Deterring Birds

Protecting your garden and home from messy birds
Birds and associated diseases are hot news -- people worry and wonder about bird flu jumping species -- but in fact there are already over 60 different human diseases associated with birds and their droppings, some of which can be fatal. You’ve heard of salmonella and bed bugs, but add to this list tongue-twisters such as histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis. In addition to diseases, birds can cause esthetic and financial heartache for property owners and gardeners.
Droppings cause unsightly stains, deterioration of structures and devalued property. Not to mention the cost of fixing/maintaining/cleaning up.
Pigeons (perhaps fed by a neighbor) are messy and ugly.
Woodpeckers can destroy wood homes, shingles and siding.
Great blue heron can eat valuable fish in your pond.
Starlings and blackbirds can eat the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor.
Canada geese will ravage grass and leave up to a pound a day (per goose) of droppings.
To end bird problems there are several options, depending on the budget, desires and restrictions of the homeowner.
Lethal options are not recommended, as they only treat the symptoms, not the problem itself. Meaning, poison, for example, does nothing to make the area undesirable to the birds; new birds will continue to come if there is a reason they like it there. Trapping birds is a lot of labor, and again doesn't do anything about new birds. Of course it's usually more desirable (and more economical) to treat the problem once and for all, not perpetually. Furthermore, lethal methods also cause extremely negative publicity among one’s neighbors.
But…birds are stubborn – they will want to stay if they’re happy and comfortable. The goal is to make the area undesirable and unappealing (via sound, odor, taste, visually or physically).

Sound deterrents

These are often employed against pigeons, woodpeckers, starlings and blackbirds. As birds will get used to the same sound repeated over and over, choose a device that has built-in change involved, for example one that varies in frequency, duration, and sequence, and features the sounds of both birds in distress and predators looking for food. This is a key factor in long-term discouragement.

Visual devices

Visual devices are usually used against pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, woodpeckers and more. As with sound deterrents, change is important. If you just put a plastic owl in the yard, they’ll quickly realize that it isn’t really a threat since it never moves. To work long-term, a repeller must involve movement. One option is a large orange sphere that has holograms on front and back. It appears to move when the bird looks at it from different angles. In addition to the eyes moving, it’s mounted on a spring that causes the entire predator to move and bounce in the wind.

Another visual option to scare birds away is iridescent bird deterrent foil. You simply cut off strips and attach them to fence posts, trees or rooftops to scare the birds away. As the strips blow in the wind, they catch sunlight, producing constantly changing colors and patterns. And the tape itself produces a metallic rattle, unnerving birds with the sound too.

Physical barriers

Bird spikes (think “barbed wire for birds”) prevent a bird from roosting on a nearby ledge, sill, roof peak, etc. Bird netting works well too. If birds don’t have easy, comfortable roosting access to your property, they are less likely to congregate there.

Taste aversions

A food-grade biodegradable spray (a bitter, smelly component of Concord grapes) will keep Canada geese from eating your grass, and will keep woodpeckers from finding your wood surfaces appetizing. This methyl anthranilate spray targets their taste and smell senses but won’t cause the environment any harm. In fact it has been used to flavor grape candy, soda and gum for years.

If you have an especially bad problem, or the birds have been returning for many years, you may want to use a combination of methods to scare the birds away. Whatever it takes to give the impression that your property is not a fun, relaxing, inviting place to stay.

Creative Vegetable Gardening with Kids

Give Them the Unusual and Surprise Them with Color!
Children and vegetables may not be a match made in heaven, but kids will love to vegetable garden if they grow these vegetables. We keep hearing that kids spend too much time indoors watching entertainment on a screen and eating junk food. The rate of overweight children and teens has nearly tripled in 20 years, increasing from 6% in from 1976 to 1980 to 16% from 1999 to 2000.*
Ease your kids into loving both vegetables and gardening by surprising them with the unexpected. Purple carrots and a tomato that masquarades as a pepper. Why not? And there's lots more where that came from.
*According to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, as reported by the Gallup Organization

How To Spring Bulbs: How To Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs

Spring flowering bulbs offer a reliable colorful display just when you need it most and they require very little effort. Choose bulbs suited to your area and many will improve year after year. The trick to growing large, healthy flowering bulbs is to prepare the soil well at planting. A rich, well draining soil with a balanced pH will feed the underground bulb and fuel the spring growth and flowers.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 30 - 60 Minutes per Dozen Bulbs
Here's How:

Choose healthy bulbs. Avoid bulbs that are dry and withered, spongy or moldy. In general, the larger the bulb for its type, the more flowers.

