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Can I grow lilies in a flower bed which has normal soil not ericaceous?
Thank you
Hi there,
Yes you can – I would advise choosing any of the hybrid lilies as these are happy in any well-drained soil:
Oriental Trumpet Lilies
Longiflorum Asiatic Lilies
Longiflorum Oriental Lilies
Growing lilies
The Hart Family
This question was asked by
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
This question was asked by
My neighbour never dead heads her lilies. They come back every year strong and fabulous.
I DO dead head but often my lilies seem to get weaker and disappear over a few years.
Do you have any idea why this should happen? We have the same soil. The only difference is her garden gets more sun.
Hi there,
We always advise on removing the flower heads but to leave plenty of stem and foliage to die back naturally to feed the lily bulbs for the following year.
The Hart Family
This question was asked by
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.
Roselily Anouska
The Hart Family
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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
This question was asked by
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.
.png "Feeding lilies")
The Hart Family
This question was asked by
What is the best type of medium to plant lilies in when force starting indoors before moving into the garden?
You could try planting your lilies in a warm sunny position, like a glass house, windowsill of a conservatory etc.
Use John Innes No3 mixed with a multipurpose compost ensuring the pot has drainage holes. You can then feed your lilies with a diluted tomato feed.
Water regularly.
Lilies growing under glass
The Hart Family
This question was asked by
Hello,
I received bulbs from you around 5-6 weeks ago, I have stored them In compost; I am now ready to pot up; please advise how to water. I have read not to allow water logging or over watering, it I’m still unsure!
Can you be a little more specific please.Thank you very much
Caroline
Hi Caroline
You need to water your lilies regularly during active growth periods but do not over water them allowing the lily bulbs to get waterlogged as they will rot unfortunately.
So water them well (ensuring the pots have drainage holes) say once a week but more regularly when the weather is warmer.
Roselily Aisha planted in pots
Hope this helps.
The Hart Family
This question was asked by
Hi could you please advise how many bulbs to put in a 14 inch pot. Thanks
Hello there,
I would suggest planting 3 lily bulbs to a 14″ pot.
The Hart Family
This question was asked by
Which varieties of lilies has the largest flowers? Not including the giant lilies please.
Hi Riki
The Oriental Lilies will have the largest flower heads if you are not wanting the tree lilies.
Have a look at Casa Blanca, Auratum goldband or Homerus, these are good varieties with large flowers.
Lily ‘Casa Blanca’ (harts1091)
Lily ‘Auratum Gold Band’ (harts1001)
The Hart Family
