Planting tiger lily bulbils

How do I know when the bulbils are ready to be picked off my tiger lilies so I can try to plant them for next year?

Judy



Hi, Judy.

Bulbils develop in the early part of the season and fall off several weeks after the plant flowers. The best time to replant them is when you see them begin to fall on their own or when they separate easily from the mother plant. You can pot them up in outdoor pots or plant them directly into a nursery bed. (Bulbils tend to dry up or rot if you try to keep them indoors.)

Bulbils begin growing roots in the late summer and continue through the fall and then go dormant during the winter. In the spring, you'll usually get only one leaf and it may actually take three or four years before you get a plant that flowers.

(Be sure to let some of the bulbils fall to the ground next to your existing lilies until you're sure they will maintain themselves.)