I have 4 or 5 little marties I started from seeds. They currently consist of one little leaf each sticking up from their pot. I started these last year so I guess I better find a place in the garden this fall. Considering the cost of mart bulbs, if I can mature these guys successfully I will be way ahead $-wise. I wonder if anyone else on this forum has tried them from seed?

I tried starting them in damp vermiculite in a plastic bag. Some seeds grew little bulbs. The best success was with the flotation method. I now have 6 little babies in a pot that have one leaf each. They will stay in the pot for a couple of years. The one that survived in the bag I planted out and this year it has actually put up another leaf.
Raising by seed is great fun.

I have several martagon type species seedlings:
L. martagon pink form, dark form
L. martagon alba
L. martagon cattaniae
L. tsingtauense
Some in their second season with leaves, some their first. They do seem to take their sweet time, although I am really not a great seedling grower. Remember, martagons have delayed hypogeal germingation. That means they germinate and produce a tiny bulblet, then must go through a cold treatment to produce their first leaves.

Pardalinum, have you peaked or have any clue as to how big your tiny bulbs are now?

OK, I poked around with my finger but didn't find the bulbs-- I think they have worked themselves deeper and I don't want to poke TOO hard, lol. I am sure they aren't very big, maybe half the size of a pea. These are in a 4-inch pot. I plan to remove them as a group, disturbing the roots as little as possible. Then I'll poke the whole bunch in the garden together. If they survive, I'll separate them in a couple of years.

Martagons are usually quite exspensive because they are slow growing, They usually start about $25 each. And they are famous for sulking the first year. But them become addictive. I am posting a link to a place that sells Martagons, if you must have them. But hurry, because shipping season is well underway.
You can get a similar type lily in some Asiatics. Some of them have downfacing blossoms and recurved petals. The Lily Garden sells several varieities of these.
Lily blossom orientation is usually listed as Upfacing (1a), Outfacing (1b) or downfacing (1c) with the number representing the classifications assigned to distinguish various types. One is the number identifying Asiaitic lilies and the letter designates the flower form.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hartle and Gilman

Well I just did it last week. I bought one. Terrace City and it was twenty dollars plus postage. The bulb is huge so I won't have to wait years and had no seed avaiable anyway. I should have done it a few years ago and it would be a bloomer by now but it was a tough decision. I sold some of my lilies rather cheap and some money went to that bulb without too much guilt. I debated on a red or the yellow and though the yellow was five dollars cheaper it was different than many of my downfacing Asiatics I have collect in the past few years. It was a last minute impulse but it's planted in the soil today so I feel good about it. A grandma doesn't have all those years to waste so if she wants to see it bloom she should buy it, right?

Right!

And you'll like Terrace City. For me, it has an indescribable color quality.

This is a pictre of Terrace City

{{gwi:1039334}}

Maniac you always know what I might like.

I'm still waiting for my first Martagon to bloom - hope its next year. If you can't wait and you love that nodding recurved look - try Lilium Black Beauty - a raspberry with some white in the throat and black spots, also the species lilies, Lilium speciosum rubrum and L. speciosum alba. My Black Beauties really took off in their 2nd year and made 5' stems with up to 42 blooms on each one. The leap was dramatic - they started the first year with just 5-10 blooms per stem, got some Bulbtone and compost last fall and then this year went to town. They even sent up additional stems from the clump

You can see more by googling on species lilies or recurved lilies. Also the Crown Imperial, which is an allium and has a somewhat different form, also has a recurved bloom.

Great then my black beauties will have a good showing the next summer. The smaller stalk was nicer than the larger one. I will expect some splitting and lots of blooms.

Well, here it is years later and I came across this post. I would love to hear what has happened with the lillies you guys bought and planted. So, where are you tyshee, alryics, mainiac...

How does your garden grow?