Hi! Lucius93 reccomended lilies. I used to have 3 tiger lilies, and my neighbor had these tiny little dwarf clumps I really like. Do any of you have any suggestions or plant care/planting tips? Thanks. I really like dwarf ones.

-Alex (Sedumzz)

Hi Alex! I'm glad you showed interest in lilies and heeded my advice to try growing them. On the right side of the lily forum you have tips for growing and caring for these plants:

Since you love dwarf lilies I advise you to look at dwarf Asiatic hybrids and dwarf Oriental hybrids. You can find some cultivars in our lily database. Friends from the US can tell you where you can get these types of lilies. For starters, I would also advise you on two natural species that you can get at all the major lily centers: lilium regale and lilium henryi. They are not exactly dwarf, but very easy to grow and enchant with their beauty, especially lilium regale, the smell of which you will remember forever.

Ok, I will look for them.

Here are results for short (pot, dwarf) lilies:
https://garden.org/plants/sear...

Here are results for Oriental lilies that are for pots/dwarf. Oriental lilies are usually fragrant, Asiatics are not:
https://garden.org/plants/sear...

@magnolialover @pardalinum
They might propose you some nursery where you can buy everything you want.

ok, thanks.

Alex, some suggestions on buying could be once your local greenhouses open up, or shipped from places that have good reputations like these:
https://brentandbeckysbulbs.co...

https://www.thelilygarden.com

I'm jumping into this thread since I'm possibly even a step behind to Alex. I've grown a few lilies in my garden, but only recently has the pot flower and cut flower sector has grown in size considerable here. Yesterday I found a local vendor offering something like 60 different cultivars, some large asiatic others dwarf. I've tried unsuccessfuly to start them from seed ( specially some of the martagon types that are not sold in the nurseries). But that is my next pending issue (....i must have something in the order of 100 pending issues in my garden.... ).
So now I have the chance of ordering a few and try with full grown bulbs. Its soon going to be fall here and its fall bulb ordering season. I've read that lilies ( in general) can be planted in both seasons ( fall or spring). Is there any criterion for chosing one over the other? My trial with lilies is for the garden. I'm not very fond of potted plants. For the time being the only garden plants that I'm growing in pots are Lewisias. Otherwise all my pots( or bags) are seedlings of whatever I choose to try. The plants are there on short term basis. I'm assuming that the dwarf varieties are also amenable to garden growing; am I correct?
As an incomplete listing here are a few offered:
Idaho
Eyeliner
Honesty
Brindisi
Asti
Amatera
Hotel California
Trendy Savannah
Akron
Torelli
Scansano
Everton
Pokerface
Perfect Joy
Majestic Joy
Double Phantasy
Diantha
The Edge
Sorbonne
Siberia
Marlon
Curie
Sweet Zanica
Sunderland
Nashville
Perhaps some of you have grown any of these and have suggestions.
Thank you to all in advance.
Arturo

Hi Arturo and welcome to lily forum.

I've read that lilies ( in general) can be planted in both seasons ( fall or spring). Is there any criterion for chosing one over the other?
Yes, lilies can be planted in both seasons, but fall planting is better because it gives lilies more time to adapt and take root.
I'm assuming that the dwarf varieties are also amenable to garden growing; am I correct?
Yes.
Perhaps some of you have grown any of these and have suggestions.
Not all lilies on your list are asiatics. There are other types of hybrids (lilium 'Siberia' is oriental). I have not grown any lilies from the list, but I am familiar with many of them. Except oriental and martagon hybrids, every other hybrid lily is easy and doesn't have special requirements. Just plant them in nice humus rich soil with excellent drainage on sunny spot (at least half of day) and they'll grow and flower without any problems. 'Eyeliner' is very nice fragrant LA lily and 'Hotel California' is nice AOA hybrid. You should buy them. For the first time you can buy any asiatic lily from the list and you won't fail.
I've tried unsuccessfuly to start them from seed ( specially some of the martagon types that are not sold in the nurseries).
Martagons are not easy from seeds especially for novice grower. They need 5-7 y to flower. Try lilium regale seed. They are easy.
Good luck with planting and growing. Tell us what you bought so if you need additional advice we will be happy to help you.
@hampartsum

@Lucius93
Luka ,I'm most grateful for information provided!
May I ask a few nore questions. When I tried to use this site's dbase for lilies most of those available here have very scanty information. Is there a site where one can access to detailed information for lilies, like there is for roses, clematis, peonies (HMF) or irises ( the AIS dbase) ?

