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| Ask Lil E. Um | |
Do you have unanswered questions about the genus Lilium? We’ll help you find the answers. Just Contact Us to send your inquiry. Be sure to reference “Ask Lil E. Um” and we’ll find a lily expert with the best advice. |
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Message: I bought a yellow Tiger Lily from a friend,
but enroute from her Hi Doreen, So, for your broken stem, if the buds are far enough along, you may be able to see it in bloom in a vase. The broken stem will not root in the vase and that bulb will not send up another stem this year. If the stem broke in a place that still leaves a partial stem attached to the bulb in the pot, that partial stem will help nourish the bulb for next year's growth. When your garden is plantable and the danger of frost diminishes, I'd plant the lily bulb in your garden outside. Even if the bulb doesn't have much of a stem left on it, I'd still plant it outside and mark the spot. Plant it in a sunny area that has good drainage, perhaps a little deeper than it was in the pot. Although we are just beginning to enjoy the Spring of 2007, you'll be sort of 'putting a lily in the bank' for the summer of 2008. Lilies
add such a beautiful vertical element to our gardens and it's easy
to
find space to tuck in another cultivar or two to add more color
to your
summer landscape. nother excellent website for you to visit for
more lily
culture information and lily photographs is that of the North American
Lily Happy Gardening!
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I would like to join the North Star Lily Society,
but would not be able to Hi Sharon, |
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Lil -- Do you know of a reference that lists the
lily species and their USDA For an informed response to this question, we contacted U of M
Professor Hi Lil, Neil |
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Message: We recently settled
in a small cottage in Pennsylvania which had Hello Eleanor, It is delightful to have little surprises to enjoy in our gardens,
isn't it? |
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Message:
Our surprise lilies seem to appear almost
overnight this time of year--one day, nothing since the leaves
have all died, then suddenly we have 2 foot stems with buds. How
quickly do they break through the ground and reach that height?
Doris
Hi Doris,
I have 'Surprise Lilies' too. They are not actually lilium,
which are the plants that the North Star Lily Society has as its
focus of interest, they are Lycoris Squamigera which are members
of the amaryllis family. We do receive many questions about plants
that are not members of the genus lilium. I've never actually timed
my 'Surprise Lilies'. Because the blooms arrive on stalks
that seem to come out of no where, I think that it probably takes
about a week for their push from the ground to bloom stage and
then they may be in bloom for a week beyond the growth spurt. Their
green stem almost hides itself among other plants and I don't even
notice it until the buds start coloring up and blooming. It
is quick though, sometimes it seems to appear overnight, but I
think it's just because I don't really notice it until it
is in flower. Because they come into bloom later
in the season, the plant 'rushes' to put itself into its bloom
cycle before it is time for the dormancy of the winter months. Check
out the website: http://www.aogc.org/shade/000107.html This
informative site is produced by the Arlington Organic Garden
Club of Arlington, Texas, a much different growing zone than Minnesota,
but the plant culture information is useful and approximately the
same as we experience here for 'Surprise Lilies'. There are
many plants that have lily as a part of their name, but are not
actually lilies. Check out the culture page on the website
of the North American Lily Society: http://lilies.org/culture.html This
wonderful website gives a great explanation of the genus lilium
and also has an excellent photo gallery that displays many varieties
of 'official' lilies. Also, scroll back through some of
our older Ask Lil E. Um questions, we've received and responded
to other questions about Lycoris.
I hope we've been helpful. Enjoy your 'Surprise Lilies'
you've reminded me to go out and look for mine. With the
extreme dry heat of our 2006 summer, I hope I don't miss
their appearance.
Best regards,
Lil
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Hi Lil.My question is this.
