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If ever there was a plant family that's going places, it's the Lilium genus. In addition to the Orientals, Asiatics, and Trumpets that have regaled us for decades, hybrids are becoming readily available. Dianna Gibson of B & D Lilies in Port Townsend, WA offers advice on growing and propagating different lilies. Most lilies share an affinity for well-drained soil and half a day or more of sun. The exception would be the Oriental lilies, which require afternoon shade in regions where the temperatures regularly shoot above 90 degrees F. Most lilies do fine in winter, but Oriental and Trumpet lilies are best mulched after the ground freezes to increase their hardiness in extremely cold zones. Some new lilies include: Lily bulbs are composed of overlapping scales, like an artichoke bulb. Scaling lilies will make more. Directions:1. Remove outer scales from bulb. 2. Incubate scales at 70 degrees F in a resealable plastic bag in slightly dampened peat moss for several weeks. Pea-sized bulblets will form. Setting the bag on the top of a refrigerator will help the bulblets to develop since the heat of the motor will keep them slightly warm. 3. Once bulblets have formed, chill bulblets in a refrigerator for 4-6 weeks. 4. Plant bulblets in prepared soil (a fallow vegetable bed would be ideal) in late spring. In Northern climates bulbs will mature in two to three years and can be transplanted at that time. 5. In warmer climates, dig out the bulblets the following October, place them in plastic bags filled with peat moss, and chill them again over the winter in a refrigerator. In spring, replant. After 2-3 years, they will become mature. Special Thanks: |
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