You probably think that lilies, because they are so big and beautiful, will take years and years to grow from seed but they don't. Many will bloom in only eighteen months if the proper procedures are used.

epigeal or “quick-type” seed
It is best for beginners to start with the epigeal or “quick type” seeds, such as Asiatics, Trumpets and most Orienpets. They are best planted in a 200mm pot or better still an old polystyrene vegetable box which should easily accommodate 40+ seeds.

If you have planted seeds indoors before, you will have your own pet planting medium. A light fluffy soil, such as a good quality potting mix sold in stores. Some gardeners use soil to almost fill the container, and then add a thin layer of milled cocoa fibre for the seeds to lie on, and cover with more of the same material. Lilium seeds are quite large and should be spaced about 50mm apart.

Water thoroughly, and place in a warm place, making sure to keep the soil barely moist. If good fresh seed is used the seedlings should start to appear in about fourteen days…maybe sooner. Place the container in good light…fluorescent lights work well if your windowsills are crowded.  Water and light are all the seedlings need for a while. When most of the seed has sprouted, you may start feeding them about every two weeks with dilute fertilizer, half strength seaweed extract.

The first grass like leaves are called cotyledons. The first true leaves which are broader will appear in about four more weeks…and in fairly rapid succession from then on.

Transplant the seedlings outdoors early in the second autumn (early March) as this will give them a chance to settle in before winter. Plant them into a nursery bed, spacing the seedlings individually about six inches (150mm) apart. Watered with seaweed extract and shaded for a few days, the little babies will grow merrily on as if nothing had happened.

The tender-loving-care you give your seedlings while they sojourn in the nursery will play a big part in the number of blooms they will reward you with. Water regularly and feed…at least once a month until late summer with a liquid fertilizer. Keep down the weeds, preferably with mulch (they love sheep manure spread on top).

When frost has blackened the leaves in the autumn, about two inches of good soil may be added to the seedling bed and a thick mulch of pine needles, straw, etc spread over the top.

When spring arrives, watch the beds carefully and when the spring sun begins to warm the ground, and the shoots start to appear, carefully remove the mulch from around the shoots. It pays to keep it piled nearby to cover the lilies if frost threatens. A fertilizer rich in nitrogen may be scratched in around them at this time…and again at about the time buds first show.

First Blooming!
This is what you have been waiting for! About November/December the promising fat buds will begin to appear…sometimes one…often times as many as three or four. I don’t have to tell you to watch now…you’ll be down in the seedling patch many times a day! They are beautiful, these first blooming lilies with their huge blooms on short slender stems! Next year they will be taller and have many more blossoms. You will be glad you decided to grow some from seed? How long did it take?…only eighteen months…my…doesn’t seem possible, does it!

hypogeal or “slow type” seed
Not all lilies grow as rapidly as Asiatics, trumpets and other “quick type” lilies. It is not that the hypogeal or “slow type” seeds are much more difficult…but you do need some patience.  We’ll give you directions for hurrying them along as much as possible. The “slow type” lilies include the wonderful Orientals and Martagons.

These seeds have a two stage germination process. First is the warm period: disinfect the seed with Captan, mix with a generous handful of damp peat moss, milled sphagnum or vermiculite, enclose in a polyethylene bag and fasten with a label. Store this in a warm place for approximately three months. By peeking occasionally you can see little bulblets forming after the second month or so.

When most bulblets have swelled and made little roots, store the bag, still securely fastened, in the refrigerator for two to three months. After this cold period, the little bulblets may be tenderly planted and cared for as you do the “quick-type” seeds. The first true leaf will show in a week or two…take good care of it! It may be the only one produced for a whole year. These seedlings are best pampered in a shaded cold frame for a year or two. Yes…it will be at least three or four years before you reap your reward on these! But the “Slow-type” liliums are some of our most breathtakingly beautiful and desirable lilies, and they are worth the wait.

Please note that all seed listed on Sparra's nest is from the excess left over from my own personal hybridizing efforts. The seed is therefore from an excellent gene pool, and is of the finest quality.