Madonna lily

The Madonna lily stays in the ground as a bulb and forms an evergreen winter leaf rosette from late summer. In severe frost, cover this loosely with brushwood or fir branches and remove the cover in good time in spring. Make sure the soil is free-draining, because winter wet makes the bulb rot sooner than cold harms it.

The most reliable way to propagate the Madonna lily is by bulblets (daughter bulbs): lift the clump every three to four years in August, after the flower stems have died back and the short summer dormancy. This lily is a special case: unlike most lilies, it is replanted already in August and never later, otherwise the bulb will not survive the winter. Carefully separate the small bulblets from the mother bulb with a sharp knife and plant them immediately so that the tip lies about 5 cm below the soil surface. With a little luck they flower as early as the following year. For more stock, scaling is also worthwhile: in early summer (end of June to early July), detach healthy outer scales with a piece of the basal plate and lay them flat on moist sand, covered with a thin layer of sphagnum moss. Within a few weeks adventitious buds form; the young bulbs then need two to three years until their first flowers. Sowing is possible, but does not give plants true to the cultivar and takes three to five years to flowering. Sow cool in a seed tray from late winter to spring (about 12 to 15 °C) or directly in autumn; germination usually takes place within a few weeks.