Category Archives: Lily Bulbs

How to store lily bulbs if I can’t plant them straight away

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This question was asked by
– Georgina – 

My lily bulbs have arrived today. I can’t plant for few days. What do I do with them please? Do I take them out of the plastic bags?

Yes, you can remove your lily bulbs from their packaging and keep them somewhere cool and dark until you are ready to plant them. Even the fridge will be fine. I would advise planting them within the next week or so of receiving your bulbs as they are keen to get growing.

Storing Lily Bulbs

The Hart Family

How deep to plant lily bulbs with stem already on?

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This question was asked by
– Joy –

I purchased 5 lily bulbs at Hampton Court. I need to plant them and am unsure how deep as they have 1.5″ stem. Do I still plant them with 4 to 6″ of soil above?

Thank you,
Joy

Hi there,

Please plant your lilies with 4-6inches of soil above the top of the bulb not including the stem that has already sprouted.

Lily Bulbs with growth

The Hart Family

Can I cut my lilies for indoor display?

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This question was asked by
– Karen –

Hi, I have Roselily Aisha and Roselily Angela and they are nice and tall with plenty of buds on them. I had them last year having purchased them at Chelsea and they were stunning.
I would like to know can I cut them for display indoors and still expect the bulb to do anything again next year?
Also one of the pots is losing brownish leaves, is it too much water?

Many thanks

Hi there,

Yes the browning could be due to the environment around it, i.e too much water, too hot etc.

Yes, you can cut your lilies for indoor display. However, I would advise leaving as much stem on the bulb as possible so it feeds the bulb for the following year. I would say leave at least 50cm of stem to die back naturally. It may not flower as well the following year though.

More information on lily care can be found here.

Anouska

Roselily Anouska

The Hart Family

Soil type for oriental lilies

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This question was asked by
– Sonia – 

I purchased bulbs at Hampton court, please confirm soil type for pots;
Anouska, Angela, Zelmira, Irvana and Aisha ?

Hi there,

All those lilies will be happy in a good multipurpose compost. For best results, you could mix it with 50:50 Multipurpose and John Innes No3.

Roselily Angela

The Hart Family

Thank you

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This question was asked by
– Debbie C

I was one of the lucky people to get a bunch of your lilies when you were dismantling your display at The Chelsea Flower Show on Saturday and I just wanted to thank you very much for them . The flowers are stunning (and so big!) and the scent is amazing.
I did actually buy some bulbs from you earlier in the day (Shine On) so I’ll look forward to enjoying them too.

Aww you’re very welcome. Thank you for taking the time to email. If you are on social media and fancy posting any photos, please Tag us in them, we’d love to see them.

Thanks again
Victoria

The Hart Family

viva la vida lily

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This question was asked by
– nick crabtree

We tried to buy the lilies at Chelsea but you had sold out.

I would like to buy 10 plants with when to buy and where to plant

Hi there

You can pre-order Lily Viva La Vida online now for delivery in February 2023.
Lily ‘Viva La Vida’ (SKU179472)

Lily Viva la Vida

Lily Viva la Vida

Hope you had a good time at RHS Chelsea.

The Hart Family

I purchased some lilies from you at the Harrogate Spring Show

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This question was asked by
– Anne W

The lilies I purchased had shoots about an inch/inch and a half. When I planted the bulbs on my return home I followed the instructions and buried the whole thing six inches deep.
Should I have buried the shoots or left them exposed as there is no sign of anything growing?

Hi there,

Yes it sounds about right what you have done. You need to plant the bulbs with 4-6inches above the top of the bulb. The shoots will find their way. Ensure you have planted them in well-drained soil or they will rot and in a sunny position (not shaded). I’m sure you will see them pop out of the soil surface soon as long as they are in the right conditions.

Lily Bulbs

The Hart Family