A garden center is selling lily bulbs that they have had since spring,( $1.99 a bag). They have all of the showy asiatic and oriental types.

The shoots on the bulbs are wilted and the bulbs are wilted.

Should I spend my money on these plants that may rot in the ground????

Do you think they will grow and bloom next year???

Is there a way to rehydrate them?????

Any advice is appreciated.

Judy, being a fool for a bargain, I would gamble $2 on one, bring it home and plant it in a pot. If it's perked up by tomorrow, go get a whole bunch more.

If there are green shoots, that should mean they're alive. I wouldn't count on blooms this year, but you may be rewarded next spring.

Hi Obliqua,

I think if it shoots without roots it is using the power in the bulb. At a minimum , if you have bought the soft bulb with wilted stem, I wouldn't let if flower if it recovers and would spray the leaves with seaweed. Then it may flower well next year.

Like Elaine above, I find it hard to pass on a bargain, and sometimes succumb. However experience tells me to pay a little more for top quality stock will be more rewarding.

I would give it a miss, on balance , and pay a couple of dollars more to buy great stock off recommended suppliers on this site.

Peter

Excellent advice. I, too, have had hit-or-miss results with the leftover bargain bags of bulbs.

I am late to this conversation but. 2.00 yes risk it. It is the way I have purchased most of my bulbs. I hit the stores late in the season just for those bargains. It is amazing the determination of the survival of bulbs. I put them in good soil after digging out the bad soil in the planting hole put some bulb booster in the hole and I have beautiful flowers the following summer.

Hello Jude
I would not buy the bulbs you describe. I think they are too far gone and you may be bringing home disease.
I, too, love a bargain. In fall I look for lily plants in pots that are on the clearance rack. The foliage looks good but no blooms and very often not labeled. I'm OK with that.
Here are pictures of my bargain/healthy plants three years after I bought the plant.

Terrific! It's all so beautiful.

Thanks, Arlene
When the last lily blooms, I'm kind of sad. The garden is vibrant and colorful with their long-lasting blooms. That triggers my hunt for lily bargains.

I wouldn't bother with those bulbs either.

Those lilies are said to never go into complete dormancy.... As I understand it, this means that even when the tops are brown, the roots continue to grow.... When I dig the bulbils of the tiger lilies, I see growing roots, even though I never see any green the first year after planting....

Truly suspect you'd be paying $2 for compost.

Kathy - I also love a bargain but, in search of a good deal, some vendors do sell virused lily bulbs. I've had very good results this year from Longfield Gardens; Muscadete, Casa Blanca, Playtime - but they aren't Asiatics. I've never had bad results from the big box stores - I hope that helps.