Lilium bolanderi germination
Jane McGary (Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:02:21 PST)

Max asked about Lilium bolanderi,I somehow failed to absorb the winter

Although L. bolanderi grows in the Siskiyou Mountains, a summer-dry area, I
don't think its soil is totally dry in summer, and it certainly would not
want to be hot. It typically grows on rocky slopes among brush, with the
bulb deep in the soil. A trough would not be appropriate unless it's a very
deep one. There is not so much winter rainfall most years in Oakland that
it would negatively affect this species, I think. The plants in the wild
receive moisture from fall rains and spring runoff, and probably have some
snow cover almost every winter, but the soil would not be dry and probably
not frozen at the depth where the bulbs are.

As for planting the seed, I'd recommend getting it into the pot now and
putting it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for a couple of months,
then bringing it out into normal outdoor temperatures. In my experience,
germination rates are not high with this species.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA