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Hi
I purchased these bulbs at the Malvern spring show and planted according to your instructions at the end of may. I have tended them like my babies , they are growing fabulously , tall strong and healthy. I feed them every 2 weeks with tomato feed and have sprayed with grazers to prevent lily beetle and they are seemingly quite happy. They are in groups of 5 in terracotta pots in a south facing garden in full sun for most of the day.
Each stem has a good supply of flower buds that are approx 5 inches long depending on where on the stem they are but they have been like this now for at least 4 weeks and are still tightly packed shut, they just don’t look like they will open. Am I missing something, is there anything else I need to do or am I just being impatient? I’ll be devastated if they don’t open up.
Many thanks
Hello,
Thank you for your message — it sounds like you’ve given your lilies the very best care! From what you’ve described, they’re perfectly healthy and just taking their time.
Lilies can sometimes hold their buds tightly for several weeks, especially if we’ve had cooler nights or inconsistent sunshine. This is completely normal and often means they’ll last longer once they do open.
You’re not missing anything — just keep doing what you’re doing, and they should start to open soon. If you’d like to speed things up a little, you could move the pots to a slightly warmer, more sheltered spot to encourage them along, but patience is usually the key.
We’re sure you’ll be rewarded with beautiful blooms very soon!
The Hart Family