Choose an appropriate location. Most flowering bulbs prefer full sun, but that can be almost anywhere in the spring, before the trees leaf out. So don’t overlook a spot that seems perfect, just because it’s a bit shady in the fall. Woodland bulbs (Anemone nemorosa (Woodland Anemone), Arisaema (Jack-in-the-Pulpit), Erythronium (Dog's Tooth Violets), Galanthus (Snowdrops) and Trillium) prefer a bit of cool shade.

A well-drained soil will prevent the bulbs from rotting in cool weather.

In areas with cold winters, you can plant bulbs as long as the soil is soft enough to dig a hole. However they will have more time to begin growing roots if planted before mid-November.

In areas without a freezing winter, you may need to purchase pre-chilled bulbs, but you won’t have to plant your bulbs until early spring.

Plant with the pointed side up. The pointed end is the stem. You may even be able to see some shriveled roots on the flatter side. If you really can't tell, don't worry about it. The stem will find it's own way, sooner or later.

Plant bulbs to a depth of about 3 times their diameter. For Daffodils, that’s about 6 - 8 inches. Smaller bulbs can be planted to a depth of 3-4 inches and so on.

Mix some bone meal or superphosphate into the soil at the bottom of the hole at planting time, to encourage strong root growth. You could mix in some water soluble fertilizer as well, but it’s not necessary if you’ve already amended your soil.

If rodents tend to eat your bulbs, you can try sprinkling some red pepper in the planting hole. A more secure method is to plant your bulbs in a cage made of hardware cloth. The roots and stems grow through, but the rodents can’t get to the bulbs. Make it easy on yourself and make a cage large enough to plant at least a dozen bulbs. Or you can make it really easy on yourself and stick to daffodils, which rodents and most other animals avoid.

Replace the soil on top of the bulbs. Water the bulbs after planting, to help them settle in and close any air pockets. Through the fall and winter, you only need to worry about watering your bulbs if you’re having a particularly dry season. Come spring, you should be well rewarded for all your efforts.


Tips:
For A Natural Effect: Bulbs look best in clumps or drifts. To get a natural looking effect, either dig a large area and plant several bulbs at once or simply toss the bulbs into the air and dig holes and plant where ever they fall. You’ll be surprised how well this works.
Mark Your Plantings: To make sure you don't disturb your bulbs by trying to plant something in the same spot, mark where and what you have planted.
Spring Care: When your bulbs have finished flowering, cut back the flower stalks to ground level. It can get ugly, but let the foliage of your flowering bulbs dieback naturally. Resist the temptation to cut it back while still green, but floppy. The bulb needs this time to photosynthesize and make food reserves to produce next year’s flowers.
To Divide Bulbs: Many bulbs spread and increase, making the original planting over crowded. If your bulbs are flowering as well as they used to, this is probably the case. If you wish to move or divide your flowering bulbs, the safest time is when they enter their dormant period. This is usually just after the foliage completely dies back. Dormancy is brief, even though nothing is happening above ground, so don’t put this task off.
What You Need:
Bulbs

Shovel, Trowel or Bulb Planter
Bone Meal or Superphosphate
Water

Transcript

Hi, I am Charlie Siegchrist for About.com Home and Garden. This segment is about how to edge a garden.
Tools Needed to Edge a GardenFor the task of edging your landscape bed, you will need the following tools:
A pair of wooden stakes
A hammer with which to drive them in
String to connect the stakes
For cutting that edge, either a square-bottomed, sharpened nursery spade or a half-moon edger.A half-moon edger has a step like this and then a half moon blade of steel. Alternately you can rent at home and garden centers a motorized edger that is probably twenty times faster if you have enough garden to justify the expense.
Benefits of Edging a GardenWe undertake edging for a couple of reasons. Obviously a crisp, neat line enhances the appearance. Second, we stop the encroachment of lawn grass into the garden where it can become a weed problem.
Creating a Straight Garden EdgeWe want to establish a clean edge, so we need to work where the grass is thick enough to not look raggedy, and we have to be far enough into the lawn to take up any bald strips. So, we start the stake here. You can tie a loop in your twine and that fits loosely over the stake. We can then execute a simple knot.
Start EdgingWe put this spade to where it is just touching the string, and punch in far enough, a couple of inches are all we need, and move down the string. And then once we are done we can come in from the other side and undercut the sods, and that sod should just peel out as one piece. At then end we are left with a nice clean edge. This is good soil here, so we can cut the roots off and they will not regenerate. We will get most of that soil saved and brushed back into our line, and you can see what a difference in appearance for the time it takes to edge your garden. Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at homegarden.about.com. See you there.