I'm not deterred to try sowing Lilium seeds, however tricky they may be. I'm accustomed to stratification procedures for some of my rock garden plants or desert Penstemons from the USA. I'm familiar with the moist baggie procedure as well as the use of GA3 to induce germination. These are my available Lilium seeds that have been kept in lower part of my refridgerator:
from Jelitto
Lilium bulbiferum ssp croceum
Lilium martagon hybrids 'Painted Ladies'
Lilium martagon

From the Scottish rock garden clun seedex 71 ( 2018)
Lilium martagon crem
Lilium martagon Bronze medallion
Lilium callosum yellow
Lilium Ryiube group red-purples
Lilium canadense
Lilium pardalinum
Lilium mackinlae
Lilium regale ( this one I will sow without any doubt) !

The questions are: all need cold stratification? For how long? when best to start the sowing procedures?

My interests in Lilies is no different from that of Irises, Daylilies or roses. I'm interested both in horticultural forms as well as the original species. With roses , Im quite organized with my first breedong trials. The same goes with my tall bearded irises. I'm widening the scope of irises into the wet/bog types ( like I.ensata, I.sibirica and now the LA irises for which I can get named cultivars),
I haven't found a single place that offers any martagon liliums. Most of the list are asiatics, but I prefer fragrant lilies if possible, so I will choose orientals as a first choice. This is where a comprehensive dbase becomes very useful.
My soil conditions seem ideal: almost pure sand. No drainage issues. A lot of compost/manure available from the farm. I can choose neutral ph or alkaline ( chicken) well seasoned manure. I read martagons prefer slightly alkaline. My natural soil is near ph6 ( acid).
The climate is mild. Rarely does the soil freeze in winter. Maximum the upper 5 cm. But lily bulbs are placed much lower. The asiatic yellow noids have been in place for already 15 years and bloom for me unmolested each summer. Those were given to me, and the provenance nursery has since closed.
Summers are cool . The highs these days barely reach 30ºC. They are also very dry (mediterranean type of climate like yours in Croatia)...(btw there's a sizeable croatian community in this town...even my next door neighbor is from a Croatian family. Equally frequent are the Slovenes here).

So my real obstacle is getting the seeds to germinate and grow bulbs. I don't imagine martagons to come into commercial offering because I haven't seen any at a florists shop.

Thank again

Arturo

Arturo, try these links written by Darm Crook. He is really an expert at lily seed germination.

https://www.pacificbulbsociety...

https://www.pacificbulbsociety...

I am not much help with lily hybrid descriptions or information, but none of the lily seed you list require cold stratification for the seed to germinate. However, to produce above ground growth, some will need a cold treatment: all martagons and Lilium canadense, some L.bulbiferum. The Ryirube group I don't know, but usually a cross of IE and DH species (like Ryirube) yields IE offspring. I don't expect you to know what this lettering (IE, DH, etc.) means, but you will want to learn, since it will help you grow lilies from seed. See here:
https://www.pacificbulbsociety...

More information regarding individual species here:
https://www.pacificbulbsociety...

And a more inclusive listing that I wrote here:
http://www.northstarlilysociet...

I am very familiar with getting Lilium seed from the SRGC seed exchange. Some Donors are well educated with Lilium and all the seeds they donated are viable. But more often, donors don't know how to differentiate viable seed from chaff (non-viable). Sometimes I will be lucky if I get one good seed in a packet of "seeds".

Some lily growers never add manure to the soil, because of the high concentration of certain bacteria and other microorganisms that can encourage lily bulb rot. In my opinion, just make sure that you apply only a light application and be sure it is well seasoned manure.

