Part I Part II Part IV Part V

Message: I am looking for martagon lily seed to start as there has always
seem to be a shortage of martagons for sale. Would you have any sources of
seed? Best Regards, Ted

Ask Lil E. Um received these questions and with the help of Dr. Gene Fox, North American Lily Society President, sent a quick response to a very happy college student. Here is the email:Message: Hello, my name is Ashley and I am writing a paper about different flowers and I would like some information about the lily. Please help me with any of these questions that you can.
1) Is the lily sporophytes or gametophytes?
2) Can you see the gametophytes?
3) Is the lily complete?
4) Is the lily perfect?
5) How is the lily pollinated and what clues support your reason?
Thank you so much for your help.
Ashley

Reply: Dear Ashley,
My answers are about lilies (true lilies) as in Latin Lilium
1. Lilies make seeds and are gametophytes. No true lily makes spores, so none are sporophytes.
2. When you say that, I believe you mean, "Can you see the 'gametes?'" One can see the male gamete, which is pollen as it is on the end of anthers and it, can become a brown smudge on your clothes if you are not careful. The pollen is made up of hundreds of tiny spherical grains. One needs a microscope to see the individual grain of pollen. The female gamete is inside the ovary or what becomes the seedpod. If the pods are cut open or dissected before pollination, one can see the female gametes or ovules (eggs).
3. The lily has a "complete" flower in that it has both male and female parts.
4. Yes, lilies have both the pistils and the stamens in the same flower, so it may be said to be "perfect". The word, "monoclinous" is actually the technical term for perfect in that case.
5. The lily is pollinated by transferring the pollen from the stamens of one lily flower to the stigma of another lily flower. One knows the flower is pollinated if, after the petals drop away, the ovary (seed pod) starts to swell up as seeds grow inside it.
Dr. Gene Fox
President, North American Lily Society

Lil has received several questions from a gardener who would like to learn more about their lilies.  We've asked experienced lily grower and hybridizer, Jeff Stiller for his advice.  Jeff's response is included below each question.  I hope Pat and our web visitors find this information useful.  This is also a great time to promote this year's largest lily show in North America.  The North American Lily Show is being held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, July 12 - 16, 2006.  The show itself will be free and open to the public from Friday afternoon, July 14 through Sunday July 16.  Folks who officially pay their registration fee may attend the symposium of speakers who will cover a number of lily culture topics on Thursday and Friday, July 13 & 14.  For more information visit the website of our sister regional, Wisconsin Regional Lily Society www.wrls.org or the website of the North American Lily Society www.lilies.org. Jeff is also a member of WRLS and is busily preparing for the NALS show.

Message:  Hi, Lil

I have a lot of questions now that my lily garden activities are expanding. I've received a few damaged bulbs this year that I've ordered on-line. The stems had grown 2 or 3" and then snapped off right at the base of the stem. I've heard that the bulb will never grow and all it would be good for is scale propagation. I've also heard that I should plant the bulb. While it won't do anything this year, it should be OK for next. Which is it? Pat Hunter

The bulb has stored energy in the outer scale portion. The center portion is where new growth for this years flower starts  Some bulbs recover in the following year & some do not. It is a 50/50  chance. The same goes for the scales as it is best to scale in the fall or after flowering. Again 50/50. Conditions in which the bulbs were stored are a major factor. If outer scales dehydrated too much, or if the bulb is heavily contaminated with mold it may affect the year's growth.  Be sure to check out the bulb sales from regional lily societies.  They acquire bulbs locally and from trusted vendors. Jeff Stiller

I haven't had much luck planting orientals in the fall, but spring planted ones do just fine. Can an oriental bulb be held over winter successfully in a refrigerator?  It is hard to find a oriental that will survive in Minn/Wisc for more than a year or two. They need conditions we have a hard time duplicating: acid soil, dry winters, and a long growing season. The long growing season being the hardest thing to offer as the bulb needs time to grow & build up energy. Our frosts & winters come too soon. I grow my orientals in pots. They are started indoors to get a head start. In winter they are stored in a cool place with peat moss. They still do not last, so like some annuals I just reorder them, as they are too nice not to include in my garden.

I know that a lily bulb will pull itself down if it's not happy with its planting depth, but some of mine seem to be wearing running shoes. I see them popping up several inches away from where they were originally planted or in some cases where they have been planted 6 or more inches apart, coming up right next to one another. Is there anyway to contain the bulbs so they come up where they are planted?
No. It is a survival trait.

I also have some questions about propagation:
1. When propagating scales, once the bulblets have set and roots start growing, how deep do you plant the scales?   The tip of the scale should be showing. I grow mine in small pots for a year & in fall plant them out in the garden.

2. What do you do with a scale that has 2 or three bulblets attached? Do you cut the scale and plant the bulblets separately or do you keep them all together for a time?Plant as advised above or if bulblets are larger than a pea, separate and more may grow on the scale.

4. How long does it take to for a bulblet to reach maturity? At some point, should the bulblets be planted in pots that have been sunk in the ground for easier retrieval?  Some bulblets may flower in two years, others may need more time depending on the variety.  True plant maturity will take longer, but at least you will see what to expect from the lily in the future.

I have several lily varieties that I got a long time ago, but have forgotten their names. I got most of them through catalogs outside of Minnesota. Is there any way that I can identify these lily varieties?
Thank you. That's a very good question. I've got a few 'lost name tag' lilies, too. I enjoy them just the same, but it is fun to know their names and very useful if you plan to show them. I think your best bet would be to cut a stem in bloom and take it to a North Star Lily Society, (or any regional lily society show) and see if it could be identified by members who grow a wide variety of named cultivars of the genus lilium. If your lily comes into bloom and there is no show to take it to, I'd contact NSLS and ask if there is someone who would be able to take a look at your lily and see if they could identify it. Every regional lily society has members who have extensive experience in growing, showing and hybridizing lilies and they may be able to recognize and name your stem for you. I believe it would be better to bring the actual stem instead of a photograph because there can be a number of subtle differences in lily cultivars that you can see in the actual flower and stem that you might not be able to detect from a photograph. The next North Star Lily Society show will be in July, 2005. Check our website soon for next year's calendar of events.

Best regards!
Denese Erickson
President, North Star Lily Society