Some nearly forty years ago a dear friend, now dead, gave me a lily bulb (or
whatever). It regularly produced a few large purple flowers. I've no idea
what it is apart from that, it's just known as 'Nana Rowe's Lily' and we're
very fond of it.

Last year was a poor year for many things in the garden and we noticed that
the lily developed a very broad, flat (ribbon-like) stem. It was almost as
though there were several adjacent but thin stalks fused together. Many
little bulbs grew at the top of the stem but didn't come to anything.

The same has happened this year but in seemingly ideal conditions for many
of our plants (thank goodness for the freezer!) the lily has flowered - lots
and lots of small purple lily flowers.

Is this a known condition, is it fatal, can the plant be restored to normal
and does anyone know what might have caused it? We don't want to lose it
although we realise that everything has a limited life ...

I've taken pictures which I can post on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens or
send here as tinypics, if anyone's interested.

TIA

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote...
Some nearly forty years ago a dear friend, now dead, gave me a lily bulb
(or whatever). It regularly produced a few large purple flowers. I've no
idea what it is apart from that, it's just known as 'Nana Rowe's Lily' and
we're very fond of it.

Last year was a poor year for many things in the garden and we noticed
that the lily developed a very broad, flat (ribbon-like) stem. It was
almost as though there were several adjacent but thin stalks fused
together. Many little bulbs grew at the top of the stem but didn't come to
anything.

The same has happened this year but in seemingly ideal conditions for many
of our plants (thank goodness for the freezer!) the lily has flowered -
lots and lots of small purple lily flowers.

Is this a known condition, is it fatal, can the plant be restored to
normal and does anyone know what might have caused it? We don't want to
lose it although we realise that everything has a limited life ...

I've taken pictures which I can post on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens or
send here as tinypics, if anyone's interested.


Could you post your pics to alt.binaries. pictures.gardens Mary please.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...


Could you post your pics to alt.binaries. pictures.gardens Mary please.

Done.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote after
"Bob Hobden" asked

Could you post your pics to alt.binaries. pictures.gardens Mary please.

Done.

Mary, that is a perfect picture of a monstrous growth, it's something that
happens to plants when the growing tip is damaged and it flattens out into a
line instead of a point. You often see Cacti grown like that deliberately,
making a sort of crest.
It may be a chemical you have used or some other reason so I would suggest
you repot when it's dormant be careful what you use on it next season and
see what happens next year.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...
Some nearly forty years ago a dear friend, now dead, gave me a lily bulb
(or whatever). It regularly produced a few large purple flowers. I've no
idea what it is apart from that, it's just known as 'Nana Rowe's Lily' and
we're very fond of it.

Last year was a poor year for many things in the garden and we noticed
that the lily developed a very broad, flat (ribbon-like) stem. It was
almost as though there were several adjacent but thin stalks fused
together. Many little bulbs grew at the top of the stem but didn't come to
anything.

The same has happened this year but in seemingly ideal conditions for many
of our plants (thank goodness for the freezer!) the lily has flowered -
lots and lots of small purple lily flowers.

Is this a known condition, is it fatal, can the plant be restored to
normal and does anyone know what might have caused it? We don't want to
lose it although we realise that everything has a limited life ...

I've taken pictures which I can post on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens or
send here as tinypics, if anyone's interested.

TIA

Mary

The problem you describe is called 'fasciation'. It can be caused by frost,
mechanical or insect damage ... plus a few unknowns. It is not usually
fatal. Possibly, if an insect caused the fasciation, it could introduce a
virus (which might be fatal), but I've never heard of fasciation causing
death in a plant. As far as I know there's no cure. In a shrub, it can be
cut out, but not in a lily. Perhaps you could propagate the lily from the
bulb, as an 'insurance policy'?

Spider

"Spider" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...
Some nearly forty years ago a dear friend, now dead, gave me a lily bulb
(or whatever). It regularly produced a few large purple flowers. I've no
idea what it is apart from that, it's just known as 'Nana Rowe's Lily'
and we're very fond of it.

Last year was a poor year for many things in the garden and we noticed
that the lily developed a very broad, flat (ribbon-like) stem. It was
almost as though there were several adjacent but thin stalks fused
together. Many little bulbs grew at the top of the stem but didn't come
to anything.

The same has happened this year but in seemingly ideal conditions for
many of our plants (thank goodness for the freezer!) the lily has
flowered - lots and lots of small purple lily flowers.

Is this a known condition, is it fatal, can the plant be restored to
normal and does anyone know what might have caused it? We don't want to
lose it although we realise that everything has a limited life ...

