Q.My GIANT HIMALAYAN LILY Only Flowers Every Three Or Four Years. Is This Normal?
My GIANT HIMALAYAN LILY is approximately ten years old and shoots every spring with lots of grown leaves but very rarly send up a flower stem. Its in a partly shaded area in well drained sandy soil. Its normally covered for the winter by either a dome clouch or compost its fed throughout the summer but not over fed. can I do anything to encourage flowering?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
They may not start blooming till the eighth year so yours is just getting started. These are considered a challenge to grow because it is hard to mimic its native conditions. If you see bulb offsets at the base of the plant, replant those about 1 inch in the soil for future blooms. If you are letting it go to seed, try cutting those off to save energy. Make sure your bulbs are not planted too deeply. These tips should help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/himalayan-lily/himalayan-giant-lilies.htm
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cardiocrinum/
https://extension.usu.edu/pests/research/lily-leaf-beetle.pdf
