Lilies are already showing their heads - help please

16 years ago

Greetings all...it's been quite a while since I posted and I hope you're all doing well. I'm doing well but...

As I was walking around the garden today (it's a nice sunny day here on LI - in the 40's)...I noticed that many of my lilies (Orientals, Asiatics) are already showing their heads! Some of them are new bulbs planted in the Fall, some were already in the ground last year, some were transplanted from pots into the ground in the Fall. I planted them deep - minimum of 6 inches and some have been in the ground for several seasons.

I have no idea why this is happening but now what do I do? Should I gather up some leaves and top dress the lily faces? Should I just leave them alone and let nature do what she's going to do? Perhaps buy some hay for coverage?

Last February we had our coldest weather of the season - if that happens this year my bulbs will freeze off their faces for sure.

Any tips, or just a sympathetic shoulder, would be most appreciated.

Ciao,

OITGAD

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Comments (3)

outinthegardenallday
Original Author
16 years ago
While I was I walking around the garden late yesterday a thought came to me. I have an awful lot of flower pots - how about if I cover the lily faces with an inverted flower pot? I'll put a weight on the "top/bottom" to keep the pot from toppling over in the wind and to discourage (yeah right) the tree rodents (squirrels) a bit.

Ciao,
OITGAD
alina_1
16 years ago
outinthegardenallday,
I would protect Lilies only if some hard frost is predicted. Lilies should be fine if temperature will not go below 26-29 F. Your pots will work if they have drainage holes for ventilation. Do not keep these pots over sprouts for too long: they need light for photosynthesis (sprouts, not pots:-)).
Squirrels never touched my growing Lilies, only freshly planted bulbs. Deer and slugs were main enemies of sprouting Lilies for me...

Good luck! I hope we will not have really bad frosts this February. I have bags over my Camellias, leafs covering pots with Hydrangeas and Japanese maples. I do not want to protect my Lilies!!!
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hostaholic2 z 4, MN
16 years ago
alina is right, lilies are pretty tough, I don't usually protect unless a hard freeze is predicted. I must say I often experience zone envy for those of you in warmer areas, but I know I don't have to worry about protecting my plants for quite a while yet. One advantage to living where the ground is frozen for 4-5 months of the year.