@Leftwood Rick so much. I'm familiar with PBS wiki, I have it marked on my PC bookmark bar. That is how frequent I use it...obviously not only for Lilies. I just checked the nomenclature around DE DH etc and although I need your listing to remember which behave what way, its something that is not solely restricted to Lilium species. I recall in the back of my memory having seen an article ( or post) of how to distinguish true seed from chaff in Lilies. I even remember the quite precise images. The article may even have been written by you.

Some lily growers never add manure to the soil, because of the high concentration of certain bacteria and other microorganisms that can encourage lily bulb rot. In my opinion, just make sure that you apply only a light application and be sure it is well seasoned manure.
Thank you specially for this paragraph. Normally I spread well rotten compost ( that had manure, plus barn bedding plus dry leaves). The composting system we use is anaerobic. The material is dumped into a concrete trench and when full is covered with soil. The bottom material as it ferments warms up ( thus providing a hot bed for the veggies growing on top). This occurrs inside a greenhouse. It is a larger scale operation than a conventional urban house composting bin. The trench is 10 ft wide, 3 ft deep and 60 ft long. So when I say I spread compost I'm referring to this type of product. So I'll take the precaution of using this solely for my lilies. I can use horse or sheep manure directly under my rose bushes. But of course they are not bulbous. With chicken manure I'm much more cautious. Even its compost may be too strong for certain plants or crops ( i.e totally inadequate for potatoes)

none of the lily seed you list require cold stratification for the seed to germinate. However, to produce above ground growth, some will need a cold treatment: all martagons and Lilium canadense, some L.bulbiferum. The Ryirube group I don't know, but usually a cross of IE and DH species (like Ryirube) yields IE offspring..
I live in a cool temperate region. I suspect that my normal winter temps will provide the cold needed for top growth. Am I correct? Winter lows hover below and above freezing in the upper 20ºF to the low 30ºF. Even in summer (like today ) lows drop to 45ºF ( and the central heating is on !).In a couple of days the low is predicted to drop to 36ºF and we are a full month away from autumn.

Finally, when would you start a germination process now or in early spring?. I have different greenhouse facilities that I can rely on. ( cool unheated or warm heated). In terms of my own time management I have more time now, than in spring when almost everything wants to be sown. I've seen in different forums/sites people germinating in midwinter under artificial lighting in their basements ( because outside is under solid snow/ice!). Once germinated the first leaf sticks out, I believe regardless the season. So as long as it gets enough light, it will keep growing regardless the time of year. Am I correct? If this is so I could easily start my sowings soon, specially for those that belong to the IE group. I have to study carefully the article written by Darm Crook where he provides a detailed account by germination types or species that @pardalinum Connie suggested. However I find difficulties in adjusting to my climatic conditions. His conditions are of one that lives in very high latitudes. the location for Minneapolis is almost 45ºN (44.98), in Willamette is 45.34 ºN while mine is 41.15 S So there's a much less difference in daylight length plus a much more milder winter closer to Connie's. So overwintering inside a greenhouse doesn't look difficult. However I simply have no experience about it. So it would seem best to split my seeds in two and try both ways...

Thanks again

Arturo

May I ask a few nore questions. When I tried to use this site's dbase for lilies most of those available here have very scanty information. Is there a site where one can access to detailed information for lilies, like there is for roses, clematis, peonies (HMF) or irises ( the AIS dbase)?
Check this out: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/...
Inside you can find many valuable info about registered hybrid lilies. Also, at the beggining, you have info about lily classifications.
If you want more info about species lilies I think this is the best site: https://www.bdlilies.com/resea... (Not all varieties are taxonomically recognized anymore but still used names for horticultural reasons).