Garden buildings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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(This section would benefit from more material on garden buildings in China and Japan)
Arguably, the oldest fragment of a garden building is at Pasargadae in Iran. It was an encampment garden and the building was a pavilion dwelling for Cyrus the Great. The Romans erected numerous small pavilions in gardens and examples survive at Pompeii. The making of luxury gardens resumed with the renaissance and so did the construction of garden buildings. The taste for garden buildings then spread north of the Alps and small buildings became characteristic of the English Landscape Garden.
The small and highly decorative garden buildings in Chinese and Japanese gardens originated as Buddhist temples. They were well-cared for and frequently rebuilt after fires (often caused by lightening).
Garden buildings remain popular in modern gardens but their use tends to be more functional than aesthetic. They are used to store equipment, for games, for swimming, as garden offices, as summer houses, as sun rooms and for plant propagation.
The most contemporary use for garden buildings is indeed as garden offices. These can range from much loved garden sheds that have been upgraded by their owners garden offices.
Many people installing garden buildings in Britain are unaware of the controls and restrictions. Even a shed can be subject to planning permission or building regulations, if it is used to house human activity.

History of gardening

This entry concerns the history of ornamental gardening considered as an amenity of civilized life, as a vehicle for style, for conspicuous show and even an expression of philosophy.
See also subsistence gardening, the art and craft of growing plants, considered as a circumscribed form of individual agriculture.
Though cultivation of plants for food long predates history, the earliest evidence for ornamental gardens is seen in Egyptian tomb paintings of the 1500s BC; they depict lotus ponds surrounded by rows of acacias and palms. The other ancient gardening tradition is of Persia: Darius the Great was said to have had a "paradise garden" and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were renowned as a Wonder of the World. Persian influences extended to post-Alexander's Greece: around 350 BC there were gardens at the Academy of Athens, and Theophrastus, who wrote on botany, was supposed to have inherited a garden from Aristotle. Epicurus also had a garden where he walked and taught, and bequeathed it to Hermarchus of Mytilene. Alciphron also mentions private gardens.
The most influential ancient gardens in the western world were the Ptolemy's gardens at Alexandria and the gardening tradition brought to Rome by Lucullus. Wall paintings in Pompeii attest to elaborate development later, and the wealthiest of Romans built enormous gardens, many of whose ruins are still to be seen, such as at Hadrian's Villa.
Byzantium and Moorish Spain kept garden traditions alive after the 4th century. By this time a separate gardening tradition had arisen in China, which was transmitted to Japan, where it developed into aristocratic miniature landscapes centered on ponds and separately into the severe Zen gardens of temples.
In Europe, gardening revived in Languedoc and the Ile-de-France in the 13th century, and in the Italian villa gardens of the early Renaissance. French parterres developed at the end of the 16th century and reached high development under Andre le Notre. English landscape gardens opened a new perspective in the 18th century.
The 19th century saw a welter of historical revivals and Romantic cottage-inspired gardening, as well as the rise of flower gardens, which became dominant in home gardening in the 20th century.
20th century gardening expanded into city planning

Garden Design as a Vocation

Garden design is the art and process of designing the layout and planting of domestic gardens and landscapes. Garden owners showed an increasing interest in garden design during the late twentieth century and there was also a significant expansion in the use of professional garden designers. Some garden owners have enough skill and experience to design their own gardens, but this is comparatively rare. Sissinghurst, one of the most admired gardens made in the twentieth century, was designed by its owners: Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West.
Garden designers usually are trained in both design and in horticulture, and have an expert knowledge and experience of using plants. Garden designers are also concerned with the layout of hard landscape, such as paths, walls, water features, sitting areas and decking.

History

The theory of garden design and landscape architecture can be traced to Vitruvius. Though he had little to say specifically about the design of outdoor space, Vitruvius put forward the influential theory that the objectives for all design projects are: Commodity (utilitas), Firmness (firmitas) and Delight (venustas).

Before the Renaissance, garden design was usually carried out by garden owners or by the professionals they employed (horticulturalists, architects, surveyors, sculptors etc). In China and Japan, gardens were often designed by scholars, artists, poets, painters and priests. In Europe, it seems likely that professional training for garden designers began in seventeenth century France. After the time of Le Notre it was accepted that both an artistic and a horticultural training were necessary. Various garden design courses were established in Europe during the nineteenth century and in the twentieth century many of them changed over to the teaching of landscape architecture. Towards the end of the twentieth century there was a re-emergence of university level education programmes in garden design.

Traditionally, garden designs were set out on the ground. With Renaissance advances in plan drawing it became common for gardens to be designed on paper and transferred to the ground using surveying instruments, including tape measures and theodolites. With the invention of Computer Aided Design (CAD) towards the end of the twentieth century it is becoming increasingly common for garden designers to work on computer screens and then print paper plans which are issued to garden builders. A range of CAD programmes is used including vector drawing software, bitmap editing software, 3D modelling software and animation software. Some of these programmes are able to 'print' 3D models as well paper plans.

