...and while we tap our feet waiting for spring...

I'm enjoying this thread, but since I have no idea what I am going to do with all of these lilies, I sit back , read and let you all inspire me.

Here's 'Time Out' in my garden last year.

susybell, yes this one and at least one of the Black Beauty bulbs were only an inch down.

3gardeners, I love the OTs, can't seem to keep the orientals alive for more than a couple years! Didn't stop me from spending a lot of money on them in the Faraway Flowers co-op!

Magnolialover, I had Time Out at one time, it just faded away for me, but I sure did enjoy it while it was around. I'm like you I have no idea where all of those bulbs are going, probably in the meat cooler at work until the snow melts..........

Oh yeah, Time Out is definitely going in the Sky Garden! Perfection!

Magnolialover, that Time Out is a beauty!

Lilyfan, what a monster bulb - you are definitely doing something right! I have the same problem with keeping Orientals around long term, but that doesn't stop me from trying either.

Intercessor, are you going to dig your lilies up and take them with you when you move?

I would like to move them. It all depends, on when the house sells, who is moving in, where I move to, and if I feel like it :*O. Whatever happens I'll move some. My dad said I cold plant a garden at their house. That may or may not be an option when the house sells! Everything is up in the air. I checked into community gardens but they don't have any year round plots. Everything gets tilled in fall/spring. If we don't sell I will most likely dig everything up this fall and store them some place.

Despite this I still ordered some! OOOpppps. My city terrace/easement is screaming for lilies. I would have to plant trees though for balance.

Andy

Andy, whatever you end up doing, it sounds like a lot of work. Hope everything works out with the sale so you are able to take along as many as you have the ambition to dig up! I couldn't imagine having to do that. But I understand why you still ordered more. I'm really out of room to plant more this Spring, but I ordered more too. Yup - that darn lily addiction!

Since I don't have any great ideas right now, I'll just contribute another picture ;). Here is 'Sonora' purchased from Buggy Crazy. I had some matching magenta hollyhock behind it, blooming together they were very nice. Hopefully I can keep the deer out of that area this spring with Plantskydd and it will come up again..undisturbed.

HI Moby,

No, no signs of fasciation that I can see yet; looks like a normal single stem with just a rather thick stalk. The bulbs were huge when I planted them......so maybe I'll get nice full stalks, but alas likely just a normal numbers of flowers.

Very lovely, Magnolia....I love them both.

So Neal, how do you like your new place??

Oh, I'm SO glad I got Sonora this fall! Like the combination, too. Hmmm.....Thanks!

Lilyfan, that's remarkable. That one could have dug to China, it's probably a good thing it was only an inch down! (I wouldn't have wanted to dig it up otherwise, myself, anyway) What's it doing since you replanted it in its new spot?

I just discovered that one of my Asiatics is up! It's about 2" so far, and its stem is super fat and happy. Looks like it's been busy over the winter. I just hope we don't get some unseasonable cold over the next month or so.

Neal, lovely property, but needs more lilies. ;)

I am with you on the cold, Susybell....was 90 F here Monday afternoon and in mid-20's last night! Up and down like a yo-yo here.

Steve, that sounds like high-altitude weather, or large-closet weather, lol! 90--In February!! Wow! I haven't been seeing those extremes, thank goodness! We've been hovering around 50-60 (with SUN!!!) during the day and into the 30's overnight.

Is it terrible that I am so jealous? Oh to have a 90 degree day and feel that sun.... take in some rays for me, will ya Steve?

llilyfan, I actually love the look of that snow covered bridge. It's beautiful in both seasons.

It won't be long and those bulbs will be on our doorsteps. Yikes, then what? Can I do it?? Can I actually cut some lilies this year? That's why I bought many of them, for that purpose....cutting to bring inside. Or will I feel guilty about not giving the nutrients back to the bulb? Time will tell.

susybell, the bulb was just replanted last fall and is still in winter dormancy, from the looks of the snow out there it will be awhile before it shows itself.

magnolialover, I'm going What bridge?...........Duh, other thread!

I know what you mean about cutting them, I will have to show some this year and I am already dreading the dastardly deed. Call me selfish, but I love my lilies in the garden where everyone can enjoy them.

I'm with both of you on cutting flowers. It's so nice to hear that I'm not the only one.

Lilyfan, oh, snow! Well, I hope it's all snuggled in and cozy in its new home.

Yes I will take 90 F right now. I never complain about the heat, but the cold that is a different story.

This message was edited Feb 27, 2008 9:43 PM

Steve, I'm lovin' it here! The old place was in the woods and its awesome to have lots of SUN now! Ah, and the soil is superb, a dark clay loam, so thank goodness I won't have to immediately worry with amending all those holes.

Sonora is beautiful! Love the color echo with the hollyhock.

steve, you said earlier that last year's asiatics had prob. gotten back on their proper time schedule and that was why they were not coming up. when is their proper time? when might i expect them to be up?

mamajack,

Yes, I have found that bulbs I plant in the fall tend to come up earlier the following spring than bulbs I've already had in the ground from the prior year or earlier. Asiatics tend to bloom anywhere from late April through mid-June in my area and the sprouts come up anywhere from February or March into April. What Asiatics do you have? I would expect you to start seeing some shoots come up in March if you have not already. I have not seen any from last year come up yet thoguh I know they're in there. I'll let you know when mine appear, but I would expect to start seeing them within the next two weeks or so. Keep the faith!! :-)

i am doing my best steve. but i don't have a long enough experience yet to not be worried just a little. lol. i don't have a list of any of my lilies. i try not to write them down until i see them last thru at least one summer and one winter. lol.

