[tallulah]

Hi there - am looking for some tips on what to do with a cluster of lilies that came up in my border.  I think they may have been day lilies - delicate yellow flowers that didn't last long, but there were lots of them.  Now the foliage has died down, they look like they've spread in a wide circle.  Can I dig them up, separate them  and replant them?  Or will it be better to leave them where they are?  All advice welcome!  Additionally - I really fancy growing oriental lilies this year - when are the roots/tubers available in the garden centres, and when is the optimum time to plant?

[compostqueen]

day lilies aren't difficult and I think they'd stand a bit of splitting up and moving.  Yellow day lilies look really nice planted alongside a blue campanula persificolia or two  

You can get lilies from Wilko, they do all sorts of types and colours and aren't expensive. Lilies seem to last for years     I've got some beauties in my garden which I inherited but they're not ones I've seen in the shops. I think they could be Martagon. Whatever they are they smell fab  

I think you're supposed to plant lilies in Spring or Autumn. They're very hardy and will last yonks

[tallulah]

Thanks for that, compostqueen!  I shall try splitting the clump,

[compostqueen]

I got a boxed day lily cheap from Somerfield. Took it home, forgot about it but found it months later when it looked completely dead and mouldy. I planted it (nothing ventured an all that) and it produced some healthy looking green shoots. I reckon next summer it will produce flowers  

[Trillium]

Although you can plant lily bulbs in the spring, they'll do best planted now or asap. Like garlic, lilies like to set roots in cool/cold weather, ready for spring and give you optimal growth. When you plant your lily bulb, set it on a mound of firmed sand and set it all so that the finished mound sits above the existing soil line. Lily bulbs are very suspectible to wet rot so surface mounding will drain away water.

[Salmo]

Yes you can split day lilies. They are pretty tough and provide a beautiful show.

I grow oriental lilies in pots and place them in my beds to brighten up dull spots. They put up with me forgetting to water them. They are suseptable to vine weevil grubs and also have their own pest, scarlet lily beetles, which are unsurprisingly a most striking scarlet.

[tallulah]

Thanks everyone.  I've never really paid much attention to lillies before, but I suddenly feel a new passion coming on!