Lilium Asciaticum

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Has anyone grown the plant over years? If so please educate us with your experience.
What is the life cycle of a Naturalised plant?
Do the bulbs survive if left in the ground?
When do they sprout on their own?
What is their normal bloom time?
How long the above ground parts of plant (stem) live after blooming?
Should the bulbs be lifted after the stem dries?
Do the bulbs require chilling, if so for how long?
When should they be re-planted?
I am asking these questions as my previous attempts to grow them, failed. I have now planted about 20 bulbs; these had already sprouted during transit because of their pre-chilling and are now in bloom. I am sure this is not their normal cycle. If I fail again it would be my last attempt.

[UMAR KHAN]

Brigd sb once i used to grow the tiger lily & orientals in Abbottabad.there they get naturalise & bloom in summer.when i brought them to Rawalpindi they failed to bloom.another thing when ever you purchase check are the soft(like wet).if they are not soft they will not bloom.always keep the base covered with low growing annuals.same thing happened with my Daffodils.Daffodils can be left in the open ground in hilly areas but in our climate they will not bloom the next year.due to these reasons i turned to Amaryllis.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

These posts may be helpful to some still interested in growing lilies.
ASCIATIC LILIES
• Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on
Sat, Nov 26, 11 at 17:29
In North America, these are considered some of the hardiest and easiest lilies to grow. If soil drainage in winter is good, these bulbs can remain in the ground and in time will naturalize to form large colonies. They typically bloom in late spring or early summer. After the flowers fade, the stems and leaves will remain green for several months and should be allowed to remain in place and continue to photosynthesis and recharge the bulb until they naturally dry and turn brown - then they can be removed.
Asiatic lilies do require a chill or cool, dormant period so in warmer climates - certainly your zone 11/12 - they should be dug after the stalks turn brown and dry up, stored in a refrigerator at around 35F (2C) for at least 6-8 weeks before replanting. And I would try to avoid too much rainfall or irrigation if possible. At the very least, make sure you have exceptionally well-draining soil.


• Posted by pizzuti 5A (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 27, 11 at 3:13
If you are speaking of Asiatic lilies, they are very common in cultivation in temperate areas. They do require a cold period to start growing; if you don't have a natural winter, 10 weeks is a good length to chill them artificially.
They normally sprout in spring when most spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils are blooming. They continue growing and bloom in summer, maybe 10 weeks on average after appearing above the soil, and after the flowers fade the remaining stems maintain their leaves until late fall or frost.
That probably works out to another 10-15 weeks of leaves remaining after the flowers die; the longer the better if you want to grow them as perennials, which they easily can be.
Unlike a lot of spring bulbs which seem to be able to store a year's growth worth of energy in the bulb, a year's flowers get a lot of their energy from the same year's growth; unlike spring bulbs Asiatic lilies won't be able to pull off flowering indoors unless you have them in very bright light and ideal growing conditions.
I would imagine that in a tropical climate, planting them outside in the ground or container after chilling would work well for them as long as they are in bright light.
They do need to be lifted in order to be chilled artificially. Otherwise, there is no need for those growing in climates with natural winters to lift them until they are overcrowded.
They do naturalize and multiply well. The subsequent year you might get 2-3 plants for every one that was there the year before.
Asiatic lily bulbs never grow completely dormant, so unlike other bulbs, you want to store them in a bag of slightly-moistened soil, or keep them in the ground. They will have roots constantly. However as far as the garden is concerned, they are completely absent all winter.
Good luck

[UMAR KHAN]

Good points brigd sb.i have seen them naturalised in Hilly areas.so if one want to grow it in our climate the bulbs must be chilled before planting.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

I was sold four kinds but all those that flowered turned out to be the same, what a shame?

[khabbab]

Tried only once to naturalize them in soil bed. Not successful. Never tried saving the bulb for next year. But as an annual they always bloomed for me.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

The normal time of bloom is in spring. The bulbs sold here are out of their cycle, thus do not survive.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

The bulbs I bought were out of cycle, they bloomed but poorly.
Two were in a pot and remaining in my Gerbera bed. Couple of weeks after bloom the stems died. I pulled out three bulbs from the bed, they did not look in good shape and had many small bulb-lets attached, so I planted them in pots.
It appears they are adapting to local climatic cycle. All have new healthy stems and buds showing at the top. The bulb-lets are also growing well.
Did anyone else purchase the bulbs this winter?

[AhmadIrfan]

Yes I planted these, my bulbs were in the container earlier and then I moved then in the ground after the main stem had dried, now they are on buds again. I think these are very hardy bulbs and given a summer dormancy they will bloom easily next year.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

My past experience is that the rains kill them. Let us SEE.