Garden design courses

Education in garden design has emerged from the older traditions of training in horticulture and architecture. Horticulturalists receive a technical education with a scientific underpinning. Garden designers require a knowledge of horticulture and building construction but also require the skills in art and design traditionally associated with architectural education. This is often provided with a Bauhaus type art foundation course in drawing, painting and 3D modelling. Since garden designers draw upon the historic legacy of garden design they also require knowledge of the history of gardens. A garden design education can be obtained via a 3 or 4 year university course or by shorter, intensive courses, often run by private colleges, with a duration of around 1 year.

The Inchbald School of Design, in association with the University of Wales, offers an MA course in Garden Design. The University of Greenwich offers a Master of Arts in Garden Design and also an MA in Garden History. University College Falmouth also offers both BA(Hons) and MA courses in Garden Design. A number of part-time certificate and diploma courses are available at various private colleges in the UK, including Garden Design School and Merrist Wood College - both in Surrey.

Developing a Garden Design

Before the garden is actually built and planned, drawings would be helpful to formulate, express, and develop the sense of garden’s design. The schematic plan, which is the first drawing of the garden’s design, can be used to show the main proposed features and planting areas. It is a quick visualization that sets out the general and broad proposals for the garden. All subsequent drawings are usually based on this plan, so it should be considered important.

Selecting a Location

The main issue when constructing a garden is where to make it. Many of the great gardens in the history and today often include: a location that is topographically significant, a suitable microclimate for plants, a well-designed connection to water, and rich soil. However, a good garden design, which is well-planed and constructed, can boost up the value of the garden more than just its location.

Elements (Ingredients) of Garden Design

1. Conditioning the Ground (soil)

First, excavated subsoil and topsoil carefully need to be replaced; then, the soil should be aerated thoroughly so it can be crumbly by digging it. Also, "conditioning the soil thoroughly before planting enables the plants to establish themselves quickly and so play their part in the design."[1] Since “many native plants prefer an impoverished soil, and the closer to their natural habitat they are in the garden, the better,” a poor soil is better than a rich soil that has been artificially enriched.[2]

2. Boundaries

The look of the garden can be influenced strongly by the boundary impinges. Planting can be used to modify the boundary line or a line between an area of rough grass and smooth, depending on the size of the plot. Introducing internal boundaries, perhaps in the form of hedges or group of shrubs, can help break up a garden.
 Hedges
The hedges vary their colors throughout the seasons dramatically. The hedges, being strong features in a garden, are often used to divide sections of the garden. However, since they use the moisture and nutrient from the garden soil to grow as well as other plants, they may not be a good choice and may bring a negative effect to the other plants.
 Walls
Besides the boundaries that are made up of plants like the hedges, walls made up of various materials can be built between regions. There are broadly three types of walling material: stone, either random or coursed, brick, and concrete in its various forms. It is good to determine what color, size, and texture will be most appropriate for the garden before actually building the wall.
 Fencing
According to Brookes, fencing can offer an alternative solution, is the walls are too solid for the region of the garden. There are several numbers of fence types that can be used for a garden: animal-proof fence for country situations, peep-proof fences for the suburbs, and urban fences that provide shelter from the winds in exposed roof-top gardens and create internal barriers

3. Alternative Surfacing

Usually, a smooth expanse of lawn is often considered essential to a garden. However, a textured surface “made up of loose gravel, small pebbles, or wood chips is much more satisfactory visually” than a smooth surface.[3] According to Brookes, creating a relaxed feel to a garden is often done by loose surfacing made up of bark chips, pebbles, gravels; also, the various textures, shapes, sizes, colors, and materials of many different paving elements can contribute to making a garden plan pattern and texture, if they are mixed successfully.

4. Water

Water plays a very important role in the garden since wet conditions foster rampant growth of the plants. Water spigots and pipes throughout the garden are helpful in providing a wide range of wild life and plant habitats. The water pipes must be placed below the frost line in order to avoid them from freezing in cold weathers.

5. Garden Furniture

The garden furniture is available in a range of materials, and it may be more creative than without furniture and by making use of it. It offers to explore how things can be creative not just being visual in the gardens. The wood is the most common material to make the garden furniture. Besides the wooden furniture, metal can be sometimes a better choice than the wooden ones since it is more durable than wood. Also, more creative sources like plastic can be used.http://soils.usda.gov/survey/WSS-Brochure.pdf

6. Electrical Outlets

If there is a lead to the water pump or a fridge in the pool house, electrical outlets should be established so they can function in the garden. The cables for all these power outlets must be laid before the construction of the garden begins. At the depth mandated by local building codes, three romex direct-burial cables can be laid in a marked or known situation such as just beside a path.

