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''Rescued' M & S Asiatic Lily

christine_orton27072christine_orton27072 Posts: 6
in Plants
I've become the owner of a lily - and really don't know the best way to care for it.  It was past its sell by date and given away.  When I removed its original wrapping, there were a fair number of dead leaves on top of very dry potting compost.  I've followed the very limited advice on the wrapper but dont know how much water is enough!  Ive dampened the compost but not flooded it.   Had the plant 3 days.  Lower leaves are yellowing but stems are firm and upright.  Larger buds opening - 2 smaller ones seem to be brown at the bottom and dont look happy.  Its in a cool room - on a well lit windowsill.  Any help or advice would be appreciated!  Id like it to be a happy plant (Plants?  4 stems so presumably separate bulbs?) 
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  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Can you add a photo to help us out? Lillies naturally would have flowered and gone into dormancy months ago. If it's done flowering then you could wait for it to die back and attempt to regrow it in the spring as usual. They're very easy to care and usually hardy outdoors just keep monitoring for lily beetles who are a problem in most areas but are easy enough to collect and kill being bright orange. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • christine_orton27072christine_orton27072 Posts: 6
    amancalledgeorge said:
    Can you add a photo to help us out? Lillies naturally would have flowered and gone into dormancy months ago. If it's done flowering then you could wait for it to die back and attempt to regrow it in the spring as usual. They're very easy to care and usually hardy outdoors just keep monitoring for lily beetles who are a problem in most areas but are easy enough to collect and kill being bright orange. 
    George - thank you  Its indoors - grown and sold as an indoor plant so beetles thankfully aren't likely to be a problem.  I've  added 3 photos   You can see the yellowing on the lower part of the stems  and the fallen flower, bud and leaves   Hope that helps 
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Yes that looks like dormancy to me...they will die back naturally but the corms will be viable to regrow in the spring. You can leave them in the pot over winter and just maintain a tiny amount of moisture so they don't dessicate if the space is centrally heated. I have never grown them as indoor plants presumably can be done but will need very strong light. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • christine_orton27072christine_orton27072 Posts: 6
    amancalledgeorge said:
    Yes that looks like dormancy to me...they will die back naturally but the corms will be viable to regrow in the spring. You can leave them in the pot over winter and just maintain a tiny amount of moisture so they don't dessicate if the space is centrally heated. I have never grown them as indoor plants presumably can be done but will need very strong light. 
    Thank you :) 

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited November 2023
    I expect they're only intended to do one season indoors, like potted roses. It might do better planted outside. I think spring is the normal planting time for lilies.
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/container-gardening/lilies - scroll down to the "overwintering" section.
    If you have a cat, make sure it can't get near the lily flowers. The pollen is toxic to cats and while they probably won't take a bite out of it, if they brush against the flower and get pollen on their fur, they'll lick it off. The pollen also stains tablecloths, curtains etc if it gets on them.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Helen P3Helen P3 Posts: 1,152
     I knew about the staining but not about the fact that their pollen is toxic to cats!  Thank you, JennyJ.

  • christine_orton27072christine_orton27072 Posts: 6
    JennyJ said:
    I expect they're only intended to do one season indoors, like potted roses. It might do better planted outside. I think spring is the normal planting time for lilies.
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/container-gardening/lilies - scroll down to the "overwintering" section.
    If you have a cat, make sure it can't get near the lily flowers. The pollen is toxic to cats and while they probably won't take a bite out of it, if they brush against the flower and get pollen on their fur, they'll lick it off. The pollen also stains tablecloths, curtains etc if it gets on them.
    Jenny, thank you for your post, and for your 'cat wisdom.  No cats here now  - in fact one reason I accepted the 'rescued' plant was that I had to avoid lily plants/flowers  while we were cat owners. 
     I think youre right - the plant is intended to be a one season, indoor plant.  

  • christine_orton27072christine_orton27072 Posts: 6
    Helen P3 said:
     I knew about the staining but not about the fact that their pollen is toxic to cats!  Thank you, JennyJ.

    Im so glad I made this post and that Jenny mentioned  the lily risk.  Lilium (the lily family) is extremely toxic to cats  The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in a vase. Eating just a small amount of a leaf or flower petal, licking a few pollen grains off its fur while grooming, or drinking the water from the vase can cause your cat to develop fatal kidney failure.   
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I don't have lilies in the house for this reason - our current cats are very inquisitive and there's hardly anywhere they can't get. And in the garden, the lily beetles make short work of them :/
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The thing is - they aren't houseplants. They should be outside.  :)
    However, many plants are sold as an 'indoor, seasonal type of thing', but you can put them outside to die back naturally, assuming conditions are reasonable. That just means that if the pot's soil was very wet and could then freeze, it would be best to wait a little to ensure they get a chance to acclimatise well enough before winter. Your location is always a factor in that. 
    If you do that, the best solution is to keep them somewhere sheltered - they can rot in very wet conditions, so under the house eaves, or a bench/table are all good spots, or just in among shrubs where they can get protection from excess rain. That will give them a chance to become dormant and they'll then be fine in future years, whether planted out or kept potted. They need more attention in pots though. 
    Alternatively, you can let them die back in the house and plant them out in spring. That could be a bit messy, but you could even cut the growth back a good bit, and then feed them to replace the foliage doing that job.
    If you keep them in your house, don't let them get hot and dried out which is also not ideal for them. Somewhere cool   :)  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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