lillies

hi everyone quick question,my lillies have started shooting again in pots i had from last year,my problem is the soil is low on one edge of the pot but if i cover it with new stuff itll cover some of my shoots will this be ok or is there another way,also in my other pot of lillies theyve started coming up but red shoots as opposed to my other one being green,and the one with the red the shoots are dry + it was in the damp shady part of the garden has it had it ?? thanx alot amanda

 

Don't worry about the colour of the shoots. Different varieties can come up different colours untill the chlorophil really gets going and they turn greeen - can't remember the term but there's a 'proper' name for it and it happens with many plants including roses.

If the lillies are tight for room then you could carefully repot them making sure you don't break the tender new shoots. Replant in another pot one or two sizes up after gently removing any loose old compost from the rootball, then fill to the same depth with fresh compost. A little soil partly covering emerging shots won't do any harm but ideally you don't want the bulbs deeper than they are now. Tapping the pots will help settle the new soil as you fill and firm it in with your fingers. Give a good watering after you've finished and all should be fine.

 

cheers 4 that mate,another question lol one of the lillies stayed last year and its all frost damaged do i get rid of that one or just cut it back a bit,and do lillies like multiply cos it looks like ive got more or is that the reason u told me to repot doh lol,and do u think i could divide them and put a few in the garden i love lillies their my favorite
thanx amanda

 

You'll quite probably find when you repot them that you will get flakes come off the main bulb (they are something like thin cloves of garlic) If you plant these up separately they should eventually grow into flowering bulbs (may take a couple of years to flower). My experience with lillies is they either grow and reproduce new bulbs like mad or fail misreably - search also for the thread about 'Lilly Beetle'

They are usually pretty hardy but the wet can make them rot so remove any rotten parts of your frosted bulbs and plant them up and hopefully they will be OK even if they don't flower this year.

[ 23. April 2006, 12:10 AM: Message edited by: frogesque ]

 

thanx frogesque youve been a great help.

 

My lilies are also sprouting but it looks like some of them are much smaller in diameter (they are third year plantings) - is it worth keeping them or buying some new ones although probably a bit lat for this year flowering.