Lilium
Bought a bag of 5 in a well-known pound shop and they are coming up at different rates in a 30cm by 30cm glazed terracotta pot.
I've never 'done' big lilies and have no idea how these grow - if it's just one lily per stem or if they put out more stems.
I have no idea what colour they will be - which is always the thing buying a 'mix'.
I'm wondering if they are going to be too crowded if I leave all 5 in this pot. I also don't know when to feed lillies - do I give them something when they start to flower - or do I just leave them to get on with it? Compost is Miracle Grow All Purpose Enriched Compost. Also haven't a clue if they are annuals or perennials. I'm assuming perennials and that they should be removed from the pot to over-winter dry - or something?
Didn't expect them to show to be honest as the corms/bulbs looked a bit of a state when I bought them - it was the last bag there - so I'm chuffed to see them produce at all so far and looking forward to progress.
Last edited: 05 June 2017 14:55:11
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They look fine, yarrow2. They are perennial and will come back each year and will probably multiply by producing small bulbs at the side of the main ones. There will normally be several flowers on each stem. Once they finish flowering, let the stems die down naturally and eventually they will go dry and brown at which point they can be easily pulled from the soil, or cut off at soil level. No need to lift the bulbs but keep the pot somewhere sheltered and preferably frost-free over winter. You can feed them using a general purpose liquid feed about once a fortnight while they are growing.
One more thing - keep a close eye on them and look for any red lily beetles which you should remove and crush if you see one. If you don't they will lay eggs which hatch and the larvae will decimate the plants:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=553
Up here yarrow, slugs are more of an issue than anything! I often grow my lilies in pots because of that, although I planted out a big pot of them this spring. As it's been drier than normal, there's been little damage. I do pretty much what Bob has said, and I just change the top layer of compost each spring.
I also bought some rejects from a cheapo shop not too long ago and they've all taken well. I've just put five in a big pot - about 15 inches - good gritty compost. They'll stay in there this year and possibly next. I usually just give them a feed of tomato food now and again.
They're fine just kept somewhere quiet over winter - against a house wall is great to prevent them getting overly wet. You might find they won't grow to full height for a couple of years.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...