Lilies are not shy about making babies. They do it on their stems, AND under the cover of darkness, where their babies they grow fat and happy until we dig the buried treasures.
As far as I’m concerned, there are NEVER enough lilies!
So here’s where to find your lily babies:
Some lilies (Asiatic, Oriental and Trumpet) bloom their fool heads off above ground, while they’re secretly making bulbs underground. One Asiatic bulb quickly becomes two or four bulbs as it divides itself. I grab a shovel or pitch fork and gently lift the bulbs from the ground.
One bulb making two. The bigger bulb on the left, grew a baby on the side (see right.)
The two flat portions (facing up) were sandwiched together.
Gently coax them apart with your two hands. Then, plant two bulbs instead of one!
I pry them apart and double or triple my bulb collection. See?
In the fall, I also find new baby bulbs growing on the stems of some lilies. Babies growing on stems ABOVE ground are called “bulbils.” Aren’t they cute?
The purple babies have tiny roots and are ready to drop off. But I like to help by giving them alittle “pull.” The baby bulbils grow all along the stem. They pop off easily, roots and all.
All of these bulbils came from one stem! I planted them in pots, but you can plant them directly into the garden (where you won’t forget them.)
The baby bulbils will bloom in a year or two. And well worth it, don’t you agree?
