Our Oriental lilies didn’t come up this year. Well, there might have been a tiny sprout or two but they didn’t grow. Of course we didn’t winterize our garden last fall. We are in zone 5b and it was a mild winter so I would have thought that the lily bulbs would have been ok, but something happened.
We had our Oriental Lilies for about five years and this was the first year that they didn’t bloom or grow. Does anyone know if oriental lilies only live for a certain length of time?
Do you grow Oriental Lilies? Their scent is heavenly and as you can see from this photo they are absolutely gorgeous.
Well if I’m going to replace them and perhaps purchase other spring and early summer bulbs for the garden now is the time. Home stores and nurseries should be selling bulbs now. Of course, I could always wait and order them from one of the many nursery catalogs that I get through the late autumn and early winter months.
Have you purchased tulip, daffodil, lilies or any other type of bulb for your garden yet?
Green Thumb Sunday News:
I just wanted to add a little shout out here for MsGreen “Thumb” Jean. Jean was kind enough to help out by going through our long list of GTS bloggers. She made a list for me of all the blogs that either hadn’t posted anything at all for months or hadn’t made a Green Thumb post for two+ months. I just finished going through that list and it was correct so those blogs have been removed and the bloggers notified.
If you notice that a listed blog hasn’t posted a GTS post for at least two months I’d love it if you’d let me know.
The preference, of course, is that everyone make a GTS post every week, but I know life gets in the way sometimes. Therefore I’d like to say that GTS members should be making GTS posts at least once every two weeks, once a month at the bare minimum (that’s iffy). Stretches of longer than a month are not good and those bloggers will risk being removed from the list for non participation.
Thanks!
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
I like the contrast of the tiny dots against the white.
I have only two white lillies in my garden, the “lys de la Madonne”.
Regarding bulbs, I’ve already purchased and planted some. Tulips, dafodils, allium, muscari (the feathered kind). I’m early this year, for a practical reason: I took two weeks off and had the time to garden.
I’ve ordered dafodils and tulips from an online nursery. Same brand as the one I find in the local nursery, but a larger choice. And as the bulbs were sent directly from the producer, and early in the season, they look healthier. Will see how they do in the spring.
I’ve bought the alliums and muscari at the plant fair I’ve visited last week. Once again, the choise is better, and I’ve purchased them from the producer, who also helped me choosing what I wanted.
We’ll see if it was a good idea.
I have an area with several of the Oriental Lillies and they didn’t do very well this year here either. It has been so hot and dry that most of my plants have not done very well, even the heat tolerant ones.
those are lovely lilies and i love the white color. they are usually flowers for Easter here.
Liles are such a stunning and beautiful flower. When I am studying plants with the children at school we always look at lilies. Sara from farmingfiends
You are right–these are gorgeous. I’ve gotten a whiff of their scent in other gardens, but have never grown them myself. Happy GTS,
Aiyana
Totally agree with your policy. It’s only fair that only those who regularly post be included in the blogroll. Nice lilies. Your garden must be huge – you have so many beautiful flowers.
Those are fabulous blooms, Tricia — wow. I haven’t planted any bulbs yet, but I guess I ought to think about it…now is the time, after all!
Very pretty photos!
Vero It sounds like you got off to a good start for the late summer/ fall season.
I’m actually just about to go outside and plant some of the carnations, heather, and ornamental cabbage and kale that I bought about two weeks ago. If I don’t get them in soon there’s no point in having purchased autumn plants!
I never did go out bulb shopping. I can always do that tomorrow I guess.
Richard I can’t remember where you are located, but we’ve had some odd summer weather here. July was too cool so the plants got off to a slow start and August as usual was extremely hot and humid for the most part and since then it’s either been very hot or on the cool side. We haven’t had all that much rain to speak of either.
I do find that all of my plants are a little smaller this year than normal. Most are happy enough and blooming but some could have done better. Hopefully my Oriental lilies did survive and just didn’t feel like growing more than a sprout or two this year but will be back in their full glory next year. Sorry to hear that your Orientals didn’t do that well either.
galeria Your not mixing these up with Easter Lilies are you? That’s a different plant.
Sara lilies would be a good flower to study with children since they are so open you can see all of their features and “sexual” parts. Have your kids ever got the pollen from a lily on their face or clothes? It doesn’t come out!
Aiyana I realize now that you are in a warm climate, but you might be able to grow Oriental lilies in your garden or in a pot in the winter months and then refrigerate the bulbs through the hot dry season. It might be more work than you’d want, but oriental lilies are lovely and they do smell so heavenly. It’s a shame to miss out.
Adam thanks for agree with the policy. It’s not really new as I’ve always said that people need to participate to a certain degree to be included on the blogroll. However, it’s only the second or third time that I’ve actually gone around and removed sites since the roll started.
Oh and no my garden isn’t all that big. The backyard is about 30 feet long by 17 feet wide, but even though it lacks in size it’s jam packed with plants! I was careful to pick plants that would begin to bloom as early as March and not stop until late November. Some die down during the season and allow other plants to take their space … so I guess it’s a layered garden.
Genie yes nows the time to get bulbs if you’re going to. I think they actually start selling them here in late August through to the end of September or early October so I might even be a bit late! I didn’t go out to buy any today. I’ll have to go tomorrow if I want to get any.
Moe thanks again for the compliments on the flowers!
Really pretty Lillies, so unbelievable white
I am down in Georgia. It was up over 100 for quite some time at my house. Fire ants and fleas are the only things that really flourished this year.
Tricia, I don’t get to post every week because, frankly, I don’t have anything blogworthy every week IMO, so I’ve cut back to about every other week…hope that’s okay. Anyhooo, I do have pixie lilies…is that the same thing? They only bloom once a year and they’re orange, not white like yours. We haven’t purchase bulbs yet…still early I think for us here in TN.
You’ll have to come by and see what’s blooming around my house this week!
And thanks, Jean, for sorting through the blogroll!
Deb I don’t mind (and I don’t think anyone else does either) if our members don’t post every single week. As I said weekly is the preference but if you can’t do it any more than every second week that’s ok too.
Remember any nature or landscape type photos are acceptable as well, that might widen the topic for you.
I had to look up Pixie Lilies – they are an Asiatic lily … like Tiger lilies. All of these lilies have similar features but the most prized feature of Oriental lilies are their strong fragrance. I don’t believe any of the Asiatic lilies have scent.
I just visited your site and the photos are lovely as usual!
Richard we even had temps up over 100 here in Toronto. It was just terrible. We watered in the evenings on those hot days but I think the dry earth and dehydrated plants just sucked it up and conserved their energy rather than growing lush as they normally do when they are well watered and the temps are a bit more reasonable.
I’m glad we don’t have fire ants here! I stepped on a mound in Florida once and got a few bites. Luckily I realized what I’d done right away (I was also moving away from the mound at the time too so I didn’t get too many on me).
Love the glow of your lilies! I’m new at them and with our dry dry spring, they look ed quite pitiful. But hopefully, they’ll settle in and multiply a bit.
My orientals disappeared this year, too! I was so disappointed. I need to get some more for next year, though.
I usually post every week on GTS, but the last two weeks I’ve just been really busy getting caught up with my blogging from our trip to Columbus. I’ll be back tomorrow!
That photo looks like Asiatic, not Oriental lilies. Different flower shape.