7. Lighting

Since most plants require direct light for their growth, lighting is an important factor to consider when designing a garden. Light regulates three major plant processes: photosynthesis, phototropism, and photoperiodism. Photosynthesis provides the energy required to produce the energy source of plants. Phototropism is the effect of light on plant growth that causes the plant to grow toward or away from the light.[4] Photoperiodism is a plant’s response or capacity to respond to photoperiod, a recurring cycle of light and dark periods of constant length.[5]
In most cases, various types of lighting techniques may be classified and defined by heights: safety lighting, uplighting, and downlighting. Safety lighting is the most practical application. However, it is more important to determine the type of lamps and fitting s needed to create the desired effects.

Garden designer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term garden designer can refer either to an amateur or a professional. Amateurs design their own gardens. Professionals design other people's gardens. The compositional elements of garden design are: landform, water, planting, buildings, paving and climate. Professional garden designers and landscape architects are both trained in the technical and aesthetic skills.
Illustration from a popular nineteenth century book on garden design: Edward Kemp's How to lay out a garden. The drawing shows how to plant a group of trees with views to the scenery beyond

Garden Designers are skilled specialists dealing with design, advice and sometimes management of landscapes and garden areas. They will survey, source, draw and develop a garden from start to finish. This category of person is properly described as a 'garden designer'. But in history, most gardens have been designed by untrained amateurs and many have been designed by people whose design training was not in the design of gardens.

A wide range of design methods have been used by garden designers, relating partly to the historical period in which they worked and partly to the professional discipline with which they have the closest relationship. One can, for example, speak of an 'architect's garden' an 'artist's garden' or a 'plantsman's garden'. Treating the subject historically, one can say that ancient gardens were likely to have been 'drawn' directly on the ground, that renaissance gardens were drawn on paper and that modern gardens are 'drawn' on a computer screen. The design process always has an influence on the design product.

Garden design education

Traditionally, garden designers were trained under the apprentice system. Specialist university-level garden design courses were established in the twentieth century, generally attached to departments of agriculture or horticulture. In the second half of the twentieth century many of these coures changed their name, and their focus, from garden design to landscape architecture. Towards the end of the twentieth century a number of BA Garden Design courses were established with the emphasis on design rather than horticulture. But horticultural colleges continue to train garden designers.

Books

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Types of Lilies

But which lilies to choose???

The catalogs, with their pages and pages of breathtaking pictures and tempting descriptions, are a marvelous confusion of exciting possibilities. Some are easier than other…some bloom earlier…or later. Some need full sun…others prefer a bit of shade. If you are looking for a list of good lily varieties to grow in your garden, be sure to visit the NALS Popularity Poll page.We can’t tell you about each one, but there is a Horticultural Classification that arranges the various types of lilies into broad groups according to parentage, further classified by flower shape.

American Hybrids – Horticultural Division 4

There are many native lilies in North America…and the western species have been used to create some very beautiful and graceful lilies. The bulbs are unique…made up of little jointed scales, and the blooms like bouncy bright balloons on swinging curved pedicels. Division 4 lilies can be challenging outside of the western United States and Canada, but their unique beauty certainly makes them worth trying. With growing conditions that suit them, which includes a cool light soil and dappled shade, they can rapidly make impressive clumps.Division 4 includes hybrids derived from North American species, such as L pardalinum, L humboldtii, L kelloggii, and L parryii.

Longiflorum Hybrids – Horticultural Division 5
This division includes hybrids derived from L longiflorum and L formosanum. These hybrids are generally elegant white trumpets, easily raised from seed, but not particularly hardy in the garden.

Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids – Horticultural Division 6

To some people, no lily is a real lily unless it is a trumpet! Who can deny that a trumpet lily is like no other plant in the garden…tall, stately, serene and magnificent…with huge waxy flowers full of fragrance? And colors…not only pure glistening white, but bright gold, yellow, chartreuse, pink, plum, and apricot are available…some with backs of brown or purple or iridescent green!
Aurelians are hybrids that include Lilium henryi in their ancestry. L. henryi is a rugged species that has tightly recurved orange or yellow flowers, giving the aurelians a wide range of flower shapes and colors.

Trumpets and aurelians bloom in mid to late season, and their huge flower heads may require staking. They may also require a mulch in cold winter areas, and some protection from late spring frosts… but these little services are amply repaid by the long season of spectacular, fragrant bloom.

