I have plenty of bulbs in my garden....some of them seem to be getting shorter and smaller every year. They are not crowded and they have not multiplied (I wish they would)... I have tried dividing my trumpet lily that someone had recommended because they get full heads on them but they are only a fourth of what they were in height. They came up as shorter again and when I dug them up to replant them, they were not crowded. I was hoping that was the problem.....should I be replacing the bulbs with new ones? I am not sure if bulbs loose their energy even with bulb food, etc. I also thought the chipmunks/mice might be munching on parts of them but the ones I have checked are OK..
I have read that new bulbs form beneath the old ones meaning they are deeper in the ground and pushing up through more soil takes energy that they would normally use for blooming. So as the older ones fade out and die the younger ones are so deep they get weak from trying to reach the surface. You might dig them up, replant them a little shallower and see what happens next year. Sometimes the plant food is wrong for them, too much nitrogen and not enough phosphorous and potassium. Or the leaves are not left on them to die completely so their natural energy is restored sufficiently. Too little sun, too much rain/water. Dividing them too often will also result in smaller plants. I don't think all bulbs will naturalize (multiply). What type do you have? The best way to get some of the good naturalizers to spread is to plant and forget. Ever seen an old farmstead where the Daffs and other bulb plants have grown wild?
I have found that some varieties just do better than others. I have some varieties of daffodils that come back bigger and better year after year. Others that don't come back after the first year. The same with different varieties of lilies. Sometimes they do better in one part of the yard then in another part. I have come to the conclusion that just keep planting where they aren't doing as well as you'd like and divide and propagate the ones hat are doing well. If at all possible get plants and seeds from neighbors and friends. Those plants have generally adapted best to your locale.
Jewell, I like your advice. Daffodils in particular are supposed to be foolhardy, but yet I have found not all thrive in my garden. So I do what you suggest, just divide & replant the ones that do well. Sherry, are these lilies that you are concerned about? Have you checked that you are giving them the culture they require? Is the red lily beetle getting to them?
Sorry about taking so long to reply...we have been cleaning carpets and changing things in the house. Our dogs are mixed up because I moved them in another room for sleeping after 10 years, hopefully they will get used to it or I will move things back. Toni...I have all natural plant food for bulbs. I really have never had bulbs that multiply, other than daffodils. In fact the daffodils took over one of my beds and I had to thin them out last fall...The lilys I am talking about are Asiatic ..especially the Linda Lily...I will put a picture of it. One is about 3 feet tall and just a little way to the right the other exact bulbs are less than a foot. My trumpets used to tower in my flower bed and now they are really short. I tried thinning them, and it wasn't the problem...they did not multiply at all. So far only the pink ones have bloomed and I used to have 3 colors. Cayuga...they are all in the bright morning and afternoon sun. If anything they might be getting too much if that is possible for a lily. Jewell....none of our close neighbors have lilys....in fact the one on the corner is specializing in weeds growing 5 feet tall....I can't understand why you would buy a home with so many flower beds and not take them out if you don't garden. I am just happy, they are not next to my home. Linda Lily....the other bulbs have only one head instead of being loaded like this one....I really hate to have to start replacing the bulbs I love but it seems like they are running out of energy...
Have the under performing bulbs in question ever been tall and multi-bloomed? If not, then they could just be younger than the others and will get stronger as they mature. If they have, then they could be weaker than the others and just don't have the life expectancy as the stronger ones. If you pay the 'big bucks' for single bulbs then you get the more mature and probably better quality bulbs. But I have never been able to afford those, I just buy a bag of several and usually end up with a variety of ages, some that are tall and loaded with blooms and some that grow stems of different heights and don't bloom for a couple of years. One of mine had 9 blooms on it this year .... last year I was lucky to get 3 on it. I let mine stay in the garden until they just don't show up one Spring. I know the weather down here has been hard on mine, wetter weather from Autumn through Spring will give me tall ones loaded with blooms like this year. But dryer weather means they just barely show up or their performance is stunted.
All of the bulbs were about medium height...I paid good money for them and they were at one time all full and beautiful... I have bought bulbs from Walmart and Menards only to be disappointed in the spring. For some reason they did not grow...I think that year it was almost 200 of them, all tulips at that time. I haven't planted any new tulips since.
Sherry, I have given up o tulips too. Between the deer & the moles, they just don't have a chance in my yard. That is a shame about your lilies. I wonder if they just tend to peter out in time in your area. I have seen photos of your garden. I know you're an excellent gardener. If your heart is set on having lilies, you could try a different kind of lily or a different location.
Cayuga Morning...we don't plan on living here for too many more years so I am trying not to put too much money into the flower beds. I have quite a bit invested in it already.
