This year marks the 50th! Anniversary of Judith's very first ( and industry first (?) ) successful lily embryo culture. She still remembers that it was a cross between Lilium alexandrea x Lilium speciosum. Many many tissue and embryo cultures have since been made and , more importantly, are continuing to be made by her. Believe it or not, under the same propagation hood she started with 50 years ago, when she got it , used, from Oregon state university!

Winter is back here and she will show her teeth again for the next few days. I hope this is the last wave of cold. Have lilies started to come out of your soil or is it too early?

It's too early for us here to see any sign of lily life, but in the next 2 months I would think so.

The day before yesterday, we just had some typical March weather: 6 inches of wet snow (on top of what we already have). It'll be quite a while yet.

I need help, please!
I live in central KY, zone 6b.
We will be moving in the next couple months, and I want to take my lilies with me. Of course, it is still cold here, and most won't be coming through the ground until mid/late May.
Probably the earliest I could dig them & move them is the very last of March or first week of April.
BLOOM TIMES;
My earliest bloomers are Asiatic hybrids which bloom first week of June.These are not as crucial to me as my others.
Next are my 40 year old Leucanthum June 27.
Then come Conca d'Or & Caravan July 6
Tiger lilies & Corcovado July 11
Miss Feya & Iowa Rose July 21
'Surprise" lilies July 27
Black Beauty & Uchida July 25 & Aug. 4
I just planted Goldsmith, Leichtlinii, Golden Sceptre & Copper Cown last fall.

I don't know whether to dig them now, or wait til we move in 1-2 months (late April to late May), pot them or what? I really don't want to pot them. Would it be possible to dig with a root ball in late March/early April & plant them immediately in-ground?
I do not grow my lilies in pots. They have always been grown in-ground.
Any advice is much appreciated. I don't want to lose them.
Thanks!

I think you should take them out right away and transplant them into pots. In a month or two they will already start to grow and any attempt at transplanting could damage them. Even some may have started to grow slowly now, and care should be taken with their extraction.
It would be best to let them grow and then transplant them in the fall or at the end of the year, but I don't think that will be possible, right? Can you dig them now and immediately transplant them into your new place?

Lucius93 said: I think you should take them out right away and transplant them into pots. In a month or two they will already start to grow and any attempt at transplanting could damage them. Even some may have started to grow slowly now, and care should be taken with their extraction.
It would be best to let them grow and then transplant them in the fall or at the end of the year, but I don't think that will be possible, right? Can you dig them now and immediately transplant them into your new place?

Who are you replying to?

sedumzz said: Who are you replying to?

KYgal who posted before me. You can't see it?

I didn't read that post, but it jumped to yours sorry for teh confusion!

Lucius93 said:
It would be best to let them grow and then transplant them in the fall or at the end of the year, but I don't think that will be possible, right? Can you dig them now and immediately transplant them into your new place?

Thank you, Luka. Yes, I know it would be best in the fall, but that's not possible.
I can dig them at the very end of this month, March, and transplant into the new garden. Don't you agree that would be the least traumatic procedure if I dig deeply & get a good size root ball with soil attached? I think putting them in pots at this time may be worse, since I do not have any experience with growing lilies in pots.

KYgal said:
I don't know whether to dig them now, or wait til we move in 1-2 months (late April to late May), pot them or what? I really don't want to pot them. Would it be possible to dig with a root ball in late March/early April & plant them immediately in-ground?
I do not grow my lilies in pots. They have always been grown in-ground.
Any advice is much appreciated. I don't want to lose them.
Thanks!

So carefully dig them up now with as many roots as possible, taking care not to break the shoots (if they have started, and probably some have started to grow underground) and plant them in pots. When you move, you can easily take them out of the pots and plant them in the ground at the new location. If you can dig right away and take it to a new location it would be ideal.

My lily seedlings are growing taller. They are more adorable than expected!

KYgal said: Thank you, Luka. Yes, I know it would be best in the fall, but that's not possible.
I can dig them at the very end of this month, March, and transplant into the new garden. Don't you agree that would be the least traumatic procedure if I dig deeply & get a good size root ball with soil attached? I think putting them in pots at this time may be worse, since I do not have any experience with growing lilies in pots.

Sorry, I posted before reading this. Yes, that would be the best as I said in my last post. Dig them carefuly and plant them in new garden. They should be ok.

Even if you slice through a bulb replant it anyway and any scales that have the rounded end of the basal plate--plant those too to get more lilies.

Thank you, Luka and Connie!
I truly appreciate everyone's concern for my lily dilemma!

And your lilies will be sprouting underground in varying degrees, depending on the type of lily. These underground shoots are fragile, so you will need extra care. If one breaks, that particular bulb will not grow above ground this year, but will usually return normally the following season.

sedumzz,
They look very healthy. Are you getting hooked on lilies?

welcome to the club!

Leftwood said: sedumzz,
They look very healthy. Are you getting hooked on lilies?

welcome to the club!

Sorry for the late reply!
Yes, I believe so. I have 3 now!
THe seedlings are getting taller. I think. I might be hallucinating them being taller, maybe I'm not. I want them to be as healthy as possible!

We already have a drought. I don't remember the last time it rained. March is known for changeable weather and heavier rains, but this year not a single day has rained (and will not until the end of the month).

A very, VERY,late bloom of Rinadeena, on my balcony