The Propagation of Lilium

Lilies, commonly used in flower arrangements, are easy to propagate.

Liliums are plants that produce flowers in a range of colors and shapes that are often used as cut flowers in arrangements. The plants are desired for their flowers as well as their hardy growth habits and easy propagation, as there are three ways to divide lilies using existing plants.

Propogating Bulbets

Parent plants produce small bulbets around the parent bulb. The bulbets, which have their own roots, can be twisted sideways and broken off the parent bulb in fall and planted to emerge the following spring.

Propogating Bulbils

Bulbils, sometimes referred to as aerial stem bulbets, form against the parent plant's stem at leaf axils. They develop early in the season and fall off the parent plant after it flowers. They can be harvested shortly before they would drop naturally. Not all Lilium species form bulbils but it can be forced by pinching out flower bulbs and cutting off the upper half of stems. Bulbils can be placed directly into the ground or pot with the bulb down about an inch in soil and the leaves sticking up.

Propogating Scales

Propagating using scales produces the greatest quantity of new plants. Up to 80 percent of the individual scales can be broken off a parent bulb. The scales should be placed in a bag of growing medium and stored in a frost-free location. Small bulbs with roots will develop out of the scales and can be planted within a few months.

References

• The Practical Guide to Container Gardening;" Susan Berry and Steve Bradley; 1995
• ABC Television Gardening Australia: Fact Sheet--Lilium Propagation