I've taken pictures which I can post on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens or
send here as tinypics, if anyone's interested.

TIA

Mary

The problem you describe is called 'fasciation'. It can be caused by
frost, mechanical or insect damage ... plus a few unknowns. It is not
usually fatal. Possibly, if an insect caused the fasciation, it could
introduce a virus (which might be fatal), but I've never heard of
fasciation causing death in a plant. As far as I know there's no cure.
In a shrub, it can be cut out, but not in a lily. Perhaps you could
propagate the lily from the bulb, as an 'insurance policy'?

How do you suggest I do that?

Before I sent this I Googled for images and our lily is absolutely typical
of fasciation (or a 'monstrous growth', as Bob calls it). But what
interested me in particular was a picture of a fasciated dandelion. Some
years ago I found one of these, growing at the base of a wall on a main
road. I kept I but had no idea what to do about it (pre-pc days) so never
knew what it was.

It's fascinating, thank you. I'd still like to know how to propagate the
lily.

I'd also like to know, in passing, what type of lily it is :-)

Thank you,

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote

It's fascinating, thank you. I'd still like to know how to propagate the
lily.

Some info here....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening.../10/grow10.xml
but it's a long job from seed, a year or so quicker if it grows bulbils in
the leaf axis that can be potted on.


I'd also like to know, in passing, what type of lily it is :-)


I think it's .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_martagon

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote

It's fascinating, thank you. I'd still like to know how to propagate the
lily.

Some info here....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening.../10/grow10.xml
but it's a long job from seed, a year or so quicker if it grows bulbils in
the leaf axis that can be potted on.

Hmm. Not sure that we have enough time to start from seed :-) I'll look for
bulbils.


I'd also like to know, in passing, what type of lily it is :-)


I think it's .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_martagon

Certainly looks like that! Thanks again Bob.

Mary

In article ,
says...
It's fascinating, thank you. I'd still like to know how to propagate the
lily.


Some lilies make bulbils in the leaf axils which makes life easy! others
you can do from seed but obviously not if yours is a hybrid, but all
lilies produce offsets so you should be able to lift the clump and look
for the little offsets to pot up. Or you could get technical and look up
how to grow them from the scales.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
T...
In article ,
says...
It's fascinating, thank you. I'd still like to know how to propagate the
lily.


Some lilies make bulbils in the leaf axils which makes life easy! others
you can do from seed but obviously not if yours is a hybrid, but all
lilies produce offsets so you should be able to lift the clump and look
for the little offsets to pot up. Or you could get technical and look up
how to grow them from the scales.

Thank you, I'll do that - but is there a best time of year?

Mary

"Jennifer Sparkes" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:


"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message

Some lilies make bulbils in the leaf axils which makes life easy!
others
you can do from seed but obviously not if yours is a hybrid, but all
lilies produce offsets so you should be able to lift the clump and look
for the little offsets to pot up. Or you could get technical and look
up
how to grow them from the scales.

Thank you, I'll do that - but is there a best time of year?

Mary have a look at:-

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile...rop_lilies.asp

Thank you, that's excellent!

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote Some info here....
Hmm. Not sure that we have enough time to start from seed :-) I'll look
for bulbils.

Don't be too hasty in pulling them off the plant, if you leave them they
will usually grow roots whilst still attached to the stem. You can then
detach them and pot them up or pot up the whole stem, bulbils and all.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote Some info here....
Hmm. Not sure that we have enough time to start from seed :-) I'll look
for bulbils.

Don't be too hasty in pulling them off the plant, if you leave them they
will usually grow roots whilst still attached to the stem. You can then
detach them and pot them up or pot up the whole stem, bulbils and all.

Looking at the site which Jennifer (I think) recommended I was suprised that
it said these lilies spread rapidly. In almost forty years we still have
only the one :-) I admit that I'm a little chary about digging it up ...

It also seems that it's in an ideal sloping well drained site, south facing
but sheltered part of the time.

Mary

"Bob Hobden" wrote

"Mary Fisher" wrote Some info here....
Hmm. Not sure that we have enough time to start from seed :-) I'll look
for bulbils.

Don't be too hasty in pulling them off the plant, if you leave them they
will usually grow roots whilst still attached to the stem. You can then
detach them and pot them up or pot up the whole stem, bulbils and all.

I should have said with the stem laid flat in the compost so the bulbils are
covered with compost.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:

I think it's .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_martagon

IRTA Lilium_megaton...

--
Rusty
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