Rick explained to you in detail about the seed. I am also a novice in this field and this will be my first year of sowing. From the stories and experiences of others I know that lilium regale is very simple and you will not have any problems.

but I prefer fragrant lilies if possible, so I will choose orientals as a first choice. This is where a comprehensive dbase becomes very useful. My soil conditions seem ideal: almost pure sand. No drainage issues. A lot of compost/manure available from the farm. I can choose neutral ph or alkaline ( chicken) well seasoned manure. I read martagons prefer slightly alkaline. My natural soil is near ph6 ( acid).
Some species (like martagon and candidum) prefer alkaline soil BUT majority hybrid lilies will enjoy slightly acid to neutral. Oriental hybrids are special because they need acid soil in order to thrive. So for orientals you'll need to buy special acidic substrate. Also orientals are not long lived. After few years they will shrivel and die no matter how well you keep them. If you love fragrant lilies I would recommend OT lilies (cross between orientals and trumpets). Very big, strong, fragrant and vigorous. Trumpet hybrid and trumpet species also. Very fragrant, long lived lilies. You'll see when your regale flowers. I don't know what the situation is in Argentina regarding lilies and how much you can get, but if you come across OT hybrids or trumpets be sure to take them!

Summers are cool . The highs these days barely reach 30ºC. They are also very dry (mediterranean type of climate like yours in Croatia)...(btw there's a sizeable croatian community in this town...even my next door neighbor is from a Croatian family. Equally frequent are the Slovenes here).
If you have dry summers and same climate as me, try to find lilium candidum (Madonna lily). Very easy species to grow, beautiful and fragrant and almost green whole year. It dies back in mid summer and then you have 2-3 months to plant it in neutral or, even better, alkaline soil. It's very popular species worldwide and common in garden centres (don't know if it is in Argentina). You can find seeds if not bulbs. Also very easy from seeds.
Yea, Croatian community is huge in Argentina (more than 200 000).

Finally, when would you start a germination process now or in early spring?
Depends on germination type but most seeds should be sown in spring when temperatures reaches 18 C degree. Not 100% on that one but other more experienced members will know more.

Hello Arturo, welcome to the forum. Bariloche looks very beautiful from the internet photos! The alpine scenery is stunning. I grow lilies in the Pacific Northwest (Zone 8b) and looking at the Bariloche temperatures your climate is not that different to mine, though you do get about half the rain that I get and your cold lasts longer in the winter though the lowest temperatures are similar. Given that your summer is soon coming to an end I would order bulbs you want now and get them into the ground in the autumn (your April and May).

I have experience of growing Lilium pardalinum, mackliniae, canadense, martagon and regale from seed. I have a frost-free greenhouse (min 43F/6C) where I sow many of my seeds. The pardalinum and mackliniae I would typically sow in November (May for you). Both like to germinate slowly in cool conditions, and pardalinum is IH and mackliniae is IE. For me both start putting up their first leaves about 3 months after sowing. Regale I would suggest planting in the spring. Canadense and martagons don't do as well for me here. (Especially canadense.) I think it doesn't get cold enough in the winters, even if I leave the seeds outside covered in a cold frame. (We get only perhaps 1 week of freezing weather in a typical winter - just like now, actually, where we had about 15cm of snow and temperatures down to 28F/-2C.) You may have better luck with your longer winter. I would suggest sowing the canadense and martagons seeds in flats in April or May and leave them in a sheltered place for the winter. Hopefully they will germinate naturally in the spring when the weather warms up. I should admit that I don't fare well with the baggie method in the refrigerator so my leave-it-outside-and-wait advice may not necessarily be supported by others on this forum. Depending on the number of seeds you have you might want to try both approaches.

Let us know how you get on! From what I can tell, Bariloche should be a perfect climate for growing lilies!

Arturo, that's great that you already know about PBS. (I thought that I recognized your name from there.) For many years I have been part of the list, and finally in 2019, I became a member. Luminita lives about 15 miles from me, and she is also a member of our local North Star Lily Society, where she is editor of the newsletter. She is so busy with the BX and SX, and other stuff, that she is temporarily passing on that duty to another local member.

The "leave-it-outside-and-wait" method versus the baggie method only means that it take a little longer time, because you are dependent on the natural seasons that you can't manipulate. The advantage of baggies is that you can hurry plant development stages, and you can actually watch seed growth if you place the seeds on the sides of the bag, rather than mix it with the media. The "leave-it-outside-and-wait" method has its own advantages, too.

