My tallest easter lily has 17 buds is that normal

18 years ago

i've had easter lilies for years, i've planted a pot in the garden the last 3 years. The first garden set plant now 3 years old, has a total of 17 buds on it. They have averaged 3-8 each year. The big fella also has new plants around it and even some of those have a single bud in their center, so even some first year growers are going to bloom. After blooming i will have to divide it, as it has 12 babies around it with the 2 bloomers in the batch. The other easter lilies all have from 3 to 6 buds on them. So from 3 original easter lilies, i will be dividing about 2 dozen after they bloom. out of that 2 dozen total plants i have 12 bloomers. I always thought it took 2 years for a divided bulb to bloom. I'm not complaining of course, just think it odd that new growth is blooming and big mama has 17 buds.

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Comments (7)

jenny_in_se_pa
17 years ago
It could be what they call "fasciation". There's a thread here about the phenomena. Pretty cool!
grumpygardenguy
Original Author
17 years ago
it's not quite as distinctive nor as large as that (that is pretty cool looking), i'll take a photo tomorrow. it does have separate stems comming out with 2 or 3 buds on them, some of the buds are really small at this point, but growing daily. A photo may tell you more.
botanybabe
17 years ago
I think it's normal if you have good nutrients to your bulbs. I have one that puts up between 50 and 60 flowers each year. I never disturb it, just keep giving it bone meal.

Lainey
Jeanne_in_Idaho
17 years ago
A bulb that split usually has both sides blooming. Stem bulbs (baby bulbs) sometimes bloom at 1 year old. Your lilies are just happy!

Jeanne
grumpygardenguy
Original Author
17 years ago
ok thx well i'd always just seen them with 6-8 even on those you get at Easter, so figured that was the normal blooming. I'm glad to know my bulbs are happy, since i don't do anything special for them like feed em. I put the photo on the fascination thread, didn't look like fascination, but never can tell. Anywho nice to know 6-8 isn't a norm just an average and that at least the one is a happy camper. It's about to bloom now, maybe i'll pop a photo up when it does. I'll be splitting them up after blooming, or is it better to wait till after the foliage dies back.
paty99
17 years ago
You should wait till the foliage dies back. Also I'm not so sure I'd move the mother bulb, it obviuosly likes it right where it is. I would remove all the young stem bulbs from around the mother and give them their own spot to grow in, but I'd try not to disturb the mother bulb at all. I have dug up clumps of my lilies when they got crowded only to have the mother bulb underperform once disturbed. I now only remove the offsets and don't touch the mom and it works very well for me. This would not be the case if you had a bulb that was splitting, then you would have to dig up the whole clump to separate them, but what you are describing is a bulb that is producing stem bulbs.
On a similar note I had an oriental lily last year that looked like a tree. It's stem was almost 2 inches thick and it had dozens and dozens of blooms. I was excited to see what it would look like this year. To my disapointment the bulb split, I now have 3 large lilies, each one with a stem almost an inch and a half thick, instead of one monster. Oh well the 3 lilies will probably have more flowers than the one monster would have. Good luck with your lilies.
Pat
paty99
17 years ago
By the way the stem bulbs will be growing above the mother bulb, closer to the surface of the soil. You shouldn't have a problem removing them without disturbing the mother if your carefull.
Pat