hi, I have a himalayan lily in a pot on my front pirch. How much sun does it want? Will it like being in a pot? Or would it rather be planted outside. I live in Courtenay, on Vanvouver island. Thanks Steve
If, when you say Himalayan lily, you mean Cardiocrinum giganteum, then the garden is a much better environment for your plant. Optimal conditions for growth include deep, well-drained, evenly moist, humus-rich soil and some shade during the hottest part of the day. Under such conditions, bulb development will be greatest (barring slug attack), and after several years of this kind of treatment, a bulb will send up an enormous flower stalk, with many flower buds. Bulbs that develop under more stressful conditions (such as alternating wet and dry soil conditions, or excessive heat and sunlight) may flower earlier (after only a few years), but the flower stalks will be smaller and less impressive. While we have had flower stalks more than 5m (16 feet) tall in the David C. Lam Asian Garden at UBC, they are more typically 2.5-3.5m (8-12 feet) tall. See our interpretive sign for more information.
Cardiocrinum certainly seems to be slug catnip, but I assume that as long as they don't get eaten back to the ground and have sufficient photosynthetic surface to fuel growth, they will grow on unimpeded? I had one of these bloom last year, and the bulblets around the old one are now sending up greenery - will they likely take the full 7 years to bloom? I always thought that these bulbs should be sold with a tag indicating the age - then you could buy one 2 year, a 3 year, a.....and have a continuous bloom by one or another every year.......