Mary Sue asked me how I flowered L. pardalinum "pitkinense" from seed in its second year: It is my firm belief that lilies should be treated as herbaceous perennials and not as 'bulbs' when growing from seed. Bulb growers like to take ages growing things from seed; growers of perennials push them along. I like to prick out lily seedlings into plugs or small pots shortly after germination/emergence, and keep potting them on every time the roots fill the pot - may be 3 or more times in the first year. Of course this means keeping them well watered and fertilised, but they will just keep growing all summer. A cool but bright greenhouse is best. This way a reasonably sized bulb develops in the first year; in the second year it can be grown in a larger pot and either pushed along in the same way with a repot, or just left to it, with plenty of feeding as before. Flowers in the second season are unusual except in L. formosanum et al., but most trumpet lilies etc will flower in the third season quite happily with this regime. John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Garden Manager, Colesbourne Gardens Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/ > > John Grimshaw wrote: > "The minor segregate from L. pardalinum known as 'pitkinense' is > particularly easy and I have > flowered it in the second year from sowing." > > How did you do this John? > > Mary Sue > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >