Lily for beginners? planting bulbs for fall? containers?

hi yall....i am a newbie ...am looking for fragrant flowers and am seeing
oriental lilies at white flower farm; it sez they can be planted in containers which is where i am wanting them right now....any luck with container lilies?

also if i plant bulbs in september will they grow fast enuf to bloom this year? thank you:)

You have to keep them from freezing. I did overwinter some here in my garage(due winter move). I gave them just a little water once a month. The soil MUST have good drainage. But I'm not that familar with Texas winters!

They wouldn't bloom this year but are absolutely worth the wait!! Check out other places for better prices.You can do better price wise. Look in the gardenwatch here.

nanny...thanks for that...i have a sunroom that i can bring them into....do i just treat them as i would any plant...water but don't drown ...sun etc?

Here it be just barely moist soil till spring and then put the pot outside. They need a chill period to bloom next year.

when do i give them a chill period?

Well, here that would be during the winter!!

How cold do you get in your area in the winter? It would be best to not have them in you sun room, I think. They don't need the sun during their dormant period. Though lilium do not go completely dormant. Most vendors will answer any questions if you contact them.

I feel I am not helping you alot since I am not familar with your zones growing season and conditions. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will stumble in here and be more helpful!! lol

ah thanks and yes you are helpful....we do get cold here....below 20 at times....thank you ever so much:)

Well, I hoped I helped a little! But really an unheated garage would be better than a sunroom. I hope you get some lilies though and enjoy them. But once you get some you will want more. So you have been warned!!!!!!!!

Sticks_n_stones -
Here in the Atlanta area, we get regular spells of temps below 20 but no hard frosts that last more than a few days, so our winters are probably similar to yours in that regard. I have been enjoying lillies in containers for several years, but the orientals seems to be hardier than the asiatics (also, more aromatic). Some of these containers are large tubs, but last year I planted some very late in the fall and only had 1 gallon pots available. They did fine as well. I didn't ever move them indoors, but did move them to sheltered areas on the back deck and front porch when we had prolonged icy spells. I watered them occasionally - otherwise they took care of themselves.
jo

jo thanks for that...oh man, i am going to have to get some then...i NEED fragrance, fragrance fragrance:)

also did you plant bulbs? or plants in the fall? thank you:)

This message was edited Aug 12, 2007 2:54 PM

Here's a picture of an orienpet ('Touching') that I planted in a 1-gallon pot in December. It's not the best shot of the flower but shows it growing in the black pot next to our birdbath on the back deck. This one had two beautiful long-lived blooms in June (when this picture was taken), but the number should increase every year. I tend to lose history of most of my plants (altho my DG Journal is helping now), but I know that I bought these bulbs/tubers from Brent and Beckys on the last day of their end-of-season sale, first week of December. For those of us lucky enough to still be able to plant in December, this is an incredibly easy and inexpensive way to get these beauties, as long as you're willing to take the varieties that are still in stock (75% off I think!).
I'll post another shot (closeup) to show you how lovely this one is.
jo

The same Orienpet 'Touching", closer up. The aroma is unbelievable.

Here's an oriental (Star Gazer) in a larger, mixed pot right next to the back steps. Not pampered by any means. As you can see, there are LOTS of blooms and buds.

that is gorgeous...i found a place that i can get them for 1.00 is that a good price for bulbs?

$1.00 per bulb sound very inexpensive. Remember, you get what you pay for. Most lilies of average quality and widely available go for about $5 up each. Lilies are never dormant and should be firm when received ( not soft or rubbery) and should be planted as soon as possible. (They don't like wet feet.)

thanks so much:)

Avoid buying any bags of leftover lily bulbs on sale at big chain stores. They will keep them forever and not throw them away until the last minute or someone tells them to. Which reminds me I've got to tell the store manager where I work that all the bulbs are dead....yeah, we have glad, dahlia, lily, daffodils and tulip bulbs sitting around from late winter/early spring. So pathetic....

Where the heck do you get bulbs for $1???? So glad someone who is in a similar climate finally found this and could give you a better idea on what to do!!!!

I've got a 5 year old pot of some random but gorgeous Asiatic lilies that are orange. I've never done much to them other than occasionally fertilize and water and pluck a weed. Some years are bumper crops like this year and others are grow in periods since the lilies have multiplied and the seedlings have to have time to mature. Last year I had few flowers and a lot of seedlings, this year I had about 18 lilies and the most open flowers at one time was about 32. They love that pot. I also let it sit out all year and haven't really tried to cover or protect it.

dmac you have 18 lilies in one pot?

nanny....i checked on ebay and one seller has great feedback and
has been selling lilies for 5 yrs on ebay here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Oriental-Lily-Stargazer-Lily-Bulb-Lilium-Bulbs-Lilies_W0QQitemZ330153356528QQihZ014QQcategoryZ75662QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's a pretty good sized pot--about 3 ft tall and holds about 3 cu ft of soil. I stuck a couple bricks in the bottom to weight it down and then filled it. I only planted 6 lily bulbs in there to begin with and they have multiplied really well on their own. Haven't moved the pot from where I first plopped it down.

i am so excited:) i NNNNEEEEEDDDDDD fragrance:)

$1 each is not unusual for an old reliable like Stargazer. And, personally, I suggest you start with something simple and inexpensive like that one. Can't beat it for beauty and aroma, in my opinion. I suspect you'd do fine with that ebay seller. But, for comparison, here's a link to B&B: http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/search/listgenus.php?id=42

I don't know about your area, but here in Georgia, there's really no reason to plant any earlier than November or December (especially in easy-to-handle pots and planters). It usually stays so hot that I figure the bulbs are better off staying with the grower until late fall anyway, so I've decided to wait until then before buying any more. Of course, if you're looking for a special variety, you'd need to order sooner but I like them all, so I don't mind taking the leftovers :-)

If I remember correctly, B&B start discounting the prices in mid-November and by late November/early December you can really stock up for almost no money. Last year I got lillies and daffs and tulips (am in love with their "Mickey Mouse" tulip!), potted them all up, covered 'em with pine straw, and moved them up against the house. Come March and April the daffs and tulips bloomed - by June the lillies were starting. It was so very easy -- and I even gave some off the smaller pots of daffs and tulips away as presents! So I'm gonna do the same thing this year. Have already bought the pots (really cheap on ebay) and just need to get some more soil. Then I'll wait until the last day of the sale to order! (just located my invoice from last year, btw... the discount was only 50%.. not 75%.. but still a great deal from a well-known grower. I suspect other bulb growers offer similar specials at end-of-season)

jo

thanks for that info....so do you think if i planted now they wouldnt come up right now?

or bloom i guess that is really stupid to want...but one can dream!!!

and yes all i was looking for was the run of the mill bulbs....i want smell!!!! but i guess that is how an addiction starts?




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No, I don't think they'd bloom from bulbs if you plant them now. But I'm pretty new to lillies myself so can't be sure. Perhaps if you found some potted ones, they might. But I don't ever see those.

And you're right - one you have started with lillies, you'll definitely want more. They really are heavenly.
jo