Thanks for the link Moby. I'm kind of freaking out this moring because I have 49,000 plants and bulbs arriving within a 3 weeks span (when are these bulbs coming again?) and a few of them I have to re-ship on to some other folks. I'm feeling overwhelmed to say the least and am going to rely on a lot of help and advice from others so I can get every thing tucked into it's new home with as few casulties as possible. Thank goodness the bulbs can wait on me for a few days while I tend to the active growers. You said to keep them in the fridge until I can get them planted Neal?

Andy,

When I sold my last house, I made it part of the deal that I could come
back and dig out some of my plants. Fortunately, the buyer didn't mind
and asked me to help her understand how to care for the gardens in
exchange. Worked out very well as I decided to sell in November - a bit
late to try to dig stuff out.

Tam

La, these are scheduled to ship to me March 15-17, and to you within a week thereafter.

For those of us in the *snow belt*, I'm wondering if I should pot up my bulbs since planting them in their assigned gardens may have to wait until mid-April....suggestions, ideas? 50+ bulbs in my refrigerator vegetable drawer may be a bit much.

Catherine

Catherine, potting them is better for them than storing. The faster they can "think" they're in the ground the better. Do you have a garage or place to keep the pots with protection?

Thanks Neal...I was thinking the same. I have an unheated glass greenhouse...thought I could pot them up and put them under a bench for a month? Although it was 60 (!!!!) today here....a cruel joke since 5" of snow is predicted for tomorrow....

Catherine

Glad I found this.
The lilies from bleek are being shipped tomorrow. :(

Soooooo, I will be putting them in pots for awhile, because I don't have a clue where to dig. LOL

Then you say yours are on the way pretty soon after. And there are so many more from you than from bleek.

I am going to look like a nursery with everything sitting in pots. Pretty much that's the way things look around here. Was all pots of hostas, now those are buried in the ground, but I still put caladiums, cannas, glads and now lilies in pots. I have never planted lilies in pots before, so I hope that it will turn out OK.

I am a worrier, but I have really gone overboard with the co-ops this year. and I said I wasn't going to do that. HA

Susan
=^..^=

Tammy that was my plan, but you never know who will be helpful.

Thanks

Susan, lilies do fine in pots. The main thing to watch for is dark colored pots get hot in the sun, and lilies like cool roots. When I had some awaiting planting in black nursery pots, I covered them with straw and they were fine.

Catherine, an unheated greenhouse is ideal!

My favorite nursery opened Sat so of course I had to be there. THey
have very good prices and even so I was smugly looking at their
pots of lilies selling for $3.49 or more. Susan - just look at all the lilies
sold in pots in the spring. At most nurseries around here they go for
up to $10.

I walked around yesterday and saw the Eranthus are starting to bloom
Wooo Hooo.... spring really is on its way.

hey 9kitty...did i mention my bed is ready? heeheeheehee

:-P mama!!

I'm just jumping in to ask a question or two. Went to a garden show this weekend and pickup up two different lilies: Casa Blanca and Pink Perfection. Here in Central Texas I'm wondering how deep to plant my lilies? I'm new in the lilly area, mostly day lilies for me, but how could I resist these beauties? Multiple bulb sites suggest between 4" to 6" inches deep (does that mean the space between the top of the lily and the soil surface)? Expecting great things from my new babies!

Carolyn

txgrand...i think that was about what steve in ft. worth said...although i think he said nearer to 6. lilies like cool roots.

i have been turning the soil on that new bed....and you ought to see the worms that are already there. young worms. pregnant worms. big daddy worms.

Carolyn, those are taller varieties, especially Pink Perfection, so deeper planting will help decrease the need for staking. I'd go 8" deep if soil and drainage allow.

mamajack - I have to constantly dig up worms to feed my daughters DeKay's Brown snake. Because to the cold, that has been difficult. But I have noticed a lot more baby worms than before. It is the time of year for baby worms to make their way to the top. And how can you tell if a worm is pregnant?

P.S. I'm having 1000 lbs of worm castings delivered tomorrow. Anyone care to volunteer to spread it? Free Tea and Wine! :-)

by the time you get done spreading those castings it may be Tea and Whine!

you can tell if a worm is pregnant if they have one of those raised rings on it's body. and if it has a raised ring then you can tell that that's the head end.

when my daughter was in second grade they had to produce goods to sell in a store. the kids took turns going around to each other's store buying things. they told her to think "outside the box" on producing her goods. well, worms were the highest selling commodity that year. lol.

ROFL mama! That's the most hysterical image, just embodies the joy of childhood. I keep imagining some very proper elementary school teacher's being mortified!

Wow. That is such a cool thing to know. When I was a little kid, other kids told me those were to hearts and some of them had 2-3 of them. Thanks for the info. My daughter will love to hear that. Of course, now she won't want to feed the pregnant ones to the snake.