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.

Part II Part III Part IV Part V

Dear Lil,
Will the stamen of the lily grow back once broken off.
Donna 
 
Hi Donna,
Once any part of a lily blossom has been broken off or removed, it will not regrow. As the lily emerges from its bulb and breaks through the ground their flowers are already forming complete with petals, stamen and carpel at the top of the stem. Many times, especially if lilies are used for cut flowers, the anthers with their pollen will be removed leaving just the filaments in order to eliminate accidental staining of fabric or or flesh.  At a lily show, lilies that are entered in horticultural competion must be complete with all of their parts intact.  This is not always true for artistic design competition or exhibitions.  Again, anthers may be removed in order to avoid an accidental orange pollen smear. 
 
Here in Minnesota we have a wonderful Spring floral celebration at the Minneapolis Institute of Art at the end of April.  Floral designers are invited to come to the museum and interpret a work of art with a floral design. If lilies are used, anthers must be removed by museum policy. As pollen matures its granules may drift in the museum's air currents and could attach themselves to priceless works of art.

Some people prefer an intact lily blossom and others prefer that the pollen be removed. It is a matter of taste unless you're in competition. I enjoy them either way.
 
Thank you for your question.
-Lil
 
I hope this has answered your question.

Dear Lil,
 I ordered and planted Asiatic lilies in September in South Carolina. They came up pretty quickly and looked healthy. However, we had very hard freezes for about 10 nights in early January, and many of my lilies look brown or yellowed. I covered them during the cold nights. Are they dead, or will they be OK this spring?
-Patsy

Dear Patsy,
I am very sorry to hear about your lilies.  Your growing zone is much further south than our Minnesota gardens, so I made a request to a very knowledgeable lily grower in Ohio - a bit closer to you.  I am very happy to share his thoughts with you.  His name is Larry Diehl and he is the current president of the North American Lily Society.
Patsy,
Essentially all lilies require some period during the winter when they rest.  Lilies are never totally dormant and establish roots after being planted  but wait until the soil warms in the spring before putting out any top growth.  After this top growth has started almost all lilies, your asiatics included, are severely damaged by freezing conditions. For some reason, probably dependent on your local weather conditions, your asiatic lilies decided that they had rested long enough, that spring had arrived and they sprouted (without knowing exactly where you are, this most certainly should not have occurred before February/March). From your description of the condition of the foliage I would say that the stem and leaves have been killed and I would recommend that you cut it back to ground level at some convenient time. They will not grow and they will not flower this year. The test would be if the stem and leaves are mostly green with just a bit of frost/freeze damage (may recover) or mostly/all brown (no hope of recovery). By the way, different types of lilies are more tolerant of cold than others but not much. The foliage will be killed by any temperature that is near or a few degrees below freezing (the properly nourished bulb is not damaged in its underground hideaway).

Does that mean the lily is dead? Not necessarily. Without the normal growth during the year, the lily bulb has been deprived of nourishment for its next growing cycle. However, depending on how healthy the bulb was that you planted, it may have enough reserve that it will rise again after some period of rest. It will not be as magnificent as it would have been if this "accident" had not occurred, but it may survive. If it does survive and live through a normal growth cycle, then the bulb will be nourished and continue to grow and multiply with the years. It is possible it may come up a few months from now or it may decide to wait the whole year and not resurface until 2011. If nothing happens this year you could (but do not have to) sometime in September or October dig carefully and see if the bulb(s) are still there. If so replant immediately.

How did this happen? Well, it is impossible to tell for sure. You are far enough south that the lilies interpreted your warm fall conditions that spring had arrived. This usually would  not have happened unless the bulbs had experienced at least some reasonable period of cold that they would interpret as a time of rest. I suppose that might have occurred if the source of your bulbs used some cold storage to keep them in prime condition before they were shipped to you. 

I would generally think your experience was singular event as you should be able to grow asiatics in your climate. Once the bulbs acclimate to your season these out of phase events should be less common,  but an unusual cold break is a hazard for lilies. I live in Ohio and here trumpet lilies start poking their noses through the soil usually in April and our traditional frost free date is mid-May! 

One last thing you might consider for future lily purchases. Try to buy bulbs from a source that is as close as possible to your climate zone. And buy bulbs that you have some assurance that they are as freshly dug as possible. This would generally say to buy from US sources that  grow but do not import most of their stock. If you purchased from a Dutch importer the bulbs  may have had some cold storage before they reached you.  All of these last thoughts should really be of minor influence however.

