Freesia,Gladioli and Lillium

[Snadger]

Just bought some plump bulbs at Aldi for 99p per pack!

I got one pack of 40 Gladioli 12/14cm (decent sized corms!) one pack of 12 Lilium Asiatic Mixed 12/14cm and one pack of 60 Freesis bulbs 4/5cms.

I have grown Gladdys before so no problem there but I am a bit lost off with how to go about planting the Lilies and freesia which I would like to use for cut flowers!

Not much information on the packaging so any advice appreciated!

[rustylady]

Lilies can be started off now in individual small pots (frost free) and then planted out into the open ground if you wish or into bigger pots. I've never had any luck at all with Freesias although I love the flowers, so can't advise you on them.

[nick the grief]

Hi Snadger,

the Lillies you can plant exactly how RL suggest - thats how I doo mine. Freesias - Mrs G loves freesias and every time I've tried them I get laods of leef & not so much as a sniff of a flower - bit like your sweet peas I've usually bought them like you have and I wonder if it is the way the bulbs/corms have been treated previously that has something to do with it. I guess there's a reason for them being so cheap is it cos they are not grade 1 bulbs? So best of luck and if it works can you tell me please

[roitelet]

I have grown Fressias in the past and had very good flowers when I grew them from seed but not a lot of luck when I planted corms. T&M are supposed to be sending me some free corms this year so I will be interested to see how they do.

[smallblueplanet]

We planted some freesias bulbs last year (they're one of my fave flowers - love 'em, don't know why.). They were planted 8cm deep, 10cm spacing in a big pot of ordinary compost. They flowered no problem. (You were probably too fussy with your's Nick! )

Saved them over winter and will try planting them again very soon.

[nick the grief]

We planted some freesias bulbs last year (they're one of my fave flowers - love 'em, don't know why.). They were planted 8cm deep, 10cm spacing in a big pot of ordinary compost. They flowered no problem. (You were probably too fussy with your's Nick! )

Saved them over winter and will try planting them again very soon.

I've tried planting them deep, shallow, in pots, in the ground in the greenhouse bed not a sodding snifter!!

[Snadger]

Hi Snadger,

the Lillies you can plant exactly how RL suggest - thats how I doo mine. Freesias - Mrs G loves freesias and every time I've tried them I get laods of leef & not so much as a sniff of a flower - bit like your sweet peas I've usually bought them like you have and I wonder if it is the way the bulbs/corms have been treated previously that has something to do with it. I guess there's a reason for them being so cheap is it cos they are not grade 1 bulbs? So best of luck and if it works can you tell me please

Does this mean that if I can get the freesias to flower you will stop giving me grief (he, he) about my sweet peas Nic???

P.S I've actually had freesia's flowering in pots in greenhouse(albeit 20 years ago!)but wondered about planting outside in beds?

[nick the grief]

No chance

[Alice]

Hello Snadger, you'll have no problem with the lillies. Just plant them in the ground or in pots, whatever you prefer, and they'll be up. I have them both ways and they do great. The only thing you have to watch out for is the slugs particularly like the new shoots.
But the freesias I have never had any success with. Maybe I planted them in hopeless places and didn't have time to look after them properly. I think I might try them again and see how they get on with a bit of care and attention. Good luck with yours.

[Bravestick]

This is my first post, so be gentle! Freesias are my all time favourite flowers and I grow them every year. What I've found is that sometimes they haven't all come up, sometimes they have, but some with no flowers. I used to get annoyed as all the packs I bought used to say the corms had been treated and were only good for one season. One year I forgot to plant any (don't ask, stupid's my speciality) and lo and behold - up came the freesias that hadn't done anything the previous year.

I'd advise planting them in pots (so you know where they are!). That way, if you don't have any joy with them, you can easily set them aside till next year. Bet they'll come up!

[roitelet]

Welcome to the vine Bravestick, hope you enjoy it.

To all of you with lily queries. Last year I planted some assorted lilies as space fillers and left them in the ground and guess what? They are shooting already. Apart from slugs watch out for lily beetles. Beautiful bright red beetles about 1/2 inch long BUT the lavae whick look like blobs of bird poo will strip the leaves in no time and gnaw their way into the flower buds. The way I dealt with them was to check the lilies daily and squash them YUCK but it worked and I had a wonderful show

[Alice]

Welcome to the Vine Bravestick, and thanks for the Freesia advice.

[nick the grief]

Top Bananna Bravestick, I'm tempted to try again just to win some brownie points of Mrs G

Enjoy yourself on the vine ....... we do

[smallblueplanet]

Go for it Nick, we can compare blooms.