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What to do with indoor Stargazer Lily
Louise Ezzatvar
Posts: 18
in Plants
Hello everyone. I'm a complete gardening novice so expect some (probably stupid) questions while I get to grips with things.
I have 3 indoor Stargazer Lily bulbs. The flowers are falling apart now. If I remove the dead parts will it flower again this year?
I hope it will flower again next year. What do I need to do to take care of the bulbs in the meantime?
Thanks.
0
Posts
Hi Louise
Don't worry about being a novice, we all started somewhere and the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask 
Your lilies won't flower again this year, but it should do next year. I would take off the dead flowers and give the plant a good feed of fertiliser - I use Fish Blood & Bone on all my plants - use according to the directions on the packet. Water it in and put the plants outside in a sheltered place - not shady but not too sunny and leave it there for the summer, watering when dry.
Eventually the leaves will die down for the winter - all the nutrients from the leaves will pass back into the bulbs, giving them energy to flower again in the following year - that's why we feed them with fertiliser after they've flowered - to build up the leaves
I leave mine outside all year round - I protect the pots with bubble wrap and put them against the house wall in a sheltered corner for the winter. In the spring remove the wrapping and as I see the buds coming through the soil I move the pots into a sunnier position.
You just have to keep your eyes open for the bright red lily beetles that will eat their way through the whole plant if you let them - just squidge them.
Also protect them from slugs - I got some sheeps wool pellets from the garden centre and put them on the surface of the soil - the slugs don't like the texture so stay away.
My lilies are budding up nicely and will soon be bursting into flower.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hello Dovefromabove, thank-you for the advice. Sounds quite easy. I had visions of having to dig the bulbs out and put them in some kind of special paper or bag.
I love these kinds of lily, so cheerful and the smell is amazing.
Thanks again.
We have them in a big pot on our terrace, and in the evenings we can smell them when we're sitting indoors - fantastic
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes, it's such a pity they don't flower for long. I have read somewhere that if you remove the bits with the orange sticky stuff on it extends the life somehow.
I was too late to try that this year as I read it after they were in full flower.
Hi Dove ,would it be poss to remove and store the bulb or nae,im just thinking of store the bulb,clean and store the pot for next year or is this not a good idea, the reason im asking is Kate has asked what nice plants can we have in the house that smell nice ,were ok with peace lily but looking for others.
It probably is possible Alan - it's just that I like things easy and have never done it any other way. Maybe someone else does it that way???
We grow ours outside - they're really tall - about 4ft in the pot - and also OH would start to wheeze if we had them indoors - he's fine with them outside but scented flowers indoors can make him wheezy.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My Stargazer is blooming again.
I removed the dead flowers by gently pulling them or waiting for it to drop off on it's own and then placed it outside, keeping it watered.
I've been away for a week and came home to find two new flower pods awaiting opening.
This is a total surprise as I though they were 1 bloom a year only.
I'll move them back into the house if they start to open again.
Are you sure they're not seed pods?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Here is a picture of what's growing on my Stargazer Lily. If it is a seed pod, what do I do with it?
That's a seedpod. I usually remove them before they get that big so that the energy stays in the bulb. You could try letting them ripen and growing them - it would take several years before you grew a bulb big enough to flower, I don't know how long. I've never done it.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.