Lilium 2013

[Kaleem]

I bought four bulbs of Dutch Iris five years ago and now have more than hundred. They give flowers every year without any special care and food but always plant bulbs under full sun (all day).

[mikhurram]

Dappled shade (morning sun till 11 am & then shade) would be better for Lahore as summers are hotter when compared to Islamabad or mangla.

[Hamad]

100 lilliums won't consume a lot of space. They can be planted on raised bed along with dutch Irises. Dutch Iris tend to flower in beginning of March and Lilliums at this time of the year. A secluded corner in the garden can be reserved for them. For contemplation, Dutch Iris in front, Bearded Irises in the middle and Asiastic or Longiflorum lilliums at the back of the bed. Foliage of Dutch Iris and Lillium tend disapear a few months after flowering.

Khurram I also plan my beds the same way when one plant is flowering the other is dormant and when the other is flowering first one is dormant slightly overlapping each other that always help and this way without any effort your beds are always flowering and look good like in one of my bed I got tuberose and narcissus I like the idea of keeping Lily and Iris and for that indeed you need plenty of lilies and iris.

Hamad

[Hamad]

with the above mentioned technique of developing a bed it always arise a question in mind regarding the care of dormant plants because if the tubers are dormant and in the pots the care is to put them in shade don’t water them as they may get rotted and if the weather is cold then put them in room temp or suitable temp and if the weather is hot then put them at a comparatively cold place but like I said in my last post in one of my beds I have tuberose and Gul-e-nargis together and when one is dormant other bounce back and vice versa but ironically none of the dormant plants get effected due to the odd climate conditions and watering requirement as we have to water the bed literally throughout the year and rain also help but they successfully bounce back year after year, that’s where I get confused about keeping the plant in dormant conditions and once I generated a thread in Questions and Problems regarding this. What do you have to say Khurram and as you have most varieties of Iris, have you tried Reticulata Iris?

Hamad

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

The leader is here, 1st normal bloom of the season.

[mikhurram]

Arif Sahib,

i met someone yesterday who tends to pull the lilliums corms from the ground after flowering and then these are stored in a open plastic crate (capacity of 100-500 lilliums). These crates are stored in a chillers used for making ice. They tend to charge Rs 150-200 for storage a crate from May till August. The casaulty rate is merely 5% whereas if these corms are left in the ground the casualty rate is around 20%.

If this method is successful then perhaps dahlia tubers can also be stored in a similar manner. The nurseries in lahore tend to dispatch the dahlia tubers to murree in the summers and are sold in spring for Rs 300.

In Holland and England nurseries are able to store the tubers successfully and take upto 40 cuttings from a tuber stored in silver sand. I am sure we can figure out a way to save these tubers as well as take maximum cuttings.

[aykhan]

I bought dahlias from Swan Dahlia last year and told them about the heat in Lahore and if I should put them in the fridge. The lady there specifically told me that they will not do well in fridge and should be kept in whatever normal cool place you want. Although that too was not a good option in our heat but I was told never to put dahlias in the fridge.

[mikhurram]

The humidity around july / August is the major culprit and tends to rot the tubers. Perhaps if these tubers are placed in silver sand and placed in the area outside the refrigertors in chiller rooms then maybe we can save the tubers as well rather spending money on tubers saved by nurseries from previous season's stock. Some more research is required as i am not sure. Surely there has to be way to save these tubers in Lahore.

[aykhan]

All the dahlias bought here came back and I took cuttings successfully. However all these were put in pots not left in the ground. It's the tubers purchased outside which are problematic. This is because they sell starting June and that is when ours here are ending. So these dormant tubers need to be saved several months in the heat and I lost 90% of mine

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

This is the normal season for the Lilium to bloom in lahore. It is so hot that the blooms do not look as fresh and healthy as those of treated bulbs blooming in winter;





These bulbs were bought in 2011, they bloomed in 11/12 winter and again now.
Looks like I will have to find a way to make them bloom in winter.
Arif