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Introduction
This section of the site is dedicated to directly replying to the requests for information we receive every year about lilies, we rarely get asked about anything else other than lilies. We have listed the questions we are most asked first. Replies generally connect to other pages to give a fuller response. This present layout has been taken from our old Blackdown Lilies Org site. We hope to continue to change it over time from a less personal layout, into a more ABC format
Overview
Most of the questions received are actually linked to the massive amount of problems many people have growing lilies, and the general lack of knowledge by the sellers about the “product” they sell. Most Lilies sold in this country are imported and most of the lilies purchased by the gardener are purchased in “Garden Centre” type outlets. If all the lily bulbs supplied over the last few decades were still growing and planted in gardens, their would be little room to plant anything else.
This site is therefore mainly about dead, dying, or incorrectly labelled Lilies. There are other sources of information (see related sites )
Around and About
Most queries we get often are actually due to a misunderstanding about what a lily is. I recommend for the curious to read our introduction to Lilies Lilys-Lilies-Lillys which lists plants which are, or are not, true lilies
The Queries
I have a problem with my lilies
See our section pests and diseases, and is it really a lily? see lilys-lilies-lillys!, and further sources of information see related sites, and for background on lilies see “All” about lilies!.
I require a particular lily
It can be quite difficult obtaining some varieties of lily. Many disappear from cultivation over time. Over the years a whole plethora of varieties have come and gone, some hardly noticed and some greatly missed. Many did not really deserve a name anyway(!). Some imported new varieties appear to change from year to year and other varieties look rather too similar to existing varieties.
Unlike most other perennial plants lilies have many “cultivars” which are not clonal these strains and grexes are often selected and reselected over and over again
It is often quite difficult to keep older varieties on commercially unless they may have to be kept on in isolated growing chambers. Older cultivars frequently not only get a lower price, but are often demanded in miniscule quantities. A grower maintaining a nucleus stock in a test tube can expect run up high maintainance costs per year per variety. Alternatively the old variety could be kept more cheaply in some odd corner and just be a sitting duck. Some older varieties were outstanding when they were released with pest or disease resistance, but over time in the real world pests and diseases can evolve, and new pests can attack formerly resistant plants.
See related sites for some suppliers and other links. Because of problems with imaginative naming and confusion over naming it may be that the variety on offer is not what you were looking for. For pure resellers it is not surprising, but even growers can make mistakes especially if the original stock was incorrectly labelled.
How do I keep a named lily or several lilies ...presently they do not last long/die on me
See our section pests and diseases and lilys-lilies-lillys! and related sites and “All” about lilies!.
I have a particular problem with my lilies. see our section pests and diseases and lilys-lilies-lillys! and related sites and “All” about lilies!.
Naming lost label Lilies We are unable give an individual plant recognition service because of the numbers involved, the variability of some cultivars and the limit of the web masters knowledge. However there are a series of colour pictures at www.blackdown-lilies.org.uk . Species should be easier to track than hybrids. Some of the modern hybrids are rather fly by night, and sold under several names, so can be difficult to trace. For species there are a number of good books, your local library is an excellent source of information. The RHS offers a plant naming service for members and there are other sources of information see related sites. If you have a name and want confirmation of the variety you think you have why not try the wonderful search engine at www. google.com/images
For the green fingered, or financially squeezed, wishing to bulk up their plants see propagation
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