a regular schedule for spaying just a water/dish soap solution every other week. I had aphids when I first moved here 10 years ago and used some heavy duty stuff to get rid of them. Since, I've just used Dawn and water and I haven't had a problem.
Thanks, more information is very helpful. I do have a LOT of tulips, and as of this year, some coneflowers, so will do some research and get out the soap.
Laura
Well, I must say that finding the right search terms was not easy, I tried tulip breaking virus with "lily", and many others. The final combo that came up with a bit of information confirming what has been said here was using the latin name for Tiger Lily species, "lilium lancifolium", with virus or mosaic virus. With those terms, I still came up with surprisingly few references. The below article is an example of what I found. I also found several references to the Tiger Lily as a good beginner's lily with no mention at all of the virus potential. No articles discussed how far was a good distance to plant them from other lilies. Aphids were mentioned as a primary means of transmitting the disease, along with mechanical means...cutting flowers and such, so it will also be important to disinfect tools between trimming or cutting flowers.
http://members.shaw.ca/soohortsociety2/Page13_ThingsGoWrong_TigerLilies.htm
I also found reference to tulip breaking virus spreading to both tulips AND to some lilies, but Lilium lancifolium was not implicated in what I found (so far). Again, aphids and other sap-sucking insects were mentioned as a vector for the virus.
I also found one article abstract that hinted that the tulip-breaking virus was a strain of the lily mosaic virus. This was a technical article, and I could only get the abstract, so not sure if it is a good one. They may be the same thing.
I suppose one approach would be to transfer a few of my naturalized tulips and a few smaller lily bulbs in with the tigers as an indicator in hopes they would be the first infected if the Tiger lilies are infected. I could then pull all if that is the case. Any suggestions on a good "indicator" cultivar if I decide to go this route? I would really like to give them a try and will attempt to put them as far from my main lily beds as possible, but like many of us, my Grandmother grew these and they have a special place meaning for me as a result. If it turns out my passed along Tiger Lilies DO have a virus, then I'll reconsider, but I'm hoping to give it a go. I will probably buy some other oriental lily cultivar and see what happens. For all I know, I may have something already harboring the virus if it is all that common.
Any other thoughts?
Laura
The danger is not exclusive to Orientals. I had an LA that was virused.
And I had an infected asiatic that I believe came from the vendor virused. I destroyed it immediately and saw no further sign of other virused plants.
I think an LA would make a good indicator plant, especially red ones where the color breaking is quite prominent. They are vulnerable to virus due to the longiflorum genetics.
I've had a few lilies for several years, and I have a dark red variety that I thought was an oriental Lily, but I honestly don't remember what it is. What does "LA" stand for?
I have a dark burgundy that I might be able to use, if I remove a baby from the mother plant. It has dark green leaves all the way around the main stem. The lily faces up and is about the same size as a stargazer. It produces bulbils every year and has made several babies as well as multiplying around the main bulb. I don't seem to have a photo of it from last year and previous year digital photos were lost. The leaves are starting to come up on that one, so maybe I can post a photo of those later.
I also have some small pink lilies and some white one I know are orientals, almost certainly 'Casa Blanca'. The dark red would look nicest near the tigers, though.
Thanks for the help
Laura
LA is short for a Longiflorum - Asiatic cross.
Sometimes you can see the mottling on the leaves but it's subtle. It's the blooms that are most obvious. Here is a pic ~ they look nice and healthy until you notice the bloom on the right.
Just happened to come across this pertinant info on the North Star Lily Society site. It's under the Ask Lil E. Um (q&a) section ~ http://www.northstarlilysociety.com/ask-lil-e-um-contd4.htm
"Dear Lil,
I am planting some tiger lilies in my yard. How far away should they be kept from other lilies to prevent the spread of virus and how are lily viruses transmitted anyway?
Sonya
Hi Sonya,
Thank you for your question about Tiger Lilies. I know more folks will be interested to learn the answer. For the best response, I contacted award-winning lily grower and hybridizer Warren Summers, who was happy to share his thoughts with us. Warren has also agreed to be our NSLS 2006 Autumn Educational Speaker on September 30th. Join us for a wonderful guided tour of "The Lilies of Japan." But now, here is Warren's response.
Lil E. Um
Sonya, Tiger lilies carry virus as do most lilies which have been in the garden for a year or two. When lilies which are not virus tolerant catch multiple viruses, they loose vigor, don't grow as well nor produce as many flowers. Some lilies may even show signs of virus with ugly streaking in their foliage. I usually discard those. Virus is spread by garden pests, typically aphids, which suck on the lilies and move from plant to plant. I would plant the tiger lilies 15 to 20 feet away from my virus free lilies and not be overly concerned that they might be virus-ed. Any lily worth its salt, will still perform reasonably well when it catches a virus. In my garden, if a lily doesn't perform well, it's usually replaced with a variety that will do better. Try growing a few of the time tested virus tolerant varieties such as "Red Velvet", "Lime Ice", "Iowa Rose", "Northern Carillon", "Scheherazade", "Leslie Woodriff", etc. .
Warren Summers"
Well, that kind of takes the sting out of things a bit. :) Thanks Moby!!
Phew, that really helps, thanks so much for posting it!
Now to figure out where to plant my lilies, lol!
Laura