# Some Lilies...



## parvi_17 (Apr 3, 2009)

I'm longing to see spring and up here in Edmonton we are just beginning to get a taste of it as the snow melts (though no flowers in my garden yet). Inside though, these lilies are filling my house with the most incredible fragrance, that reminds me of past summers in my garden. I can't share the fragrance with you, but I can post this photo:





Hope you enjoy .


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## biothanasis (Apr 3, 2009)

Very beautiful lily flower Joe!!!! Do you grow them indoors??? I dear not cause the lily hybrids I had so far are more than a meter high and take too much space!!!! Yours seem rather small (unless my eyes deceive me)!!! I wish I could smell the fragrance...


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## parvi_17 (Apr 3, 2009)

Yes I like to force some lily bulbs so they flower in early spring. This is a dwarf Oriental hybrid, only about 18" tall. I also have an Easter lily (L. longiflorum) that is a bit taller.

It is difficult to force lily bulbs and they often don't flower, but I guess I got lucky this time!


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## likespaphs (Apr 3, 2009)

groovy

do you remove the stamens (?) to prolong flower life?

my little bit of lily trivia: use tape not water to remove lily pollen from clothing. tape lifts it right off whereas water makes it stain.


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## parvi_17 (Apr 3, 2009)

likespaphs said:


> groovy
> 
> do you remove the stamens (?) to prolong flower life?
> 
> my little bit of lily trivia: use tape not water to remove lily pollen from clothing. tape lifts it right off whereas water makes it stain.



Nope, I never remove any floral parts because I find they look less attractive.


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## Leo Schordje (Apr 3, 2009)

Great job Joe, forcing bulbs is a skill, mostly practiced by the outdoor dirt gardeners. We afficianados of bark loving epiphytes tend to forget that this area of expertise exisits. Thanks for posting


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## smartie2000 (Apr 3, 2009)

Nice lily! I love them, and planted lots of asianic cultivars outdoors. 
I found a 'black' lily bulbs in the supermarket this year, Lilium Landini. I hope they look nice



likespaphs said:


> do you remove the stamens (?) to prolong flower life?



I think floralists remove them to prevent stains rather than to prolong flower life. 
i think lilies look funny without their anthers.


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## parvi_17 (Apr 3, 2009)

Thanks guys. I grow a wide variety of lilies, including Oriental hybrids (like this one), Asiatic hybrids, LA hybrids, OT hybrids, trumpets, martagons, and species. I am only growing 2 plants in pots right now though; I grow most in the garden. They are my second-favorite group of plants, after orchids. Perhaps I will post pictures of my spring and summer flowering garden plants later in the season.


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## goldenrose (Apr 3, 2009)

:clap: Good for you! :clap: I love the fragrance of lilies! I'd have to say my favorite are trumpets, it's amazing how tall they grow year after year!


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## Clark (Apr 3, 2009)

likespaphs said:


> do you remove the stamens (?) to prolong flower life?



Floral castration???

If anybody is interested, there is a sale for 3 more days:
http://michiganbulb.com/
Nice photo. We grow stargazers outside. Never thought of these inside.
Thanks.


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## NYEric (Apr 3, 2009)

Thanx for sharing.


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## Jorch (Apr 3, 2009)

Nice! It'll be months until my Oriental Lilies bloom in the garden

Fren: I got a few Landini bulbs this year too! what a coincidence  

I am planning to grow more Oriental Lilies outside this year for the wonderful fragrance! They are a lot easier to grow than orchids..


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## cnycharles (Apr 3, 2009)

I love lilies and other bulbed flowers, but inside they make my eyes itch so much I want to tear them out...


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## snow (Apr 3, 2009)

*lilies*

after orchids lilies are also my fav garden plant. enjoy some of them.
yesterday i picked up a bag of oriental lilies from rona for only $10 for 15
so i have potted them up and hope to them bloom in a month or three.
orientals are hard to keep overwinter here. but asiatics and trumpets do well


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## Jorch (Apr 3, 2009)

wow! gotta go check out Rona tomorrow! :clap:


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## parvi_17 (Apr 3, 2009)

Nice pics snow! Orientals are also hard to overwinter here, but it can be done. Here are some of my pics from past years:




L. pumilum




L. philadelphicum




L. 'Black Watch'



L. 'Latvia'




I forget what this one was called...

I will have to take more pics this year!


