Re: ailing lily

Barbara, et al:

     I've tried for years to grow asiatic and oriental
lilies in various California gardens (San Diego, SF
Bay Area, L.A.), never with success. As you've
experienced, theyve always "gone down hill" after the
first year or so.

     My theory is that they just don't get the
appropriate climatic factors to encourage them to
stick around.  Much as we experience with so many
eastern and northern "hardy perennials" we try here --
after a decent show the first year or two, they, too,
go downhill.
 
     There is another theory, however.  Even when I
lived in northern and eastern climes (where they
should have done better), most modern hybrid lilies
STILL didn't stick around long.  I've heard something
about a latent virus or the fact that these bulbs are
highly susceptible to virus infection.  The virus is
not blatantly symptomatic; the plant simply loses
vigor and gradually declines.  I did, however, have a
few species and older hybrids which didn't fit that
category.

     I've just planted a California native lily, a
form of Lilium  humboldtii.  I bought it from Native
Sons Nursery and Dave Fross says it's done very well
there (Arroyo Grande).  I'll let you all know how it
does here in my artificial Santa Maria woodland over
the years.

     Marjorie Schmidt, in her book "Growing California
Native Plants", suggests that L. pardalinum, L.
humboldtii and forms, and L. washintonianum
purpurascens are "adaptable" to California garden
conditions.  Maybe we need to grow California native
lilies in our gardens here.  

     Maybe hybridizers (amateur and professional) need
to take note of this large market.  There is a group
of hybrid lilies which were developed from NW species;
why not here.

     And there's also the spectacular Lilium candidum,
a Mediterranean native and naturalizer of other
Mediterranean climate gardens.

Joe
Santa Maria, California

--- Barbara Sargent <rsgt@california.com> wrote:
> I planted a lily (one of the oriental varieties -
> white,
> narrow leaves) a few years ago. It was in a 4" pot
> when I
> bought it. For the first two summers it did
> beautifully and
> then, with each year, it's become smaller and
> smaller. This
> year it's only about 6-7" and doesn't show any signs
> of
> putting out buds.
> 
> It's in a spot where its bottom is moderately shaded
> and the
> top is in sun for around 6 hours on and off. Any
> ideas what
> its problem could be?
> 
> Barbara - in Berkeley
> 


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