Re: lilies from seed was: perennials DIGEST V3 #45

Welcome to the list, Althea!

When lilies set seed, they develop a swollen pod where the flower
was.  When this is ripe (turns brown), it splits and you find many
papery seeds inside.

Now, hybrid lilies will not come true from seed because they are
hybrids - crosses between two selected parents.  If they set seed
(and some hybrids don't), there is no telling what you will end up
with..could be neat and could be ugly:-)

If you do get seeds, germinating the seeds rather depends on which
lily you have.  The easiest to germinate are the Asiatics, trumpets
and longiflorum lilies.  Most of these will germinate quickly (in 3
to 6 weeks) at 60-70F and send up a seedling leaf  as soon as they
germinate.

The Aurelians and L. henryi are also easy and send up a seedling
leaf, but they are slower (10-12 weeks) than the above and need
cooler temperatures (50-60F).

The martagons and Orientals are delayed hypogeal germinators.  First
they form a small bublet underground under warm conditions and then
they need a cold treatment before they will develop top growth.  The
easiest way to germinate these is to plant them outdoors in the
summer and they will germinate the following spring...otherwise you
need to sow in a plastic bag in a small amount of damp media and keep
warm at 70F until you see the small bulblets and then refrigerate for
3 months and plant outdoors.

Western American species are tricky to germinate...but rather doubt
your hybrid contains these...could be wrong, but..

If your lilies form seedpods, I say go for it!  You never know what
will happen:-)  If you don't know what you've got, then try first
with warm germination temps.  If nothing happens in two or three
months, then pick a pot and poke around to see if there is any
action...if you find any little bulbils, then stick the pots in the
fridge for 3 months.  Don't be too fast discarding seedpots showing
no activity; sometimes it takes longer than you'd think...and if
warmth doesn't work, then try cool.  

There are scads of plants you can grow from seed - perennials,
biennials, annuals and woody plants.

I know you're champing at the bit to start a garden, but just look at
this year as a year of getting to know your land and figuring out how
you want to use it so you will put your beds where you will be happy
with them down the road.  You need some time to see where you have
sun and shade; where the wind blows, where it's sheltered and to dig
in your soil and see what you've got. You can use the rest of the
season to prepare soil and get ready to plant like mad next spring. 
Of course, being where you are, if you want to plant shrubs, fall is
a very good time to do it.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: Alphie Perks <its420here@hotmail.com>
> 
> Hello everyone :)
> 
>         I am new to this list and have just recently bought a place
here in
> North Mississippi, Zone 7.  I have been reading about your gardens
for about
> a week now and they all sound so beautiful!  I have planted very
little as I
> got a late start this summer and have had the expense of moving and
all. I
> planted some pink hybrid lilies and would like to collect the seed
from
> them, but I have never collected seed before and don't know what to
look
> for.  Could someone please help me with this?  I just can't wait
until I
> have some color in my garden :)  Lilies are one of my favorites...
> Especially the Tiger Lily, but I have yet to run across one of
those.
> 
> Thank you,
> Althea

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