A couple of weeks ago I bought some fantastic lilies in a pot from Lidl. And while I’m on the subject, the quality of plants in Lidl tends to be excellent esp. for the price so keep your eyes peeled!
Anyway, I’ve only ever had cut lilies. So what do I do when they have finished flowering? Can I plant the bulbs somewhere?
Thanks!
You can just plant them in the ground if you want. I did that with a few pots a year ago and they flowered well the next season.
Lily Beetles? Dont talk to me about Lily Beetles!
There is also the dreaded scarlet lily beetle.The adults are quite pretty red bugs.
They lay their eggs underneath the leaves so are quite difficult to spot.
Then comes the nasty bit.The eggs turn into larvae which munch away,often destroying the leaves and flowers.These larvae are covered in a slimy sticky brown substance which is actually there own poo!!
My remedy for getting rid off them was,in the spring before they lay their eggs,to pick off the adults and drop them in a dish of soapy water.The best way is to put the dish under them and gently shake the leaf to make them fall into it.There are two reasons for this,if you pick them up with your fingers and squeeze them they squeak.If they see you coming they quickly drop to the ground on their backs so you can’t see them.It’s a bit time consuming but better than seeing all the flowers getting eaten by poo covered bugs!!
Suzie
Thanks Suzy!