I think I just killed 2 of my new lilies....help.

I accidentally separated two of my lily plants from the bulb when planting them in the ground. There is still a lot of white on the bottom of the stem, but none of the bulb. I planted both plant and bulb anyway, in the same hole, but the two plants separately. Are they going to die? Thanks so much for any input!

 

Likely the stems will shrivel but the bulbs may live on and grow new stems some future spring, not necessarily the next.

 

What sort of lily? You seem to be a bit south for many of the asiatic hybrids, etc. Easter lily hybrids might be happy--Easter lilies are more or less from the Ryuku Islands (southernmost Japan, including Okinawa) and they can be quite happy in central Florida.

I bought a couple of native Florida spider lilies (Hemerocallis) this spring, and they seem to be growing happily. Flowers next year, maybe?

Jacksonville and farther south, at least, is good for Christmas amaryllis (Hippeastrum). So I urge friends to adopt abandoned Christmas and Easter flowers!

 

The labels said Asiatic Lily and/or hybrid Lily I bought both and am not sure now which two they were, maybe one of each. I bought them at Wal-Mart and they all looked really good. They had been out in the sun and watered.

 

If the stem had no bulb on the end of it...it is worthless....but as Ron said the bulb will most likely bloom next spring.

 

Thanks to all for the input. I'm glad the bulbs are going to be okay. I do hope these types survive despite the area.

 

Asiatics may do OK in your area. The bulbs respond well to careful treatment, so you might try a Dutch mail order outfit like Van Engelen (they have Easter Lily hybrids) or The Lily Garden http://www.thelilygarden.com/. These are by no means the only reputable dealers/growers!

Since I live in more-or-less southern Florida, I haven't figured out bulb suppliers, except for caladiums. Most of the world's supply comes from the Lake Placid/Sebring area. The colorful fields south of Lake Istokpoga are even available on Google Earth. By far the best way to buy is by mail order/website. The bulbs typically arrive packed in rice husks from rice-millling operations in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

And some nurseries down here provide "rain lilies", Zephyranthes, which were popular years ago but seem to have disappeared. A few pots of plants purchased last fall have prospered.