Candy lily culture?

I started some candy lilies from seed at least four years ago. They have multiplied and appear to be healthy but no flowers ever. They are in full sun and get plenty of water. Are they extra heavy feeders? Do they prefer some shade? Do they prefer dry conditions? Please give me your suggestions for a fix. Thanks.

i only know this.............i got some plants in trade this spring that bloomed in the sun with clay soil that has been amended and put in a raised bed. i also started some from seeds this year that didn't get real big yet but hopefully next year they will bloom. how big are your plants?

Sometimes when you fertilize plants too much they put out lush growth and never flower. Sometimes perennials take three years to flower the first time. Is this what your are talking about? Mine flower every year now and have seeded around my yard.

Yes mine look like the photo without the flower. I think your foliage looks larger than mine. Maybe I need to try more fertilizer. Also the soil is very acid so maybe I need some lime. If they bloomed in zone 8a they should work for me. I've never seen them in the flesh but they appear to be a very pretty flower to me. Thanks.

It took me two years before I started to get flowers. That was a picture before the plant started to reproduce all over. Don't add fertilizer. Usually that just adds salts to your soil. I'm a Master Gardener so I know the most important thing is soil. Go or call you co-op extension office and ask for a soil kit. It is so much cheaper than buying one at the garden center. Follow the instructions and have your soil tested. Usually people find out how little fertilizer you really need. Start putting mulch down from ground up foliage at the end of the year, oak leaves are perfect. This puts back the nutrients from the plants a natural fertilizer with no chemicals or salts. I never use store bought fertilize. Look at how many flowers I get now that the plant is established. Each pod is full of seeds.

mgarr, i am originally from miss. and lots of the soil in miss. is very sandy. does that change anything for her? i have black clay here and if you can get the stuff aerated enough it is very healthy, nutritious soil. but doesn't sand tend to less nutritious? and maybe twiggy has the red clay instead.

Sand soil is more porous so nutrients wash out easily. Clay soil is usually rich and adding humus to the soil over a few years will make the soil easier to work with.

Those pods look just like those of daylilies. My native soil is almost pure sand and is very acidic. In many areas it barely supports weeds. I add oak leaves, compost and fine pine bark. I've been here more than 20 years and found annual applications of lime to be helpful in the veggie garden. Anything soluble leaches out quickly.

I don't have problems with daylilies which the candies are mixed in with. It's a puzzle to me because this year for a change, I made sure they had a good supply of water. I feel lack of sun, fert and water can be ruled out. I googled and looked in the plant files and didn't find anything of value. All else I can think to try is part shade.

http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/ornamental/ornamental_publications/blackberry-lily.PDF

here is some information that may or may not be helpful. but just some hightlights it said that they needed light but frequent fertilization (once a month) in sandy areas. at the same time it said that they prefer sandy soils because they need sharp drainage. it also said they don't do so hot near the gulf. but the article also said the same thing i have read other places..........they can bloom within 6 mo. to a yr. of germination.

Here are the same pods as they dry and split open. The fruit are nice in arrangements.

Gm all
Just Joined DG"S Today & I Just have to Tell you about my candy lilies .
I'm a Very Big Fan of the candy lilies Ever since a trader friend in Texas sent me a few back in 2002 I think it was
anyway they were nice big fans she had sent me ,I planted them later that afternoon In clay soil amended with just
chopped up leaves,& some store bought topsoil .
they did not bloom for 2 summer & I didn't know why or what i had done but left them in just for filler & the following
year her is what they looked like . & so glad I didn't give up on them :)

To me they are my BUTTERFLIES :) in my gardens I Have many plants of them now & lots of seeds so anyone wanting to swap colors let me know :)

deejay9/susie

Gee, dj! Those are purrty! Makes me wish I had some to trade! I have the orange freckles that I got from rebecca this summer. Those have made me very happy with their lovely orange blooms:-)
Bev

I just have the spotted ones. I'll be happy to trade with you deejay. Just Email me your address and I'll drop some seeds in the mail.

Deejay, welcome to DG!!! Beautiful pics! I love the mauve color, it's like icing on the cake to me. I started some from seed along with blackberry lily last year. They are just fans now. Hopefully next year they will bloom. Now I want to try some toad lilies after a tow truck diver told me about the ones his gramma passed along to him.

