rosejohnson1954
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:20 pm
Location: ZONE 5 MICHIGAN

ORIENTAL LILIES HELP

HI NEW HERE I LIVE IN ZONE 5 MICHIGAN, I HAVE SEVERAL ORIENTAL LILIES PLANTED IN MY YARD. LAST MONTH SOMETHING BITE THE LILIES OFF THE PLANTS AND A COUPLE OTHER PLANTS AS WELL,NOT SURE WHAT IT WAS, I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL RABBITS IN MY YARD.

MY QUESTION IS WILL THE ORIENTAL ILIES GROW BACK IN THE SPRING

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL REPLYS.
ROSE

bullthistle
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1152
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:26 am
Location: North Carolina

Shouldn't be a problem. They must be desparate. Turn in some fertilizer or bone mal in the soil and they should pop up in the spring. You might want to put some chicken wire around them to prevent them from being munched on during the growing season.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Should not be a problem. Your lilies would die back to the ground in fall anyway. They will come back from the bulbs in the spring. But as BT noted a fence around them at that point would be good. If the bunnies nibble off the new spring shoots, it could kill the lilies.

User avatar
plantwhisperer
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:14 am
Location: Forest Grove, OR

The bunnies aren't desperate, just hungry. Lilies store a lot of sweet content in all parts of the plant (which attracts many "critters" to them. Lilies are very hardy, usually no matter what happens to the stem. On a commercial scale, in order to produce larger bulbs quickly, every year for at least two years, I will cut off the stem when they are about four to six inches tall...way before blooming. This forces the plant to put more production into the bulb and will not kill the bulb. So, premature removal of the stem is ok. Placing a fence around the emerging stem is a good idea, but be sure the holes will not allow the rabbits (or any other critter) to enter. Instead, consider using bird netting or other material with small holes. I would not use bone meal in the soil. 1). Lilies prefer acidic soil and bone decreases acidic levels. 2). Bone meal will actually attract more critters and your bulb will more than likely be destroyed. The fertilizer is a good idea, though. However, make sure it is not high in nitrogen (less than 10%) and high in mineral content or you can use a slow release nitrogen base but make sure it is at least 50% slow release or you will burn the bulb causing it to rot. :cry:



Return to “Perennials”