Planting Oriental and Regale lilies
happycottontail
Posts: 394
in Plants
I bought a dozen lily bulbs at the flower show 5 days ago, and i know I have to plant them asap, but with my planting plan still evolving, I'm not sure where to place them. Could I plant them in plastic pots this year, and then, when they are about to flower, plunge the pots into empty spaces in the flower beds? Then next Spring would the bulbs mind if I take them out of the pots and put them into the borders?
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Morning Verdun! You have answered my question perfectly! But being a bit of a newbie in some things, can you give me an idea of the size of a 1 litre pot (diameter at top and height)? I have 3 each of Regale and another trumpet, Pink Perfection, which are huge , and 3 each of the Orientals Marlon and Cyclone (a white one), which are much smaller.
Verdun, you're getting cheeky again, do I need to threaten naughty chair time??
Happycottontail, you will find that slugs LOVE lily bulbs, so even in pots I put compost in to the level where you're going to plant them, and then put some sharp sand in around the bulb, then compost on top again, this will help deter slugs. Copper bands around the top of the pot will also help stop the little critters.
Lilies like to have their roots in shade and their heads in the sun, so make sure that the pots aren't in full sun, as this will make them sulk - you could move them to somewhere in a border with bedding plants in front of the pots, perhaps, and see if you are happy with the effect (this will give you an idea if they 'work' where you're thinking of putting them, too), if not you can always move the pot until you're happy with it.
Keep your eyes open for the dreaded lily beetle, bright red, squash on sight, and look underneath for eggs (bright red also), the grubs are horrible beasties that cover themselves in their own poo for camoflage, and will do untold damage to the lily.