So keep trying or try again if these did not survive... having some lilies in your garden is worth the effort!

Larry

As Larry mentioned, if the stems have died, the bulbs may still be alive.  I would mark the spot and not plant anything in that area so as to protect the bulbs, maybe just a shallow-rooted annual ground cover would be okay.  Water and fertilize your garden as you usually would.  If the lilies don't appear again this year, they may survive and come up next year.  It's January and here in Minnesota, our lilies are dozing under frozen ground and more than a foot of snow.  We're all still dreaming of Spring.
Good luck, Patsy! 
-Lil
 

Question for Ask Lil E Um
My lilies are just now coming up. I'm wanting to plant some of them elsewhere. Can I dig them up now with some growth on them and plant elsewhere, and if so will they still bloom this summer.
Pam

Hi Pam,
Thank you for visiting the NSLS website. Autumn is the best time to transplant lilies.  They have completed their annual growth/bloom/recharge cycle and will have begun their dormant period. It is much easier to dig them in the fall because you don't need to be concerned about breaking roots or stems. Plus, if they have been in one spot for awhile, they may need to be divided. We have an excellent photo tutorial on how to do that in our photo gallery. 
 
Hooray for Spring! It sounds like your lily bulbs are already sending stems upward and beginning to expend a lot of energy preparing for this year's bloom.  They are also in the process of launching their feeder roots for the year.  If many of these roots are disturbed or broken now, they may be set back a bit - but they will try to continue the growing/blooming process that has already started.  If they must be moved now, I would try to dig them up surrounded by a lot of soil.  If you dig too close to the stems and bulbs and if the soil breaks away, it will probably take a lot of the fine little roots that are forming with it. Also, be sure to dig deeply. Your lily bulbs are probably deeper than you remember planting them. Lilies have what are called 'contractile' roots. If the season is dry, they will pull themselves deeper in the soil. So, dig wide and dig deep - there are roots emerging from the bottom of the bulb as well as from the stem.  Stem roots help anchor the aerial acrobatics that go on when the lily is in bloom and becomes top heavy.
 
Be very careful not to break the emerging stem.  Your lily's blossoms are forming at the top of that stem.  If it breaks, your chance for any flowers on the stem this year will be eliminated.  With great care, you may be able to successfully transplant your lilies in the spring. 
 
Have a large hole ready for them in the new spot.  That way you may be able to 'unplug' them from one spot and 'plug' them in to another, hopefully without too much disturbance.  Make sure that the new spot has good drainage - lilies don't like soggy feet. Give them a dash of 10-10-10 fertilizer and water them in well. As I mentioned, you will probably disturb some roots that that are forming now and it may affect this year's growth cycle a bit but, they will probably bloom this year and next year they should be happily settled in their new 'digs.'
  
Good luck transplanting your lilies. We wish you a happy growing season!
-Lil

Hello, I hope you can help me. I have 4 flats of martagon seedlings that I started last year. They went through a 3-month bag period, then a 3-month fridge period, and this week they will be coming to the end of a three month growing period. They are single leaf, small plants hanging on for dear life. They are in a southwest window with 12 hour fluorescent grow lights, and have been watered every 2 days. My question is how do I put them through their next cold period? Do I cut back the lighting; do I stop watering; do they need to be slowly cooled? Books suggested a temperature of 4C or 38F. Could I store them at below freezing?
And how cold can they get without harm?

Thank you .. John

Hi John, Thank you for visiting the North Star Lily Society website. To answer your question, I asked one of our most knowledgeable martagon growers and here is his response. I hope you will find it useful. Good Luck! -Lil

Dear John: Your thought process is on the right track. You clearly know how to germinate seed, so we'll just talk about the cold-periods.

I grow my martagon seedlings in "market baskets", plastic boxes with drain-holes that hold a dozen small pots for small plant displays at nurseries. I give my small seedlings several cold periods in the house before transferring them to the garden. Here's a step-by-step.

1) With sharp scissors I cut the small plants down at soil-level.

2) I just slide the entire basket in a medium plastic garbage bag, fold the ends under to retain some moisture in the bag, and place the entire package in an extra refrigerator which I bought just for that purpose. (Caution: You want a LITTLE moisture, not a dripping-wet package that would promote fungus growth!)

