A Change In Plans

A common end to a day in the garden here, is a walk around looking things over.  Sometimes a plan for the next day's activity unfolds.  We are so far behind that our plans resembles ER triage. Yesterday such a plan defined itself.  This morning our walk around revealed a crisis that put planned activities on hold.  The giant lily stem biting rodent had paid us a nighttime visit.  Moving potted lilies from their winter quarters to locations in the gardens became job 1 for today.

We were lucky in that the destroyed lily is a variety that we have in abundance.  London Lily is a hardy variety that multiplies here.  Its clear bright yellow flowers bring the summer garden to life.  I would prefer that it have a fragrance so a faint scent is sometimes detected.  Likely what I smell is in reality a wish but I can never decide for sure.

Three gallon pots provide generous winter quarters for our potted lilies.  We had considered leaving some in their pots as we are way behind in caring for this year's garden.  Pandora is the varietal name of this single survivor.  Two others succumbed to a previous rodent attack so saving this beauty was our first job.

A three gallon pot may provide generous growing space for the lily bulb but handling this package is quite a task.  Inverting the pot with hands placed to support the falling dirt ball is step one.  The move to up side down must be carefully done so that the flower buds do not contact anything.  Next, Becky lifts off the pot.  If care at fall planting resulted in a firm soil ball, the entire mass is righted intact. The move from standing to kneeling next to the hole while supporting three gallons of soil and a sizable plant is a serious challenge. We no longer know for sure that our old joints and muscles are going to be equal to the task.

                         

Carefully tamped soil is pushed into the cavity between the potted mass and the edge of the hole.  A generous dose of water helps to settle the soil around the transplant.  Mulch and a stone bearing the varietal name of the plant finish the task.  The size of the soil ball guarantees that this plant will show no transplant shock tomorrow.

Ten pots of lilies were moved into the gardens today.  Three trios and a single are now in place.  We hope to be able to provide frost protection to these plants where they now are planted next spring. Enormous plastic garbage cans have been purchased for this task.  The lilies themselves can foil our plans.  We have learned from experience that there is no direct relationship between the location of the stems this year and where they decide to emerge next year.  With luck all three will be within the diameter of the covering can.  For now, all is almost ready for the flower display that will soon follow.  Several more pots of lilies are still waiting for their move into the garden.

Lily Explosion

London Lily was a free gift included in a mail order several years ago.  If it were scented, it would be the perfect lily for us.  Clear bright color combined with hardiness make this one a winner in our zone 4 garden.  The original three bulbs have backed a flower planting at the end of a vegetable bed.  We have been wintering over our lily bulbs in three gallon pots.  The group of pots were in one location where a single tarp provided frost protection.  Separating the pots and the soil mass after June first is a difficult task.  Bud clusters are sometimes broken from tall stems and soil balls occasionally fall apart.  We needed to find a better way.

Some of our favorite lilies are going to be planted in a circular group so that all can be covered in place with a large tall plastic trash can.  Adjacent plants need to be moved so the can will not damage them.  That job is on the list for next Spring.

This is what we found when the three plants were dug up.  What to do with all of these bulbs was an immediate question in need of an answer.  Four of the largest bulbs were planted in a circle smaller than the trash can opening.  Past experience has revealed that bulb growth is not always straight up. These carefully placed bulbs may appear next Spring outside of the range that the can will cover. With luck, at least three will grow where they can be protected.

Six one gallon pots each hold three or four of the smaller bulbs.  These will winter over in the central location that can be covered with a tarp.  We have absolutely no idea where in the garden these lilies will be planted.  This need to save every viable plant is a basic shortcoming that plagues us.  If we limited ourselves to only those plants that have a spot in the garden, we might be able to get more of the needed work done.  The left over small bulbs were tucked into the compost pile.  That small amount of help will guarantee lily growth on the compost pile next Spring.  Why?

Digging up the London Lilies turned up a viable bulb that is likely a Lily Regale.  In the not so distant past when we believed that plants identified in catalogs as hardy to zone 4 needed nothing beyond planting, Lily Regale was planted in this area.  Spring frost burned them year after year and we forgot that they were there.  Somehow that single bulb survived our neglect and our ignorance.  It now occupies a one gallon pot and it will receive proper attention next year.  Go ahead and ask us where in the garden it will be planted.

Wonderfully Wet Flowers

Finally we got some real rain.  Here is the last London lily covered with raindrops.   We have enjoyed them for weeks.

Wet cardinal flower will make the hummingbirds happy!

This trumpet vine flower is dripping wet.  Doesn't that feel good?

Finally, a thoroughly wet Gloriosa daisy just shines.  The rain only wet the soil to a depth of an inch in most places, but obviously it made a difference!

Focus On Oriental Lilies

This Chinese Trumpet Lily Regale has been with us for three years.  Lack of past proper late frost protection has kept these lilies flowerless until this year.  In the past frost would blacken the newly emerged green tip.  Later a couple of new leaves would generate enough growth to keep the bulbs alive.  With proper spring care we finally have flowers.  These were well worth both the wait and the effort.  Pure white petals contrasted with the bright yellow throat please the eye.  Its scent is quite unlike that of any other lily.  Subtle sweetness pleases a nose brought near.   Proper care is in the future for Lily Regale.

London Lily was a free gift included with last year's order.  Three bulbs have become five full sized flowering stalks with several smaller plants growing at the base.  A faint fragrance combined with hardiness and a bright yellow color make this lily a winner.  The only problem presented is what to do with all of those bulbs.  Some will winter over in the new garden down by the road.

Who does not have a history with the Easter Lily?  This bulb was found this spring when we were preparing a bed for planting.  The neglected bulb was placed in a pot and only recently planted here.  Its short stem supporting a full sized blossom is comical in appearance.  The yellow pollen stains are now gone.  Bees harvested the pollen leaving us with a pure white flower.

It may be time to scale back our efforts with the Easter Lily.  We are at least three hardiness zones outside of its comfort zone.  Plants moved into the house in January displayed normal growth and flowers.  Even with frost protection these lilies have always survived outside but have never displayed normal growth.  Keeping enough for late winter forcing sounds like a sensible plan.

Camelot is new to us this year.  Three spring purchased bulbs were placed in a large pot.  The pot took its place on the wall just outside of the basement door.  When cold nights threatened, the pot was brought inside.  After June first, our frost free date, the potted mass was placed into the garden.  Age has made deftly handling three gallons of damp soil as a lump a bit of a challenge but it seems to be a workable option.  We could treat lilies as an annual, trading money for effort in dealing with the rigors of our frost fickle springs.  At the very least, spring purchased lily bulbs promise that we will have some July flowers here.