Division 6 includes hybrids derived from L luecanthum, L regale, L sargentiae, L sulphureum, and L henryi.

Oriental Hybrids – Horticultural Division 7

Lilies of this exotic group are not among the easiest to grow, particularly in hot summer areas. But you will try them…we know! Often called “Stargazers “, these lilies have huge flowers with wonderful fragrance… in shades of white, pink, salmon, and crimson. Give them partial shade, plenty of water, humus rich soil that is slightly acid, and mulch for a cool root run.

Division 7 includes hybrids derived from L auratum, L speciosum, L nobilissimum, L rubellum, L alexandrae, and L japonicum.

Miscellaneous Hybrids – Horticultural Division 8

Division 8 includes hybrids that are not provided for in any previous division, including crosses between divisions. “Orienpets”, hybrids between Division 7 (oriental) and Division 6 (trumpet & aurelian) lilies are a prominent example, and you will surely want to include them in your garden. They combine the beautiful flower shape and color of the orientals …with the ruggedness and dependability of trumpets and aurelians. They are much better suited to hot summer areas than the orientals, and …more resistant to winter cold.

Species – Horticultural Division 9

Species lilies are wild lilies. Native lilies occur in North America, Europe, and especially Asia…Japan, China, Burma, & India. It is from these wild lilies that breeders have created their magnificent hybrids for our gardens. Species lilies oftentimes possess a delicate charm that appeals to many people, and many of the species make fine garden plants…while others are a real challenge to grow.

Increasing Lilies Vegetatively

This is the fastest way to increase your bulbs. You will be producing exact duplicates of the original bulb - so called "clones." Because all of the genetic material is still present in the plant tissues, any viruses which have affected the "mother" bulb will be present in the "babies." In theory, if the bulblets grow quick enough and with repeated scaling, you may be able to lessen the effect of viral infections on a valuable or rare cultivar. (Large photo is of bulb scales ready for incubation, small photo is of Asiatic scales, field planted. Click on photos to enlarge them.)

Step #1. Start with fresh-harvested, locally grown bulbs. The lily’s reproductive cells need to be on a natural cycle for best vitality. Do not use cheaply obtained lily bulbs, either in spring or September, from questionable sources. These usually are bulbs that were left unsold from the greenhouse forcing market and have been unnaturally stored in freezers for over a year. Dehydration from long storage will cause their growth to be marginal when compared to fresh bulbs. Best results are from lily bulbs fresh from the garden, scaled in October, with the new bulblets planted outdoors in March.

Step #2. To begin, remove all of the outer two rings of scales and discard. Carefully break off the remaining layers of bulbs, completely down to the "pit" - the center of the bulb, where the shoot emerges.

Step #3. Set out the "scales" and the "pit" to dry overnight. DO NOT wash the scales to "clean them," or you risk contamination. They will air-dry and the broken surface will callous, naturally protecting the scales from fungus. The next day you may replant the lily bulb core. It will put up a pathetic-looking stem the first year, but should recover the following season with a bloom or two.

Step #4. Place scales between layers of slightly damp vermiculite or peat (sterilized) in a plastic bag that is loosely folded at the top. Place in a warm, evenly heated location of about 70?F. for 8 to 10 weeks. Do not allow any lily scales to come in direct contact with the plastic bag. If water droplets form on the plastic, there is too much moisture - open the bag immediately to allow in more air.

Step #5. When bulblets are about the size of green peas or shelled filberts (their growth depending on the type of lily) they are moved into cold storage for their first "winter." After six to eight weeks of temperatures just above freezing, the bulblets are ready to be planted either outdoors or in a greenhouse.

Step #6. Scatter in weed-free, perfectly drained ground, covering the bulblets with only one inch of soil. Keep bulblets evenly moist the first summer, checking soil moisture before irrigation. Do not allow the soil to completely dry, or all growth will stop for the summer. Most cultivars will send up tiny stems from 4 to 12 inches in height, depending on the Lilium type.

Step #7. These yearlings may be harvested and moved to a permanent location in October. Most will have one or two flowers the second year, but Asiatics require an additional two years of growth and Orientals, three years, before they are of commercial size.©2002, B&D Lilies, All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to B&D Lilies First in Garden Lilies™ since 1978.(This site was updated on Wednesday, April 4, 2007)

Growing lilies in pots

Most lilies grow well in pots, although taller types require support. Among the more suitable species are Lilium auratum, L. formosanum, L. longiflorum and L. speciosum. Short-growing (60cm/2ft) Asiatic hybrids (‘Apollo’ and Cote D’Azur’, for example) and the ‘Pixie’ series (50cm/20in) are also suitable.
Planting density and compost

Plant single large bulbs (10-12cm/4-5in diameter) in 20-23cm (8-9in) pots, and three to four smaller bulbs (5-8cm/2-3in diameter) in 23-25cm (9-10in) pots. Allow 5cm (2in) between bulbs and use only deep pots.
Use John Innes Compost No 3, with the addition of 20% by volume each of horticultural grit and ericaceous compost or leafmould is suitable for most lilies, except lime-haters such as L. auratum and L. speciosum. They are heavy feeders, so add a controlled-release fertiliser when planting.

