A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Asiatic Lily question

I have three asiatic lillies in a flower box in the front of my house. It gets sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. The petals have fallen of aprox. 1 month ago and are yet to be replenished. The leaves seem to be healthy and the stem is strong. There are buds at the ends of it but the are not showing any signs of blooming anytime soon.
Is ther something that I can do to get them to cooperate?

I'm a little confused by your post. You said the petals had fallen off, but then you say it hasn't bloomed? Asiatic lilies usually bloom in late spring/early summer so I'm surprised they haven't bloomed yet. If they have bloomed already and the petals have fallen off, they will not rebloom. What's left is a hard seed pod that may look like a disformed bud.

Thank you for your reply "Alankhart"!
That is exactly what I wanted to know. They already bloomed but someone (the purolator guy actually) told me that they will rebloom after the petals have fallen off.
I have the lillies in a flower box right now but they're perrenials right?
Does anyone suggest that I transfer them into the ground at this point?

Your lilies are perennials and will only flower once this year. After blooming, when the petals drop the lilies are not looking too attractive but leave the stalks alone! The plant uses this is food energy to create next year's flowers. You might want to consider adding something else to your planter to camoflauge the lilies as they slowly die down. Although I'm not certain, I believe it might be better to wait until the lilies die down before transplanting...perhaps someone could confirm or deny this. Good luck!

It would be best to wait until fall to transplant your lilies to the ground. You'll want to plant them about 6-8" down for best protection from freezing.

Thanks for the great info! Last night I was wondering if I could keep them in the boxes where they are and bring them into the basement or shed then bring them back out around springtime next year.
I also have a hosta in a square box that I would like to do the same thing with.

Any advice??

AprilFlowers,
I personally don't bring them in and out,
they are super hardy plants.
*what zone are you in?*
I'm a 5 here!

I over winter several plants in pots...
I do however put leaf mould *chopped up leaves
from the lawn mower swept up in my lawn sweeper*
and pack it in between the pots...
I do sprinkle a little on top, but not much.
As this covers them up but leaves them wet...
might be for too long if you just leave them.

I have another gardener gentlemen friend that I visit and he just leaves his pots on top of a plastic covering for lumber with some mulch on top of that and places the pots on top of that.

The best I can say, is experiment...
Hosta's I believe need a dormancy period, so they have to be hit by the frost and all the leaves will turn to mush and they have to go to sleep.
*same for the lilies*
If you feel the cold may be too much, maybe leave them in the container, and leave them outside, but leave them at the base of your house, by a south wall or something, so they are exposed to the winter eliments, but is still protected somewhat by the house.

Weezie

Thanks Weezie!
So they do need to be outside...this is good to know. The reason that I want to bring them inside is because I made my own flower boxes (I will try to find a way to post pics soon) they are made of wood and stained but I don't wat them to get ruined in the winter from weathering. Maybe I'll have to find a way to cover them up some how...or else transplant my hosta and lillies into separate planters.
I live in Ottawa, Ontario. It get's very extreme temperatures so the winters are very cold. What do you mean that you are in zone 5? I'm not too sure which zone I'm in but I'll try to find out.

Here you go AprilFlowers

TGH\'s Gardening and USDA Plant Hardiness Zones

Weezie

Thanks Weezie!
You learn something new everyday!
My zone here in Ottawa is 5a.