Lily bulbs

[sticks]

With my £5 off at T&M and their free delivery I ordered the large box of assorted lilies (http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-bulbs-and-tubers/lily-bulbs/lily-100-days-collection/p89519TM).

Our 30 bulbs arrived yesterday and I now need to look at planting them out. Ideally we'd like to have the majority straight in the ground at the allotment (for cut flowers) and a few of them in containers on the patio at home.

I'm not too sure what to do about planting them - can I put the ones for the allotment straight in the ground now or should I pot them up and transplant when it gets a bit warmer?

With the ones that are going into containers do I need to cover them with a fleece or anything until the weather warms up a little or are they fairly hardy?

Any other tips or advice greatly received, thanks.

[sticks]

[Mimi]

I cant tell you what to do only what I did.  I potted them all up and then transplanted out when the weather was warmer.  Then I just left them in the ground... they come up beautifully every year.  I just cant bear to cut them (or any other flower come to that) for the house.  Am I the only person who grows a garden full of flowers and then goes to a supermarket and buys them for the house?    :-[

[goodlife]

Generally lilies are hardy to grow year after year in soil, but..there is so many pest that attack them that it maybe better grow them in pots.
What I would do...and have done in past..pot them up, mixing plenty of grit into compost and start them off.
Once the stems emerge through (only just),plant the lilies into ground..just as they are, with a pot,l so that the just emerging growth is inch or so deeper again. Once the lilies have flowered and the stem are starting to die down..dig the pots up..clean the compost off from bulbs..devide if in need and pot on in fresh compost..ready for planting into ground following year.
By doing compost change you get rid of unwated bugs and your bulbs get into early start when not disturbed again next spring.. ;) =bigger and better flowers.. ;D

[Alex133]

If you put them straight into the ground watch out for slugs/snails when they're small - I've only had success growing them in pots but they've all been totally hardy grown that way.

[Robert_Brenchley]

They need tomewhere thaqt's going to be well-drained in winter. I've had repeated failures in the open ground because of this, and only grow them in containers.

[sticks]

Growing them in pots in the ground sounds like a good idea.

What size pot would you recommend and how many bulbs in each?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Depends on the lily! I put five regale in an old sink, and they flourished. They got to the point where they were rather overcrowded after a few years, but last year's freeze trimmed the numbers back considerably.

[goodlife]

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What size pot would you recommend and how many bulbs in each?
It all depends what you've got..but I would not use anything smaller than 10" pots..you propably fit 4 or 5 bulbs in it..or if you allow 2" space between each bulb. Plant the bulbs near the bottom of the pot as lilies root along the stem and you get much sturdier plants.