Author Archives: Victoria Hart

Feed for lilies

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This question was asked by
– Miss sandra – 

Hi.
What is the best liquid feed for lilies grown in a pot and how often do I feed them?
Thanks

Hi Sandra
You can feed your lilies with a diluted Tomato Feed to stimulate and strengthen your lilies when you start to see signs of growth. Make up your tomato feed with half the recommended dilution (written on the instructions on the bottle) and feed once every 3 weeks.

We also have the Lily Beetle Prevention Spray that strengthen and stimulate growth as well as prevent the Lily Beetles from damaging the foliage.

 

The Hart Family

What do I do with Agapanthus once they have flowered?

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This question was asked by
– Beryl A

Should I remove the deadheads from agapanthus plants please? and/or leaves which have all flopped and look untidy? Thank you

Hi there,
Once your Agapanthus has finished flowering for Spring, you can cut off the stem leaving the foliage to die back naturally. This will feed the bulbs for them to flower again the following the year.
If the tips of the leaves turn brown, you can tidy these up by cutting the ends off – preferably in a ‘V’ shape so they still look natural.
By the Autumn, everything should have turned brown, you can then remove all the foliage that has died and cover your Agapanthus with some mulch for protection against frosts.

The Hart Family

How can I avoid my lilies from rotting?

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This question was asked by
– L. Van Eck

How can I avoid my lilies from rotting?

Is it best to plant them in pots and then transfer them to the garden afterward or is pots the best option?

Many thanks
Liona

Here is some aftercare tips for your lilies:

    • Once your lilies have finished flowering, you can stop watering them and then cut just the flower heads off leaving plenty of stem on.
    • Allow the stem and foliage to die back naturally until it has turned yellow and hollow. (This is usually towards the Autumn time.)
    • You can then remove the stem and foliage at this point. Leaving it all to die back naturally will then feed the bulbs, allowing them to flower again the following year.
    • Leave the bulbs where they are over winter as they like a cold dormant phase, they just don’t like to get waterlogged as they will rot.
    • Ensure your soil is free draining to prevent waterlogging from happening. Heavy clay is not good for lilies.
    • If you have planted your bulbs in pots, you can tilt your pots on their side to prevent waterlogging.
    • Give your lilies a fresh layer of compost in the Spring and feed them with a diluted tomato feed during active growth periods.


Hope this helps.

The Hart Family

Ordering Lily bulbs

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This question was asked by
– Patricia S

Please could you let me know when you will be taking orders for lily bulbs ?

Hi there,
Unfortunately, we have stopped sending out Lily Bulbs for this year. You will be able to pre-order them soon for dispatch next Spring. You can click on the link on the product page that says ‘tell me when this is back in stock’ so you receive an email notifying you to pre-order them.
Viva La Vida Lilies

The Hart Family

What soil to plant lilies in?

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This question was asked by
– Chris R

Please advise best soil/compost to plant the following Lilies in:
Viola
Anouska
Shine On
These were purchased at Chelsea show and will be in large pots/tubs
Many thanks Chris

Hi there,

All of those lilies will be happy in a good-quality multipurpose compost or John Innes No. 3. You could always mix 50:50 using both the Multipurpose and JI No.3 for the perfect mix.

Ensure your pot has adequate drainage holes as lilies will rot if that are sat in water.

The Hart Family

Lily Beetle Prevention Spray

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This question was asked by
– Allan W

Hi – I’ve been looking around the local garden centres for something to kill off the red beetles that are starting to appear on my lilies, but cant find anything. Some experts say just squash them, but the little blighters crawl into the stem where you cant get at them. Clearly my computer’s cookies has identified what I’m looking for and up pops your details and two products that you have. Am I correct in that they are both preventative and I may be too late or is one better for this stage and would prevent further infestation.
Many thanks Allan Watson

Hi Allan,
Yes we have the The Grazers Spray and the Concentrate for you to make up yourself. They are both a repellent and not an insecticide/pesticide. Therefore, it won’t kill the beetles. You will need to remove all visible beetles and their babies beforehand and then start spraying. You will find the babies in either a black mess under the leaves or as a row of little tiny red dots.

Once you have removed all sight of the beetles, then you can start spraying ensuring to spray under the leaves as well. The spray makes the foliage taste bitter so the lily beetles won’t like the taste. I would advise spraying your lilies once a week and spray again if it rains. Hope this helps.

You get more for your money buying the concentrate as it will last a lot longer.

Lily Beetle Prevention Concentrate (SKU179721)
Lily Beetle Prevention Spray (SKU17972)

The Hart Family

Bulbs

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This question was asked by
– Julie M

Hi, your display at Chelsea was truly amazing, such great colours. Do you have any Lily bulbs left please?
Many thanks

Hi Julie

Thank you so much.

Unfortunately, we have stopped sending out for this year. We will be popping all our lilies back in stock shortly for pre-ordering for next year now.

Best wishes
Victoria

The Hart Family

Thank you for the usual high standard

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This question was asked by
– P. Chislett

Hi, I have just received my lily bulbs, thank you for the usual high standard which one would expect from the premier lily nursery, I won’t go anywhere else for my lily bulbs, I wish you every success at this year’s Chelsea flower show. Wish I could be there but not able to anymore.

Vuvuzela Lily

Hello there,

Thank you for your lovely words. I will pass your comments onto the team.

The Hart Family

What do I do with tulips once they have flowered?

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This question was asked by
– mike scott

I bought a lot of tulip bulbs from you, which have and still are outstanding!
I planted most in pots and would like to know what to do once they die back. Do I need to lift them or leave them? Will they re flower next season or will I need to re buy new bulbs? I have thought of leaving them in the pots to lift in the autumn then replant in the pots with fresh compost. Help please.

Rasta Parrot Tulip

How to care for Tulips once they have flowered

 

 

  • Deadhead the flowers during the season before the petals fall off.

 

  • After flowering has finished for the season leave the foliage in place, don’t cut it off. The leaves will gather sunlight, create food through photosynthesis and strengthen the bulbs for the future.

 

  • By mid summer the leaves may yellow and die back. Foliage may be removed at this point.

 

  • Some tulips flower well for one year and then need lifting out of the soil and carefully stored if you want to use them again. Once everything has fully died back, you can lift them and store them in a dark, dry, airy place over summer, allowing the air to circulate around them. They can then be replanted in the Autumn.

 

 

The Hart Family

Tulip bulbs

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This question was asked by
– Kathryn W

I bought bulbs, Backpacker and Ice-cream, last year at Malvern and they were delivered to me in the Autumn. Just beginning to flower, they are incredible 😍 I have *never had real ‘success’ with tulips, having had them be blind, stunted or rot completely before growing. I am so completely thrilled, I can barely contain myself. I potted them outside my kitchen window and the sight of them cheers me every morning. Thank you so much. I will see you on the Sunday at Malvern again this year for some more! Fingers crossed these will do well in the ground next year too.

Hi Kathryn

I’m so happy to hear how pleased you are with your bulbs! They bring so much joy don’t they? Nothing beats looking out at your garden especially when you’ve grown them from scratch.

If you get mo, would you mind leaving us a review on Trustpilot sharing your experience with us? We’d be so grateful.
https://uk.trustpilot.com/evaluate/hartsnursery.co.uk

The Hart Family