However, you can also propagate lilies by scaling. Choose a healthy bulb with uninjured outer scales and detach them, dust the scales with fungicide and place them in a plastic bag filled with damp peat or vermiculite. Punch holes in the bag for ventilation and store at 16 to 21 degrees C for 6 to 12 weeks. Once small bulblets have formed at the base of the scales and the roots are half an inch long, put the bag in the fridge for two to three months. Meanwhile, as you're waiting for your bulblets to grow, you can enjoy the lush, satiny blooms of the colonies of lilies already established in your gardens.
Few plants ask so little and give so much as the lily, a perennial truly worthy of admiration.
Used under License. Tip of the Week Watering seeds with warm water often speeds germination.