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jeanne_6oh

Box Store Lilies - indoors or out?

jeanne
15 years ago

I couldn't pass these up, $2.99 a box for either Asiatic...

...and Oriental Lilies.

Can I pot these up and keep them outside or in the root cellar? My available sunlight in the house will not keep these guys happy and I'd like to keep them from growing if possible until it warms up (the crocuses are blooming here right now in zone 6) in a couple of months. Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeanne

Comments (10)

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    15 years ago

    Yes. Best if you have pretty good sized containers and can plant them deeply - don't worry about covering up that shoot. And you can always plant them outside in the ground as well, as long as your soil is workable. Again, plant deeply (most lilies prefer that anyway) - the soil will act as a insulator to prevent premature growth and they will emerge on schedule when the soil and air temps warm appropriately.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    15 years ago

    CanÂt you just keep them cool until planting outside? They are not too spouted. If they already had long stems then I would pot them. Which ones did you get?

    I also bought a box of mixed asiatics, a pastel mix, from SamÂs Club maybe 5 years ago. They were my first lilies! I kept them in the coolest part of the basement until I was ready and the ground was not too soggy. Those turned out to be great lilies! The asiatics have soft subtle colors of peach to pink to lavendar that are just amazing. I have not seen such colors on any others. They are a little shorter than most asiatics so I have since moved them around to a spot a little closer up. They are the first lilies to bloom. It started me off on lilies and now I have probably 100 or more. I saw the same mix at SamÂs the other day; I felt like pulling people in from the aisles and telling them how great that mix is.

  • stanly
    15 years ago

    Jeanne, you are in a much warmer climate than I am but I also bought some Asiatics and some Oriental lilies. The Orientals were $9.99 for fifteen and some were already sprouting, 2 to 3" in height. I put them all in 4" containers that are about 6" high and then put them under lights. They are all doing well so next week I will move them to the dining room in front of the main window. Orientals are not really hardy here but they should put on a good show in the fall. If your ground can be worked up, I would plant them as soon a possible. Stan

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    15 years ago

    I might mention that since orientals bloom later than asiatics, some one wanting to do the same thing might have better luck with getting orientals, that are not as far alomg toward sprouting as the asiatics.

    Even though I plant a lot of lilies in the fall, I always fall prey to the desire for a few more in the spring! Sometimes I examine a lot of boxes to choose those that are least sprouted.

    $2.99 is a really good deal, they are never that cheap here, until they go on clearance in May. And if buying them then, for the most part you can expect no bloom until the next year as the sprouts are likely to be dried out or too far along.

  • mitanoff
    14 years ago

    Hi!
    I am in a similar situation. I have a box of lilies and they look very similar to jeanne's. ALthough the bulbs themselves are firm and white, the sprouted ends are much longer and a few of them had started to rot on that sprouted end. Are they goners? I potted them up anyway.

  • alina_1
    14 years ago

    They are not goners. I planted some of my Lilies as late as in June. They have plenty of time to get established and bloom this year in your zone (if they are large enough to bloom of course). They might bloom a little later than normal this year.
    Those that started to rot will probably do not bloom this year. Let them grow. Foliage feeds the bulbs during growing season. Do not cut it until it is yellow. Do not bury the rotten ends of the sprouts.

  • mitanoff
    14 years ago

    Hi again:
    Not to belabour the point, but I've added a pic of my lilies. Pretty ugly. Do you still think they'll survive? I understand that they won't flower this year. I had originally wanted them in containers, but if they're not going to flower, then perhaps I should move them to the ground somewhere. THey're container lilies, tiny bee and something else, I forget.

    See how the center is rotted through. Still think it will survive?

  • alina_1
    14 years ago

    The rotten centers do not look good... I would recommend to remove all rotten tissue and soak bulbs in bleach solution (1 part of Clorox to 9 parts of water) for about 30 min. Then let them air dry and plant them in big pots or in the garden. The one on the back does not look too bad. Is it rotten as well? It will get greener if you will keep it on a sunny spot. It might bloom later this year.

  • mitanoff
    14 years ago

    Hi. Again. It's me.
    Well, I think about half of the lilies (with rotted shoots) that I potted are well on their way to growing some leaves (if not flowers). The other half show NO sign of green or growth.It's been about 3weeks now. Should I uproot the bulbs with no sign of growth/green?

  • alina_1
    14 years ago

    I'd say it is too early. Weaker bulbs should grow some roots first. They might emerge later. If they are rotten at the base plate, they are goners. Otherwise, they should recover.

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