Recently, the gardener yearning for a great display of pure white Madonna lilies has had to inhibit his desire for them.
He could not afford bulbs in large quantities, and if he had no greenhouse, his attempts to raise seeds and seedlings were often plagued with failures.
But the world moves forward. Today, hundreds of Madonna lilies are within the reach of all who want them from seed and with fluorescent lights.
Producing Seeds By Cross-Pollination
Of course, the quickest way to obtain seeds is to buy them from a reliable dealer. Fresh seed bought in late August or early September is quite satisfactory.
The true gardener, however, will want to produce his own from the few bulbs he may have or from the few he will buy for the purpose. There is nothing difficult about cross-pollinating flowers by hand.
Take pollen from the anthers of one flower and place it on the stigma of another freshly opened one. The Madonna lily most commonly grown may be crossed with excellent results on either the Salonika variety or on the new, highly praised Cascade strain.
The best time to pollinate is in the early morning. In a short time, ovaries turn skyward, and seed pods, each bearing from 100 to 300 seeds, begin developing.
Harvesting and Preparing The Seeds
Since seeds should be harvested as soon as pods look as though they are ready to split open, it is advised that pods be watched closely.
Usually, they are ready to be snipped off, with a piece of stem attached, in August or early September. They should be brought into the house and left alone until they burst and shed seeds.
Planting and Germination Process
If planted immediately, fresh seeds, still moist from the pod, refuse to germinate—at least for me. I, therefore, give them a ripening period.
I spread them thinly in a small platter or soup dish, place the platter or dish in a spot with the atmosphere and temperature of the average living room, and do not touch them for a month. This ripening period I consider important.
In the latitude of New York City, seeds may be planted in mid-November. They will germinate by December 10.
To prepare for planting, first, place some rough drainage material at the bottom of a flat. Then, a 3-inch layer of equal parts of rich compost, garden loam, and sphagnum moss.
Top this with a quarter-inch thickness of sphagnum that’s been put through a quarter-inch screen.
Place seeds carefully one inch apart on the screened moss. As home-grown Madonna lily seeds are huge, hand sowing with the aid of a foot rule is an easy matter. Now, cover them with a half-inch thickness of the same screened moss.
I dissolve a completely soluble fertilizer (such as 15-30-15, but there are other similar ones on the market under various trade names) in water, using one-half the amount recommended by the manufacturer. I water the lily flats with the solution.
Optimum Temperature for Germination
It has been found that the optimum temperature for germination of a Madonna lily seed is around 58° to 60° degrees Fahrenheit.
This temperature is easily found somewhere in the average home during October and November, possibly in the basement. I use a seldom-frequented upstairs room.
As Madonna lilies like a temperature of 58° to 60° degrees Fahrenheit while growing, too, once a suitable corner has been found for them, they may be left in it for the balance of the winter.
They will be quite happy. The sphagnum at the top, around the germinating sprouts, prevents damping off.
The small bulbs, developing on quarter-inch moss pads, are protected, too, as the sphagnum tends to prevent basal rot.
The feeding roots, pushing down into a 3-inch layer of rich earth, are also well off, for they find ample nourishment as they grow.
Care and Maintenance of Seedlings
The Madonna is a lily of the sun. Seedlings must have light if they are to develop.
I have found that a 4-foot long, 2-40 watt daylight fluorescent electric light of the industrial type supplies them with sufficient light during the winter when it is installed 8 inches above the flat.
I leave it on 16 hours a day to ensure that any lack of light intensity is compensated for by duration.
Even if fluorescent fixtures must be bought especially for the purpose, they are worth it. The cost of one surely cannot be compared to the cost of a greenhouse and is only a fraction of the cost of 500 to S00 bulbs, which may be produced annually, thanks to it.
Moreover, caring for and watering seedlings while they are in the house under fluorescent light is very simple.
Seedlings grown under fluorescent lights are cared for in summer just as those grown by any other method. George L. Slate discussed this phase in the lily’s development most completely in April 1951, Popular Gardening.
Planting Seedlings in The Garden
By about the beginning of August, bulblets are large enough to be lined out in the garden in the usual way. There, they grow and produce the rosette of leaves characteristic of Madonnas in autumn.
Some precocious bulbs may throw a blooming stalk next June. But most seedlings need two years of growth before they are planted in their permanent positions to enchant a chosen spot in the garden.
44659 by S. E. Bolton