Buying lilies: tips & sources of supply

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We'll tell you here what you should consider when buying lilies and where you can get particularly beautiful specimens from.

Lilies blooming in the garden center
You can not only buy lilies in the garden center [Photo: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock.com]

Of course there is also in every well-stocked garden center, at the hardware store or seasonal times in the discounter Lilies (Lilium) Onions. But for those who want to explore the world of around 2000 lily varieties a little more intensively, the wide world of online mail order offers an unbeatable variety. We are happy to help you navigate through the numerous shops and give you tips on where to buy lilies. Once the variety has been selected, each of the coveted onions should be carefully examined, because onions are prone to storage damage and diseases. So that the healthy onion ultimately thrives in pots and beds and reveals its flowering at times, you will find here all about growing lilies.

Buying lilies: what to look out for

When buying lily bulbs, whether for the garden, balcony or room, you should take a particularly careful look, because With this multi-layered planting material, if the dealer stores it incorrectly, there is a rapid risk of disease and Pests. Since the bulbs of the lilies also lack the protective outer onion skin, they are particularly prone to mechanical damage and dehydration. You should be able to answer the following questions in the negative when buying a lily:

  • Does the onion have any external injuries?
  • Does the onion look wrinkled?
  • Are the onions damp?
  • Are there any places infected with fungi? (Mold, rot)
  • Do you see any small insects or larvae on the onions?
  • Is the onion soft?
Lily bulbs in the market in fruit boxes
The onions should be examined critically when buying them [Photo: angelaflu / Shutterstock.com]

As with humans, injuries are always ideal entry points for pathogens. A healthy onion increases the likelihood that it will turn into a beautiful lily. If the onions look like toes that have been bathed for too long, they have been stored too dry. Most of the time, the onions can be saved by dampening them with a light spray until the onion is back to its tight top shape. However, the drought stress is not good for the lily, and the moist rehydration environment is ideal for pests and diseases such as rot and mold. These have an easy job with the already weakened onion. Onions of good quality are therefore always dry and firm without any external damage.

Note: Store the bulbs in a cool, dry and dark place until planting.

Those who reach for the preferred lily should pay attention to lush green leaves and be able to rule out pest infestation and rot in the root area. The location of the lily when it is sold can have an impact on the later health of the plant. The plants should not be in the blazing sun, nor in a pool of water. Plants that have received too little water indicate this by drooping leaves. Even if young plants can recover from all kinds of grievances - the most beautiful flowers and the best growth are achieved by the lilies that had a good childhood.

yellow saltarello lily nature
Only healthy lilies can later ensure a splendor of flowers [Photo: Liga Petersone / Shutterstock.com]

The quality of the planting onions is not everything, however, the choice of variety is also decisive. It is most important to consider the conditions at the later location. Therefore, before buying a lily, take a close look at where it will grow later. There are a few questions to be answered:

  • Should the lily be planted in the bed or cultivated in a pot?
  • How are the lighting conditions at the location?
  • What is the soil like?
  • Should the lily be hardy or will it be overwintered inside?

All these questions, and of course the eye, decide which variety will later end up in the shopping cart.

Mailbox overgrown with lilies
The future location should already be considered when purchasing [Photo: Wally Stemberger / Shutterstock.com]

Buy lilies: Special sources of supply

At 150 species and around 2000 different types of lily, the right lily can be found for almost every place. However, such a huge selection can quickly become spoiled for choice. For an initial suggestion, please see here the 10 most beautiful types of lily, particularly hardy varieties and a selection of lilies for pot culture. The selection of a species or even a certain variety is followed by the procurement of the desired onion. In the garden center or hardware store there are lily bulbs, especially in spring. The variety selection is very limited here. Usually you can find some varieties of Asian and Oriental hybrids.

Lilies in the nursery
You can find lilies at specialized growers or in online retailers [Photo: Raota / Shutterstock.com]

A better way to search for a specific strain, or just spend hours looking at colorful ones To browse pictures of the various lily flowers, numerous websites of dealers and offer Breeders. Here are 5 online sources of supply for lily bulbs that you should definitely not miss:

Lily Ark

As a family business, we have been cultivating and breeding lilies, hemerocallis and irises for decades. The nursery with a show garden in Erlangen is open all year round. A wide variety of lily varieties are shipped as seeds and onions. From Asian to Oriental hybrids, whether dwarf lilies or double varieties, the selection is impressive.

Cebule.de

Cebule is a Polish flower mail order company recommended by the European Lily Society. In addition to a large selection of Asian, Oriental, tree, tiger, Madonna and trumpet lilies, there are also other types of flowers to discover.

Verberghe flowerbulbs

This Dutch mail order company is completely dedicated to the sale of flower bulbs and also offers a few beautiful types of lily.

The Lily Garden

The American breeder offers numerous lily bulbs and seeds. Here you can also get very special, newly introduced, home-grown varieties. Like all other onions, these have been lovingly grown on the breeder's farm.

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