Last Autumn in Late September, first half of October, I planted my very first martagon lilies or actually it was mostly martagon hybrids. I bought from three different vendors.
Two of these batches where very good, but unfortunately I was also tempted by a lower than it should be price from a third vendor... However these were very dehydrated when they arrived with dead roots and not in great shape, so in that sense I got what I payed for.
Naturally I was a bit disappointed, especially as I had gotten reasonable lilies from this vendor in the past. But as they weren't bad enough to complain about for the price I went ahead and planted them after removing some of the worst scales. Much later I dug down beside one of the worst bulbs and noticed that the bulb looked firm and had hydrated. This was excellent, but it also didn't look like it had any interest in sending out any new roots.
I read that martagon lilies should best be moved when in full bloom. Is this true and if so I also wonder if this is because they send out basal roots at that time? If they do start to grow basal roots that early, when do they stop?
I also read that the reason martagon lilies sometimes sprout in the spring just to suddenly die back is because they haven't rooted properly and therefore can't sustain the foliage?
So any thought on this would be much welcomed
