Chelle: More to know about virus, also. I was a little abreviated yesterday. A virus runs all thru the plant in its 'bloodstream' so to speak. And plants--just like people--catch it from one another. A virus is spread by mechanical means; the most common is aphids being transported be ants from an infected host plant to a healthy one.
Another is bunnies and rodents nibbling on an infected plant either above or below ground and sampling back and forth with contaminated saliva. A third way may surprize you: the gardener will spread a virus quicker than quick while picking a bouquet with a contaminated scissors or while trimming flowerheads, etc. Viruses, unlike fungus and mold are rarely, if ever, airborne. And there are some types of virus with which a lily can live and function with satisfactorily too--like a person getting a cold, but add another and it gets more difficult for both lilies and people function and still look good, etc.

And some other regulars on this forum could add to the list of how virus can be spread, I'm sure.

That's good to know, Lorn. Thank you.

I always use alcohol on my tools between plants, but I don't control the critters.

OK, my turn. Earlier this Spring, I had some ugly looking foliage on Invasion but with the late frosts, thought I'd wait to decide. The foliage looks much better and now that it's blooming, tell me what you think.

The color isn't even, but I don't see the 'color pooling' that is typical. Boot it? Save it for another year?

Hmmmmm. If it were me, and I could come up with another, I'd toss it, or at least isolate it.

This one broke my heart, it's Bonnie Jean and although the plant looks perfect and vigorous, it doesn't quite look right.

What would you do with this? I love this lily!

I've been thinking... for those very special lilies ( like the ones we pay big bucks for from Canada); would it be workable to buy some very fine fabric, lets light through, to encase a lily like this for the season and then see how it comes back next year? Maybe put it in a pot first. It would have to keep very small insects already there in and other insects out. Or maybe go ahead and disbud everything on it first, then protect. I know it sounds kind of crazy... The point would be to protect the other plants in case it is virus.

I'll keep an eye on my B. J. in case the bulbs arrived this way. It hasn't opened yet.

Welll... yours kinda has a pattern to it, with the splotches being in the same position on the petals.

I think we've should both evaluate for another year, unless someone comes along and advises otherwise.

Not a bad idea, pard. Some tulle ought to do the job.

I just don't believe there is any real "isolation" in a garden, even though we all seem to talk about it.

I am not sure what is going on with yours, Moby. Did you get any normal flowers this year from that cultivar? If it were me because I like testing and growing things just to see, I would evaluate another year.

Yours Mags, I would toss that one. It's hard to attribute that to weather when the symptoms are only on the inner petals and not the outer more exposed to weather sepals.

But... if you thinks that one is just not right, get a load of this one that opened today - Pink Panther with classic viral symptoms.
--- Yick !!!

Roosterlorn said:A virus is spread by mechanical means; the most common is aphids being transported be ants from an infected host plant to a healthy one.

And some other regulars on this forum could add to the list of how virus can be spread, I'm sure.

I don't know about that being the most common way that viruses are spread, but it's certainly possible. I haven't seen an aphid on my lilies for years, but I do see an occasional leaf hopper that could surely do the job.

pardalinum said:I just don't believe there is any real "isolation" in a garden, even though we all seem to talk about it.

Absolutely. It's all a matter of degree, and doesn't just depend on distance.

That's a bummer Lefty, PP isn't supposed to have those kind of spots.

Lily 'Invasion' is exposed to a lot of extremes; it's at the southwest corner of the house where it gets the worst of any weather ~ heat, sun, drought, cold, etc. I'll watch to see if there are any decent looking blooms.

Moby, you need to get another Invasion. Tracey, I don't know where you have your BJ now, but I'd try moving it into an area of a little more dappled shade, especially afternoons. Other than hot, dry weather related color fade, etc. I've been pretty lucky so far, but most of you are a week or two ahead of me, however.

Thanks for your input, all of you. Pard it will be interesting for me to see yours. But in your climate, it may also be hard to tell because it could look so different than it has ever looked here.

As for Pink Panther, one of mine looked just like that two years ago. Pulled it and trashed it. I have one remaining now, and that one looked fine last year. It was neighbors to the virused one. We'll see what comes of it this year.

The experience I have had with virus over the last few years has been somewhat interesting and I remember having a conversation once with pard about it. I wondered if there was any data on tetraploids succumbing to virus any more often than other ploids. It seemed for a while I was pulling tetras like Griesbach Tetra Pink Trumpet and Pink Panther ad that the diploids and triploids had less incidence. At first I thought, is it a particular area that they were in, no it really was spread out in different places. Does the number of chromosomes possibly increase the viral receptors or something? Call me crazy, but it seems like there is something to it.

all those lilies yall are showing............are they ones yall have had a year or two or are they all new ones yall have gotten from various places and have seen them bloom for the first time this year? either way.............any lily garden can be subject to new virus on any given year, right? here's my thinking..........bulbs in a bag. you plant 5 and 1 shows the virus. you rid the garden of the visible virused bulb every time. do you see it attack the others eventually?

Thats a bad look Moby-- lock stock and 2 smokin barrels- bin the lot,.,.,.,.,.A lot of times , people with 'no idea' ie:ebay sellers,,,, can sell bulbs[sometimes knowing] they are not good,.,.,.,.yOU MAY ALL REMEMBER THAT PICTURE OF THE DISEASED 'sTARFIGHTER, YEARS AGO, that i got from a roadside vendor,.,.I would have been better off buying a hamburger.,.,and recently, the 'Lombardia' x !0- in the bin,.,.I dont chance it here

mamajack ~ having a virus show up isn't a death knell for the whole clump. If you see it the first year of bloom, then you know it came from the vendor that way. However, the virused lilies in my garden are ones that have been around a while. Several years ago, I had a virused lily in a clump so I moved the healthy ones to an isolated area for observation and discarded the rest. Those healthy lilies are still looking good.

As Anthony was implying, it's safer to go with reputable vendors. Great lilies can be found at your better local retailers too.

almost no one down here sells lilies and if they do it's the orange and red dwarfs............which i love.............but one can not live on just red and orange dwarf lilies can one? no. i thought not. lol.

thanks moby for the information. so the virus has to get into the "bloodstream" not just on the outside of the scale.

Yeah, kind of like us humans.

Mamajack, send me your address and i'll send you seeds of all sorts of lilies- from Australia- if you want some

i would love them gwhizz. how do you grow a lily seed? what kinds do yall have? and what could i send you? thank you. how hot does it get where you are?