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Avatar for thomasthekat47
Jul 28, 2023 6:02 PM CST
Thread OP
Central Ohio, zone 6a
Hello all. I need help! I ordered a bunch of (50) lily bulbs that were on clearance from Holland Bulb Company. I thought they would ship them to me this fall, but they showed up on my porch today, 7/28. They are sending up shoots. My question is, should I plant them now in the heat of summer, or should I try to store them (2 months) until fall? Would they last that long? Any advice appreciated. Frank
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Jul 28, 2023 6:20 PM CST
Name: Rj
Just S of the twin cities of M (Zone 4b)
Forum moderator Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 1
Moving question to the Lily forum.
As Yogi Berra said, “It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
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Jul 29, 2023 5:23 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Tracey
Midwest (Zone 5a)
Garden Photography Tomato Heads Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Pollen collector Forum moderator Hybridizer
Plant Database Moderator Cat Lover I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Garden Ideas: Master Level Seed Starter
Hi Frank. It is unfortunate they sent these now and in growth. If you are seeing sprouting of green coming from bulbs, I would plant now. Once they are at that growth point they need to get planted into the ground for their best chance of survival. It can be tricky planting this late as there may not be enough growth season and warmth time this year to get them to flower.

Hopefully though they have enough time to garner energy from this years growth, to support the bulb for next season.

Once freeze hits this fall, you will want to cut the stalks down. You may or may not see flowers this year, despite planting.
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Jul 29, 2023 7:17 AM CST
Name: Rick R.
Minneapolis,MN, USA z4b,Dfb/a
Garden Photography The WITWIT Badge Seed Starter Wild Plant Hunter Region: Minnesota Hybridizer
Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Identifier Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Yes, definitely plant them now.

The normal, healthy growth pattern for lily bulbs planted in the spring or the fall is to grow and establish roots first, that allow for strong growth of the stem later. Since your bulbs have skipped this first step, it's stressful, but not necessarily a doomsday scenario. Don't expect a floral display this year.

So it's common to see lilies in this situation grow short stems, tightly packed, small leaves, and when buds develop, the plant is often stunted, actual bloom (if buds don't abort) is delayed and often distorted. Don't be alarmed, next year things should be normal, although overall, the plant will be smaller.

Of all these needs, flower buds and flowers have the greatest priority. They will sap the bulk of the bulb resources, at the expense of leaf, root and bulb growth.

If it were me, especially since you have so many, I would remove the tiny flower buds as soon as I am able on most of them. You will find that these disbudded plants will grow bigger with more leaf area to replenish the bulb's reserves for next year's bloom. Next year, you will observe a huge difference between plants that were disbudded and those that were left to flower. It would be a good and satisfying experiment.
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers. - Socrates
Avatar for thomasthekat47
Jul 29, 2023 11:10 AM CST
Thread OP
Central Ohio, zone 6a
Thank you all for the useful info. Frank
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I figure these bulbs have been sitting around in a warehouse all year! Well, no big loss of money if they don't survive, just that I don't have the ground prepared properly for the bulbs yet. Have to get that done which will take a little time.
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Last edited by thomasthekat47 Aug 1, 2023 11:29 AM Icon for preview
Avatar for thomasthekat47
Aug 20, 2023 7:55 AM CST
Thread OP
Central Ohio, zone 6a
Well, those sorry bulbs are trying to grow!
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Aug 20, 2023 2:23 PM CST
Name: Rick R.
Minneapolis,MN, USA z4b,Dfb/a
Garden Photography The WITWIT Badge Seed Starter Wild Plant Hunter Region: Minnesota Hybridizer
Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Identifier Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
They are doing much better than I expected and they look very healthy.
-- Bravo! --
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers. - Socrates
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