Time and planting

Ideally plant in early autumn, although bulbs can be planted until spring. Place a 5cm (2in) layer of drainage material, such as crocks or small stones, in the pot base before beginning to fill with compost.

Some lilies root from the base of the bulb, such as the Asiatic hybrids, while others, including L. formosanum, L. lancifolium and L. longiflorum, also produce roots from the stem, just above the bulb; for these you may need a deeper pot. Plant basal-rooting lilies (or those whose habit is unknown) at a depth equal to the height of the bulb. Place stem-rooting lilies at a depth roughly two-and-a-half times the height of the bulb. Allow 5cm between bulbs.

Temperature and watering

Keep pots in a cool but frost-free, airy place with strong light, such as a well-ventilated cold greenhouse or frame. Ensure the compost moist at all times, but not wet. To force plants move to 18-21ºC when shoots appear. When in growth water freely. Lilies are gross feeders, so use a high potassium tomato feed every fortnight during summer. Re-pot in autumn.

Aftercare

As the stems begin to wither repot or transfer bulbs to the garden. In larger containers lilies can be grown on for a second season, but ensure that the top 5cm of compost is replaced with fresh compost.

In southern England many lilies will be fully hardy and can be left outside in larger pots year round. It may, however, be necessary to wrap the pots in winter with bubble polythene in cold areas to protect against frost.

Tips on Growing and Caring for Easter Lilies

A master gardener's tips for growing lilies.


Lilies are the most regal of all flowers - true garden aristocrats. Stunning in cut arrangements, potted, naturalized, or in formal gardens, lilies are favorites of florists and home gardeners alike. Lilies are as easy to grow as any other perennial if you select varieties that are suited to your growing region and follow a few simple rules.
Modern breeding techniques have produced an incredible variety of lilies, tall or short; in distinctive forms, upright or candelabra; and stunning colors ranging from pure white through creams and pastels, pinks, yellows, oranges, golds, and vivid reds. All are equally lovely, so making choices for your garden will be difficult.
Most lilies grow best in region 8 northward through the warmer areas of region 4. Lilies do poorly in the desert southwest. In the western sections of growing regions 9 and 10, lilies should be planted where they will receive afternoon shade. While they do not require special soil, lilies must not be planted in any location where water will stand on the bulbs. A porous, rapid-draining soil is best. If your soil contains too much clay, add sand, moistened peat moss, or compost to increase porosity. It has been said that lilies, like clematis, “prefer their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade.” The best location is one in sun or light shade among ground covers such as vinca or ferns.
Lilies grow from scaly bulbs. The bulbs are planted in autumn, either September, October, or November, depending on your growing region. Ideally, the bulbs are sold with roots attached. Since they are never completely dormant, they should be planted as soon as you bring them home. Lilies are very attractive planted in groups. Loosen the soil to a depth of at least 10 inches, then moisten the ground where the bulbs are to be planted to promote immediate root growth. Plant large bulbs (those 3 inches or more in diameter) at least 10 inches apart covered with 4 or 5 inches of soil. Cover smaller bulbs with about 3 inches of soil. Water the bulbs after planting to settle the soil. In colder growing regions, mulch the ground above the bulbs after freezing weather.

Lilies respond well to ample feeding. In spring and early summer, apply a complete fertilizer or a combination of organic nutrients that provide adequate amounts of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Water thoroughly. Shoots sometime emerge in early spring before the last frost. If a heavy frost or freeze is predicted, cover the lilies so the buds will not be ruined. Do not cultivate deeply around your lilies since there are feeder roots near the surface of the soil that can be easily damaged.
Depending on the variety, blooms begin in May and continue through September. For cut arrangements, the blooms will last longer if the buds are cut when they are fully colored. Be aware that cutting more than one-third of the length of the stem will weaken the bulb for next year. Remember, the more foliage this year, the more blossoms you will have next year. When blooming is over, cut off the developing seed pod but leave the stem and all the leaves.
Lilies can be propagated by using scales from the bulbs or with bulblets produced on the underground stem. Either method requires two to three years for a bulb to reach sufficient size to produce a bloom. Non-hybrid lilies can also be propagated from seed, but that method should be left to the experts.
Some of the best lilies for beginners are the coral lily, madonna lily, regal lily, tiger lily, showy lily, Olympic hybrids, Aurelian hybrids, and mid-century hybrids.
Lilies add rich colors and splendid form to almost any landscape. From the classic to the ornate, they will delight your senses and enhance your gardening experience.