Seven years ago my Great Aunt gave me some tiger lilies pretty orange ones. Any way I planted them in the front yard on both sides of my house in between the steps. On one side of the house where some of the lilies were planted I noticed that they were not doing as well as the others on the other side. I believe this is because it is shadier on that side and when it rains it causes the flowers on that side to droop. I have not had any blooms for sometime on that side of the house. I thought of transplanting all the flowers from both sides of the house to a sunnier spot where there is less shade. I want to plant shade plants in the front yard instead I just don't know what yet. But anyway when will I be able to transplant my flowers could I do it this fall? I should mention that where I want to plant them is kinda weedy. I want to kill all the weeds FIRST before re-planting the flowers. I want to get a weed killer that won't harm my flowers what can I get? Please let me know thanks a lot. Hi Wendy,
Isn't if fun to receive plants from friends
and relatives? These become part of our heritage and when
we see them we remember the kindness of the giver. Your tiger
lilies are most probably lilium lancifolium. These
lilies were some of the most favorite plants in old perennial
gardens. It sounds like your tiger lilies have found themselves
in challenging places in your yard. They would prefer a sunny,
well drained spot in your gardens. Moving them from the
shade will give them a big boost. If you have a new site
picked out, and it is full of weeds, it is great that you are planning
on clearing it first. Some folks don't like using chemical
weed killers. One way to avoid this is to mow them down and
then cover the area with a layer of black plastic, to sort
of roast the weeds. Leave it in place for a couple of weeks. That
should make it easier to clear them out. A reliable chemical
way is to use a product like 'Round Up'. Be sure to follow
directions on the bottle because this chemical is an herbicide.
It kills all plant material, but doesn’t remain
in the ground. This type of chemical can be sprayed on the
weeds. But be careful, any herbaceous plant will be affected
by a product like this. If you have other plants or even grass nearby,
do not spray on a windy day. Some folks use an old mop dipped
in the herbicide to swab the weeds with the liquid. When
the weeds are dead and removed, you can then plant your lily bulbs. In
Minnesota, we start dividing and transplanting our lilies in September
and early October. Be sure to check out our photo gallery
for instructions on how to divide lily bulbs. Plant them
and then mulch the garden well. This is especially important
the first winter. Next spring, watch your garden and remove
any little weeds that show up. Some of this year's weed seeds
may have survived. Mulch between your lilies should help
keep them under control, or else use a 'pre-emergent' herbicide
to kill the seeds. But remember, a pre-emergent herbicide
will also kill any seeds you mean to plant in your garden.
Good luck with your tiger lilies!
Lil |
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Message: I have planted
some nicotiana
amongst my lilies. I have been since advised they are poisonous
to
lilies. Is this true?
Jean Hi Jean,
The flowers of some varieties of Nicotiana,
also known as 'flowering tobacco' are very fragrant and I
can see why folks add them to their gardens. As annuals,
they add continuous color in summer after some of our perennials
end their bloom cycle. Your question about their affect on
lilies is one that we have not had before. All parts of Nicotiana are
known to be poisonous for consumption by animals and humans, but
should not affect other plants. We believe that they will
not cause problems with your lilies.
Best regards,
Lil |
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Message:
 I
think we may have found the critter. Stalk borer?? A
vacant lot behind us was excavated in June to build a house. I
think they may have migrated to my yard and found paydirt. Anyway,
here are the photos. Would appreciate your thoughts. It
really looks serious out there. Thanks much for a quick response. I'm in Spring Park out by Mound/Lake Minnetonka.
Connie |
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Lil emailed NSLS member Franci Nelson, who has one of the largest lily gardens among society members. Hi Connie,
From what I can see in the picture it looks
like corn borer. We have had it in a few stems in the past and
unfortunately you have to just dig the whole thing, stem and
bulb, and put it in the garbage...do not compost it!! To my
knowledge there is not really anything else you can do
to prevent this, it just picked a few of your lilies to feed on
and lay their eggs.
Corn borer is everywhere just like the iris
borer and for what ever reason it also on occasion likes the stems
of lilies. We have not had a reoccurrence in our garden for a couple
years so I wouldn't be worried that you are being inundated with
this problem.
I hope this answers your question.
Franci Nelson |
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I
have a number of Asiatics that have broken off during bloom that
I thought was from wind. On closer inspection, there is
a granular white material (stem?) and the stem is hollow. My
Orientals aren't looking very good either, but that looks more
like fungus. Is there a lily borer in Minnesota? Are
my bulbs at risk? I really can't find any information about this
problem and need a pretty quick answer, if that is possible. I
have photos of the stems if that would be helpful.