I'm glad you ordered Mona Lisa. I have had Mona Lisa bulbs come back year after year in the same container---and I've actually left them outside in the pots during our hardy winters in Northeast Ohio! I continue to experiment with lilies in pots. It's true that you only get one performance, but you can always plant other annuals in the pot to enjoy during the rest of the season. My biggest problem is overwintering. I've lost some by leaving them in the garage during the winter (in their pots) while others survived. I know I should take them out and repot them, but I'm too lazy. I am going to to try and store some in my attic this year. I am guessing the trick is to keep them cool, but not to let them freeze. I hope my attic works. I am buying all white fragrant lillies for next summer. Does anyone else attempt to overwinter their bulbs in the pots?

Hi abq bob, The formosa lily you already have is generally the very latest lily to bloom. Speciosum, a species parent of the oriental hybrids, is also quite late and comes in two color varieties, Rubrum and Album. The Easter "trumpets" you like are Longiflorum and bloom in June (after the asiatics but before most others). Lilies from the trumpet division tend to bloom in mid-July, though Regale is particularly early for a trumpet (late June - early July). The orientals bloom from late July thru August. Even so, Mona Lisa is an exception both by blooming earlier and being shorter. Asiatics are the earliest blooming lilies but later than the flowers one thinks of as spring bloomers (daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips). The asiatics are generally not scented. There is also a wide range of height and scent among the different divisions. Then there are interspecific hybrids, (those across divisions), such as Longiflorum - Asiatics, Longiflorum - orientals, oriental-trumpets, etc. Their bloom time lies between that of their "parents", so they are nice "in-fill" for blooming. But check the bloom times carefully for the variety you're interested in. There can be a wide range from one variety to another within a group when the two parents have widely separated bloom times (like the LO's). Consider the species lilies also. Some are as easy to grow as any hybrid, Speciosum and Regale especially. Others can be quite fussy and very narrow in the type of conditions they can accept- they are adapted to particular microclimates. In zone 7 you should be fine for almost all lilies. The zone is cold enough for the bulbs to vernalize over the winter and warm enough for late bloomers to build up their bulb strength before the winter. Good Luck! -Helen

Jules, finally I am here. Thank you again for the wonderful gifts! She sent: Plants- Salvia "Snow Hill"-I did not have this! Lavender "Provence"-Didn't have this either!! Smells delicious. Columbine "Cameo Blue and White" Nor did I have this!!! Happy times. Bulbs- Dahlia "Bill McKnight" Nope, didn't have this one. Brodiaea "Queen Fabiola" WooHoo Anemone "Mr. FoKKer" New to me Puschkina "Libanotica" Another new to me Glad "Comet" Don't have this one either!!! Also: A kneeling cushion 2 packages of metal plant markers-I love these! 3 plant stakes- a frog an apple a globe with a pen, and quill and glasses at the bottom-VERY cool Jules, Thanks and thanks over and over. You are the best!!! Hugs, Mary Ellen

Been there.....done that.....never really got the stain out....now I monitor lilies very carefully and remove the anthers ( where the pollen is) as soon as the flower starts to open. No clorox on antique linen.....but I would put it in a basin or tub or something with a good stiff solution of an oxygen bleach.....and an enzyme cleaner....like biz....for the oxy bleach oxy clean, snowy or any of the others that don't contain anything but an oxygen bleach.... Then let it soak for days and days if necessary....keep the stained part on top so you can see it without having to lift the whole thing out of the water..... When it's as gone as it's going to get, lift the cloth out carefully, supporting from the bottom and rinse in a sink with running water. Handle it gently....it's been soaking a long time and the fibers are wet and weak. let the water run and press on it with your hands.....when it's rinsed, squeeze ( don't wring!) and press excess water out in a towel or 2 or 3....carefully lay flat to dry. If that doesn't do it try stretching the stain ( with the cloth dry) over a bowl, sprinkling with fresh lemon juice, sprinkle salt over that and pour boiling water from a height through the cloth. Don't get your hopes up.....pollen is about the worst! I got some in my fancy German car, lily tipped and stained the carpet! 9 years later, when I sold it, the buyer asked about it....lily pollen I said! LOL! he didn't believe me! Good luck....after the soak, your cloth won't be as "ecru" as it was....but at least it will be all the same....but for the stain. Let us know the outcome. Linda C