Rivelare's Garden: Lilies

I love lilies.   My favorite is probably the star gazer; but, I haven't met a lily I didn't like.   Recently, the local grocery store near my house has started carrying other varieties of lilies other than the Easter Lily (white), and the Star Gazer (hot pink with white). It has been fun to see the other varieties come in.

My friend told me one year after I had bought a lily in a pot at Easter, that once the lily blossoms and had died that I had to pull the bulb out of the dirt and keep it warm and dry and replant next year.   I asked her if a zip lock would work and she said yes.   The following year I didn't remember where I put the bulb for safe keeping.   I'm sure somewhere in my garage a lily bulb is sitting in a zip lock, even now four years later, as I still don't remember where I put it.

When I couldn't find the bulb the year after sequestering away the dry and warm bulb, I gave up looking and went and bought another lily. I bought a different variety this time. This time at the end of the blossoms life I just snipped the stalk as close to the dirt as possible and kept it in the pot.   Over the course of the year I continued to water it. It sat where I had originally placed the pot on the back patio.   Summer passed. Fall came and went. Winter flurried on by, and spring arrived.

The little bulb shot up a little stalk and I had lilies. (Smaller flowers than the year before as it was only half the height of the one I had clipped.)   I was sooooo excited that it came back to life and grew again, that I bought another...a stargazer this time.

I planted the new arrival kiddy-corner to the other (since the little one was in a huge pot). I clipped the new arrival down to the soil after it was done sharing its beauty with the world.   The little one I just clipped the florets off.   I'm leaving them in the pot again this year...so I won't forget where I put them....and I'm excited to see if they come back again next year.

I'm very new to growing lilies. So all of this is trial and error....the same way I apparently learn about all gardening...(grin and shrug).   Time will tell if this method will be acceptable to the bulb.

P.S. nothing in my garage has bloomed....so maybe one day I'll find the Easter Lily bulb I sequestered away and it can join the others.