Expert: Long Island Gardener - 7/31/2007

Question
Hi there,
    I was asked by a coworker if lily bulbs can be planted now.  It is July, we live in Upstate New York and we're in Zone 4.  She bought the bulbs in the Spring at a home and garden forum, but was unable to plant them at the time.  So, she has been storing them in her refrigerator since then.  I know that they shouldn't be stored in the fridge for long periods of time.  I DO know that spring and fall are the best times to plant.  I'm wondering what the best option would be.  Should she try to store them until the fall, plant them now, put them in pots...???  Thank you!~

Answer
Lilies never are truly dormant.  Get them in the ground YESTERDAY in the warmest, sunniest location in the garden and keep your fingers crossed.  The odds say they will not survive, but you can always reach for being that 2 percent that gets lucky.

That said, tell your coworker these things happen TO ALL OF US!  Do you know how many hundreds of bulbs and perennials I have bought and never planted?  Where does the rational plan end and the impulse buying begin?  Who knows?  When you love to do something, it's hard to predict the future.  Schedules, weather, the unexpected -- all kinds of things get in the way of what needs to be done.  Unfortunately, it seems to happen to gardeners more than anyone else.  Tell him/her to chalk this up to experience, and if history repeats s/he should expect it is only another episode of that great mental disability called Gardening.  Good luck.