Hi everyone! I'm new to the site and kind of new to gardening, and very happy to see so many who love Lilies here!

I have some lilies that I would like to move. I would like to expand and raise the area where they now reside. Is it okay to dig them up in the fall and then to replant them immediately? I know this is probably a newbie question, but who better to learn from than all of you?

There are some tulip, narcissus, and crocus in there too and I'm wondering the same thing about them.

I'm talking about Asiatic Lilies and one Silk Road.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Because this is the daylily forum (daylilies are not lilies, despite their name) I'm putting in a request to move your question to the lily forum. You may get some answers here in the meantime. I hope you enjoy NGA!

Oh, thanks sooby! I obviously have a lot to learn.

Apologies to the daylilies forum :-/

There's no need to apologize, and there are people in the daylily forum who grow both kinds of plants so you could still get some answers while here. While waiting for the thread to be moved, it may help the lily forum if you could add roughly where you are located as it may make a difference to the answers.

Edited to add, you might also enjoy the bulbs forum, although I think you're safe to dig and replant your other bulbs anyway:

http://garden.org/forums/view/...

joannakat,
No apologizes needed whatsoever.

I am no expert, but from my experience it will be just fine to move all of those items this fall. I would suggest not waiting too late, as it is better for them to be established prior to winter arriving. My experience comes from me living in KY where my fall is usually from September to November with cooler temperatures....followed by typically a Winter of snow, ice, mild weather, super cold weather. etc. It does tend to vary here. ;) I didn't see any location listed on your profile and that bit of information would help to make a more informed answer. Good luck and welcome!
Cynthia

Welcome Joannakat to the Lily forum!

As for moving the lilies, personally I would wait a little bit until you start to see the foliage start to turn brown, then cut off the stem and replant you should be good to go. Also, you might want to wait until others in this forum can chime in as we are fortunate to have some very experienced lily growers here and they can probably give you better and more thorough advice in your situation.

Again, welcome to the site!

Thank you everyone! Wow, what a friendly and knowledgable place. I'm in North-central Massachusetts, actually called the North Quabbin region. I'll add it to my profile.

Thank you Michigan Mike! Happy to be here. I've tried my hand at lilies a couple of times. The first was super successful and they flourish every year. The second and third times, not so much. I'm gearing up to plant a Silk Road as soon as it arrives (and move all the other bulbs), and am hoping to have better success. It'll be the first time I'm actually preparing the soil beforehand and making sure it's right for the plants!

Anyone have any suggestions, tips or tricks that might help regarding the soil or anything else? I've heard this plant can reach 5 to 7 feet and has a wonderful fragrance, so I want to do my best.

Oh oh, I hope that's a true lily and not a daylily! If the latter, I'll have to bounce back to the other forum!

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between a true lily and a daylily?

First, I think you will be very happy with Silk Road, a very hardy lily, proven performer, and with all the attributes you mentioned. Mine generally exceed 6-7 feet. Give it some time, the first year don't be disappointed if it only gets to four feet. It will tower over you in no time. If interested, read the sticky "adventures in scaling" about "silk road" propagation gone amok at the start of that sticky.

As for the difference between daylily (Hemerocalis) generally have tuberous type roots, where regular lilies have bulbs (think garlic), there are other differences as well, but that is the quick answer.

Hope it helps!

Nice answer Mike. Never thought to compare a lily bulb to a garlic clove. I have heard some people saying Silk Road reaching the eaves of their house. A one story ranch style though. Not a 2 story, though could you imagine!!

Welcome joannakat

The good news is all your plants cohabitate really well together as far as soil, moisture, light and drainage goes. And it's great you're about to rebuild your garden now so the soil stabilizes and settles in a little before replanting the bulbs, etc. Your plants will reestablish themselves faster and overwinter much better than with freshly dug, fluffed up soil.

Prepare yourself to make as few mistakes as possible with bulb and plant ID. prior to moving anything. If anything can mix things up any worse than a monkey, it's a human being. I'd suggest getting a 5 gallon bucket for each type, color, name, etc. of everything. And use these buckets to temporarily store your bulbs in---covered with dirt, of course.

Everything you have can be dug now, even your lilies. If your lilies still have green leaves, dig as a clump and keep as much soil on the root ball as possible during the storage process. Store all your buckets of bulbs in a cool place in only slightly damp soil and protect from rain. When it comes time to replant your lilies, cut the stem, do not pull it out of the bulb. If you look at the stem, you'll see a 'soil line' that tells you how deep the old bulb was previously. Replant to about the same depth. Water all you bulbs in really good immediately after planting. It is not necessary to fertilize with Fall planting. Fertilize next Spring. And, don't forget, mark and label everything.

Yes, everything can be dug now, but you do have some leeway. With true lilies (your asiatics and Silk Road), you could even plant as late as Halloween if you needed (but earlier is better). Tulips bulbs can be planted all the way up until the ground freezes. But daffodils need to be planted by the end of September in your climate. Daffodils must have time to produce new roots in the fall, or they will not survive into the following spring.

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome Joanna. You have been given good lily moving advice. Excellent drainage in site preparation will help them to grow to their best potential and a good amount of sun for the day.

Silk Road is a great choice too. You will love it. It has a great reputation and it does for good reason. It's very reliable and grows well.

And ask any question you may have about anything as you move ahead with your project. We're pretty good at growing companion plants for lilies as well.

You guys are the best. I'm so glad I found this site! It's exactly what I needed. Thank you so much for all the wonderful tips and help! I will definitely be taking everyone's advice, and am definitely interested in companion plants. I read something about ferns, but lilies like sun, and don't ferns like shade? And now, here are pictures of my "accidental" lilies. I won't show you guys pictures of the ones that failed . Thanks again SOOOOO much!