Outside, the cold needed for vernalization is the ground temperature where the bulbs are. Even with Lilium martagon, the lily that requires the most cold, I think you should be fine. Martagons grow very well in zone 8, Scotland. Certainly, there will be no problems with other martagon section lilies (distichum, medeoloides, tsingtauense, hansonii and hybrids).

Viability seed discussions in the The thread "Starting lilies from seeds" in Lilies forum start with post #729463 and post #1271525.

You are correct, the climate outside has no effect on the climate inside the house or greenhouse. Yes, seedlings will continue to thrive with leaves as long as conditions are right. (Similarly, a tiny seed bulb from a hypogeal germinating seed will continue to thrive, too.) So you can start them now, in summer if you want. Be careful that it doesn't get too hot. For the most part, lily seeds want to germinate at 60-70F. For the ones where Darm and I have listed as "cool", that means about 50-55F. Most lily seeds will have more difficulty germination at a constant temperature above 75F.

Day length doesn't seem to matter with lilies with regard to survival. But of course, longer days during the growth period would mean more opportunity for photosynthesis and plant growth. The time spans Darm gives for seed germination and development don't change with your location.

L. candidum will probably do well for you. Even though you are a bit colder than Luka, I think the bulb and foliage should do fine through your winter.

Of all places in the world, the most similar to mine are parts of very little populated montane Tasmania. I've yet to find a peer there. But each one of you have very kindly and generously provided what you can giving advice as each deems adequate. I'm learning so much from each post. I also am specially thankful for your welcoming. I hope some day to retribute by uploading photos of liles, both of purchased bulbs as well as grown from seed. My seed option is my only way of expanding a very limited offering in the country's market place. Importation of bulbs is made by the wholesale florist or pot flower growers that target a huge array of warm temperate up to tropical gardeners that are all located in the much more warmer and densely populated regions of Argentina. Importation of bulbs is extremely hazardous and complicated with red tape, which makes it frightfully expensive for a modest grower who is just trying out something new or different. So sowing whatever I may lay hands on is still my best option.
However, from what I've read up to now I strongly suspect that my region that is much closer to many of the cool temperate regions in the northern hemisphere offers very interesting horticultural opportunities for groups that actually prefer cooler everything. That is why I specially thank you Steve, for your advice about what you are capable of growing there. With the same purpose I'm trying to cultivate the Pacifica group of irises, which also should do fine here.
My goal is to cultivate different groups of plants, that unless someone like myself takes the trouble to try out, would not have ever reached to this remote corner of the world. Comparatively Patagonia is still a land of untapped opportunities, still quite underpopulated, still quite undeveloped. This is particularly true for the montane Patagonia that is a narrow stretch that extends all along the southern Andes bordering Chile. Of all towns, Bariloche, the most populated and well known tourist destination, seems to have the combination of factors where these other lilies could be grown succesfully even at a commercial scale. There's a large ammount of gardens and the town has a very extended suburban layout. These days of Covid lockdown, the local nurseries have boomed with their sales. Internet is becoming a ever more powerful tool. The simple question of why I can't grow here in my yard any eyecatching image of a lily, is a very demanding challenge that sooner or later someone has to satisfy. Although I'm way too old to think myself with a startup buisiness I would love to enable others do so once the context is ripe for it. So who knows what will become of this my very new newbie project. On course this can only be achieved if one can rely on the shoulders of others that have trodden the path before and solved the intricacies. That is why I'm most grateful for all that have jumped in with their experience and warm hearted welcoming.
Thank you again for all your input.
Arturo

'Matrix' is a great dwarf asiatic! That thing just keeps on going and is a bright orange and red.

Nhra_20 said:'Matrix' is a great dwarf asiatic! That thing just keeps on going and is a bright orange and red.

Dave. I just checked my source of possible dwarf lilies and the Dutch exporter carries it! It is very useful to know that it behaves so well there!

arturo