Nice to meet you,
Susan

My dear annie :)) I It has been a pleasure knowing you :) Our Gardens will sparkle one day with all the trades we have had
& will Have in the future :)


MGARR : I would be delighted to send you my address & Hope you will reply with yours as well So I can share a few seeds with you ,

I would also be happy to share a blooming size plant, for a start of any of these plants .
CONEFLOWER
Sundown
Harvest Moon
Little Giant
Fatal Attration
Doubledecker

Hope to hear from you
susie

Annie so sorry I got you mixed up with another friend named raggedyanne over on another forum forgive me .
but still love to meet all of you in the forum :)
happy Gardening
susie

DeeJay, Welcome to Daves! you had me confused for a bit this evening! I'm sorry to say I don't have any of the above that you are looking for. Maybe when I'm on the road I will be able to locate them somewhere.

Raggedyann, I'm always glad to see other Raggedys ;O) :O)

LIFE IS GOOD,
Annie

DeeJay, By the way the candylilies you sent me are doing great! I can't wait to see them in bloom next year because all I had were the orange/yellow ones.

LIFE IS GOOD,
Annie

Thanks for the link mamajack. I still don't feel knowledgeable. The article says they like S FL and not the Gulf states. But look who is posting here.....GA to MI. It did say they need some shade and mine don't get any. I'm going to move some to a spot where they get a half day and give them one more season to do something. I have many other things I could use the space for and they really have stretched my patience to the breaking point.

That photo is just wonderful. That dark one was what baited me up on the seed packet.

well i know that not a lot of southerners are posting here but i don't think a lot of people know this plant. i have never seen it in any nursery. have you? they have never gone thru one of our wet winters so ask me again next year if i would still recommend it. when i saw mine blooming i fell in love. and only one set of mine bloomed. this man sent me some from orange, yellow and pink shaded flowers. also from what i have read this plant readily feritlizes....wrong word.......pollinates with others......... and so there should be some interesting cultivars when the seeds are planted. i think that is how they came up with pardacanda norisii. also, we had an atypical summer. it was very wet and in the 70-80's much of the summer. don't know if they will bloom when it's a 110.

Okay, Barb...I do not have those..do you have seed? Will they grow here?

see, you just never know who is gonna pop up on these forums. i don't have one seed. when i read what i read i sowed all i had hoping to get all different shades. i do have plants but they are not really tradeable yet since they are small. i put all of my seedling in the shade. the bigger plants i got in trade were in the sun and i bet next year i can trade some of those to you my very good friend. lol. the germination rate was really good on these as was the blackberry lilies i sowed. and i don't even know if they will grow here yet. i have only had them for one atypical spring and summer. did you look up pardacanda norissii? don't you love them? they just have the cutest most perfect little flowers.

mgarr is that air potato vine on the right side of your last photo? It sure looks like it and I'm wondering does it make potatoes for you. I sent some out all over the country for postage a couple years ago and never heard back if the northern states have a long enough growing season to produce the seed.

LOL, Barb, they are so cute. I can be very patient ...I have so much to plant and we are under a complete water ban. I am just sick about that! I think most of the plants will be fine, I am most concerned about the TB Iris I have though, I am trying to figure out what my best course of action for those will be though!

don't know if this is feasible.............can you buy a shade cloth? can you hand water? just thru this heat if you could mulch them. hopefully it is going to be over soon.

GM To you all
just wanted to let you all know I have these all these seeds for candy lilies & also what is called blackberry lily ???
My colors are purple /redish/ black spots -- yellow/orange/blackspots----all yellow ---- redish orange/yellow/blackspots
now mind you some are mixed for these plants are going next to each other & they are lovely .

Now anyone wanting the seeds I will be happy to share with you there are about 30 seeds per pk .
anyone wanting to try the plants I have about 5 fns at this time I can share .
as for all of mine they are in the full sun & I Noticed this year they did not bloom as long for we had very hot But mostly Dry weather . they do like to be watered in the evening .

so if you would like to try a few for your self just d-mail me .
Oh I received My 1st candylilies from a trader in Texas & they do Very well for her. :)
Here is the purple ones .

susie