3) After 3 months, I take the package out, remove the plasic bag, place the basket under lights and water. Presto! New growth cycle has started!

You didn't say where you live, but a cold (not freezing!) garage or storage shed could work as well. I've hesitated to use "below freezing" storage, although a "forgotten" bag of seedling-bulblets did survive exactly such a scenario a couple of years ago!

Good luck!

Dear Lil E. Um,
I have some Asiatic lilies that have survived beautifully in the front of my house for 3-4 years. Unfortunately, the browning foliage by late summer looks horrible. I didn't have anywhere to move them in the fall. This spring I am replacing them with a tree. Is it ok to move them and how far down should I dig?
Cindy
 
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for visiting our website.  Your request for information today on the occasion of the Winter Solstice helps us look forward to next spring.  It sounds like you would like to change your landscape.  While fall is the optimum time to dig, divide and transplant your lilies, they may be moved in the spring if you are very careful.  If a stem is broken in the transfer, that will mean no bloom that season.  Since they will need to be moved in order to save them, here is our advice: 
When the frost is out of the soil, your lilies will be actively growing the stems and roots that will support their blossoms.  When you see the sprouts poking through the soil, you'll have a better idea of where the bulbs may be found.  You may have originally planted them 4" to 6" deep, but because our growing seasons fluctuate between dry and wet weather, and because lily bulbs have contractile roots, they may have pulled themselves much deeper in the soil than you planted them.  They have been growing in your garden for several years, so there are probably a number of bulbs now clumped underground.  You will want to lift the whole clump by digging at least 10" away from the stems all the way around and dig down at least a foot deep.  The more soil you can keep around the bulbs, the better they will transplant to their new home.  Feeder roots will be actively growing, and the more they are disturbed and broken, the harder it will be on the lilies to have a successful growing season.  Transplant them at the same depth in their new location, water them well and give them an application of fertilizer (10-10-10 is good) and mulch. 
 
Autumn is the best time to transplant because the bulbs go into a semi-dormant state and you don't have to worry about breaking stems.  Asiatic lilies are forgiving and as long as you are careful with transplanting they should do well in their new location as long as it is sunny and has good drainage. 
 
Browning leaves and stems in the summer could be a sign that your lilies have had a bout with botrytis.  If they are growing too closely, there may not be enough air circulation which helps dry the leaves after rain and dewy mornings.  Moist leaves and stems are ripe for the fungus that causes botrytis which damages the leaves and stems and causes the browning.  If this happens early in the season, it can also damage buds and flowers.   If there are a number of stems in your clump, they may need dividing.  It would be a challenge to do this in the spring without damaging stems and roots.  You may consider dividing them in the fall and moving the bulbs farther apart to give them more air space.  We have a good pictorial example of how to accomplish this in our photo gallery. If you have an abundance of bulbs, I bet you have friends and neighbors who will happily help you find new homes for them.
 
Good luck with your adventure in transplanting lilies,
Lil

Dear Sandra,
Since your question included a request for information that concerned martagons, I asked for assistance with this question from one of our society's best martagon growers. Here is his response:

Hi Sandra:
Yes, Tiger lilies are reputedly host to a virus that is harmful to other, less virus-tolerant lilies. So the theory is to separate them physically from other lilies. That makes good theoretical sense, but poses a practical problem for most gardens, since virus is passed on by nibbling insects, e.g. aphids. And aphids can travel quite a distance!

The best practical advice we can suggest is to separate your Tiger lilies from other lilies as much as possible to avoid a potential problem. As you have experienced yourself, there are other lilies that seem to be virus resistant as well. The martagons you want to add to your garden are more expensive than asiatics, so we understand your desire for "protectionism". Martagons have different light requirements than Tiger lilies and asiatic lilies, a fact that may give you more flexibility in placing them away from the Tiger lilies. They do not need full sun, they love dappled light or open shade. So you could, for example, place them on the North side of the house where they get a bit of morning sun.

We aren't aware that the virus survives in the ground without it's host plant once you move or remove the Tiger Lilies. Our suggestion is to try the separation method so you can continue to enjoy your Tiger lilies.

By the way, on the topic of virus, be aware that tulips are not good lily companions. Those pretty multi-colored tulip-florets are the result of color-breaking virus, lethal to lilies.

Hello again, Sandra, I hope this response helps you with your choice for placement of your lilies.
Good luck!
Lil