A Beautiful Symbol of the Easter Season and Maybe Even Gardening Seasons to Come

From Marie lannotti

Easter Lilies, (Lilium longiflorum), with their large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers and wonderful fragrance are a traditional Easter time treat. More than likely your Easter Lily was grown by one of a handful of growers located along the border of California and Oregon, an area labeled the “Easter Lily Capital of the World”. Ninety-five percent of the 11 ½ million Eater Lilies grown and sold originate in this capital.

Lilium longiflorum is actually a native of the southern islands of Japan. A World War I soldier, Louis Houghton, is credited with starting U.S. Easter Lily production when he brought a suitcase full of lily bulbs with him to the southern coast of Oregon in 1919. He gave them away to friends and when the supply of bulbs from Japan was cut off as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the rising price of the bulbs suddenly made the lily business a viable industry for these hobby growers and earned the bulbs the nickname “White Gold”.

How to Choose an Easter LilyWe’re all tempted to buy plants that are already in full bloom, but immediate gratification won’t translate into long term enjoyment.

Here are some tips for choosing lily plants that will last through the holiday season and beyond:
Choose a plant with flowers and buds in various stages of development, preferably from tight bud to partially opened flower.

• Make sure the foliage is dense, extends all the way down the stem to the soil line and has a uniform rich, healthy, green color.
• 
  Check the plant for signs of insects (eggs, webbing, actual bugs, chewed leaves) and disease (dark spots, crinkling, wilting).
• 
  Select a plant that is about two-times as tall as the pot. A plant that has outgrown its pot will be stressed

Easter Lily Care in the HouseKeep your Easter Lilies blooming by taking a few easy precautions.
Display your plant in bright, but indirect sunlight.
Protect your Easter Lily from drafts and heat sources, such as fireplaces, heaters and appliances.

Remove the yellow anthers from the flower centers. This helps prolong the life of the blossoms and prevents the pollen on the anthers from staining the flowers, your hands, clothing, tablecloths, rugs and anything else it can find its way to.

Cool daytime temperatures in the 60 - 65 degree F. range will prolong the life of the blooms. The temperature can be even cooler at night.

Water the your Easter Lily only when the soil becomes dry to the touch and don’t leave it dry for an extended period of time.

If the lily’s pot is in a decorative foil wrapper, be sure water is not accumulating under the pot. More plants die from over watering than under watering.
Remove flowers has they fade and wither.

Transplanting and Re-Blooming Easter Lilies

It may be possible to plant your Easter Lily outdoors and have it bloom again for you, next season. The success rate will vary, as with all florist plants that have been forced into bloom. But it is possible and what have you got to loose?
Wait until all the flowers have withered and been removed from the plant. Keep the plant watered and in indirect sunlight until it is ready to go outside.

Wait until all danger of frost has passed and find a sunny, well draining spot in your garden.
Amend the soil with some organic matter, if needed. Soil pH should be a neutral 6.5 to 7.0.
Plant the Easter Lily bulb to the same depth it was in the pot.

Add an additional 2-inch layer of organic mulch. Lilies like sunshine, but cool soil.

The original leaves and stem will start to brown. When this begins to happen, cut the plant down to a healthy, green leaf. New growth should soon emerge from the base of the plant. Let the plant grow foliage the first year.

The new growth will turn yellow in the fall and the lily plant can then be cut back to soil level.

Top dress the soil with bulb fertilizer or blood meal. Work into surrounding soil, making sure not to disturb the lilies roots.

Apply a few more inches of mulch to insulate the plant through the winter.

Remove the mulch as the weather warms in the spring.

Begin applying a balanced fertilizer as soon as new growth appears and monthly until the lily blooms.

Be patient. It may take a couple of year’s for your plant to build up enough resources to set flower buds. Easter Lilies naturally bloom in June/July, so don’t look for flowers next Easter.
If you’ve come this far successfully, keep your lily well watered the first year as it establishes itself and then treat it as you would any other lily.

Choosing Easter Lily Bulbs

There are many beautiful white lilies to choose from, but the most popular cultivar grown for Easter Lilies if “Nellie White”. Nellie was a selection made by lily grower James White and named for his wife. You probably won’t have much luck getting your Easter Lilies to reliably bloom for Easter, but they will make a lovely and welcome addition to your summer garden.