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## parvi_17 (Apr 3, 2009)

I found some older images on my blog:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YFL2hV8ZIQ0/RzUmiZ_RhjI/AAAAAAAAAR0/wvv1GHg3_lo/s1600-h/july+016.JPG
L. martagon 'Claude Shride' (I think)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YFL2hV8ZIQ0/RzUmip_RhkI/AAAAAAAAAR8/jk0wm2-dcBI/s1600-h/july+019.JPG
This is a dwarf Asiatic, I forget what it's called

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8029/1995/1600/Pictures2 879.jpg
Lilium 'Stargazer'

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8029/1995/1600/Pictures2 616.jpg
Lilium 'Pink Perfection'

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8029/1995/1600/Pictures2 581.jpg
L. regale

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8029/1995/1600/Pictures2 366.jpg
L. 'Barcelona' (I think)


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## smartie2000 (Apr 4, 2009)

:clap: great lily collection, you must get blooms all season long then!
I like that Lilium pumilum. I didn't even look into lilies this year but I see it is in Fraser's catalogue, hardy to zone 5.

I just realized how little I photograph these plants! here are two old photos when I started them in pots (since the soil was not ready?)


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## parvi_17 (Apr 4, 2009)

Nice photos Fren. That represents less than half of my total collection, and some of the nicest ones were left out from me travelling and not being home to take pictures. This year I will get some. 

I got the L. pumilum from Hole's. It is fully hardy here.


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## smartie2000 (Apr 4, 2009)

Thanks! I've gotta check that out then.
seeing all these hybrids at stores makes people forget the species like pumilum.

How are you overwintering your orientals?
I've failed but I haven't really tried hard enough either honestly


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## parvi_17 (Apr 4, 2009)

smartie2000 said:


> Thanks! I've gotta check that out then.
> seeing all these hybrids at stores makes people forget the species like pumilum.
> 
> How are you overwintering your orientals?
> I've failed but I haven't really tried hard enough either honestly



I agree about people forgetting about species. They are not very available, and some are magnificent. L. regale has the most amazing fragrance, and is very easy to grow. L. philadelphicum (which is native) is my favorite.

The Oriental I have in a pot gets stored in the fridge (dry) over the winter. It doesn't always bloom when I force it. They need very bright light and sufficient chilling to bloom. I just try to grow it in the brightest spot in my house (and put it outside later) in order to "recharge" the bulb for next year. 

The ones outside either do very well or very poorly depending on where I place them. The ones that have been planted in sheltered locations do great. I have some growing between two trees in one part of my garden, where they get full sun most of the day but also a very deep snow cover and I guess less exposure to winter cold. Those plants grow to over 4 feet tall, have formed clumps, and always make lots of blooms. Ones that I have planted in the open usually don't bloom in subsequent years and eventually die. I always mulch them well too.


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## paphioboy (Apr 4, 2009)

Very nice lilies..  Wish i could grow them. On the topic of forcing bulbs to flower, I think hippeastrum are the absolute easiest to force to bloom, but the flowers last for so short a time..


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## snow (Apr 5, 2009)

nice pics parvi and smartie. i love martagons.
parvi could that un- named lily be' malta? or corsica?
there is an orchid grower in neepawa man who is world famous. we went to the lily festival last summer and it was awsum.. if you ever manage to get to man, you have to see it.


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## snow (Apr 5, 2009)

sorry 'jorch' it was wall mart of all places where i picked up those orientals


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## parvi_17 (Apr 5, 2009)

snow said:


> nice pics parvi and smartie. i love martagons.
> parvi could that un- named lily be' malta? or corsica?
> there is an orchid grower in neepawa man who is world famous. we went to the lily festival last summer and it was awsum.. if you ever manage to get to man, you have to see it.



Which un-named one - the white one or the pink one? The name Corsica sounds familiar. I will have to look at some tags as the snow melts. 

Incredibly, I have never been to a lily festival. We have one in Edmonton even, and I have never gone. I think I might go to it this year. I have also never been to Manitoba, but would love to go there some day. I'd like to see all of Canada!


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## biothanasis (Apr 5, 2009)

Fantastic flowers Joe, Fren and snow!!!! These are the ones I p[[lanted this year!!!! They will grow and bloom in later spring to summer I guess!!!! I might have planted them too close to each other but space is not available...lol I hope they will bloom like yours!!!! Although there were names I did not write them down when I purchased them, so they are quite a surprise...


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