A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Pixie Lily accident

My honey turned the spiggot off for me the other day, and accidentally stepped on one of the pixie lilies, which was still green (but way past flowering). Well, like any good honey would, she hurredly re-planted the stalk hoping I wouldn't notice she broke it

To her surprise, I peeked out and caught her trying to fix the boo boo Anyway, she said it had roots at the bottom, above the bulb which broke off. So, it was like stalk/roots/bulb/more roots/more bulb/more roots! Weird! At least, to me it was. I've never gotten that 'intimate' with a lily before

I considered plopping it (the bulb) back in the ground, but figured without any stalk/leaves attached, that wouldn't do any good. So, as her 'penance' she had to rinse off the bulb I figured may be we could salvage it. It's pale white. The lily is still alive - but I'm not really worried about that - if it dies it dies.

I'm thinking we can save the bulb though may be? So, it's washed and dried. Is that good? I shoulda asked sooner! What now?

well I ain't no expert on bulbs but I would plop it back into the soil and hope for the best! good luck :-)

I would pop it back in the ground for winter storage. I keep mine in the ground all year long. And cut them back to ground level after they start to yellow slightly and they are all on their 3rd year! This year when weeding one of the bulbs came right outta the ground. I figured this was my hint to separate them. I did and before the end of summer all the new bulbs bloomed. Throw that sucker in the ground and quick!

Hmm okay thanks ladies I was kinda worryin about it rotting - dunno why - but don't bulbs rot for some reason sometimes? May be that's if they're planted too deep? But I'll plop it back in the ground and get one thing off my kitchen garden bench -- err -- counter!

Bulbs do rot. I think its if they are too moist, or not kept in the right storage conditions. Like cool temps and preferable wood shavings or saw dust.

Hi Mary...your thread caught my eye because I never like to see the word *lily* and *accident* in the same sentence!! But I have crushed, squashed and broken many a lily in my day and it's only the bulb you have to worry about...so depending on your zone just leave your bulb in the ground and it will recover and bloom again next year as though it never took the hit in the first place. What really hurts is when you do something like that before it blooms and then you have to wait another whole year before it will bloom again. At least you got to see it bloom this season!