Hi there!
Does anyone have blackberry lilies? Mine are making seeds or bulblets =
(not sure which), little black round pellets. Do I just leave them on =
the plant for the winter? Or can I just pop them off when they're dry =
and store them, say in a zip-lock bag, over the winter? Any thoughts?
Thank you
Lisa in W. MI
Gosh, I know I had these at one point and I'm trying to remember if I lost
them because they were only marginally hardy (which could have an impact on
whether or not it is a good idea to leave those things [don't know what the
correct term is either, but I can picture them!] out for the winter).
Anyone else have a clue?
Debbie in Williamsburg, VA
and Lisa Gibbs
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 7:53 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Blackberry Lily
Hi there!
Does anyone have blackberry lilies? Mine are making seeds or bulblets (not
sure which), little black round pellets. Do I just leave them on the plant
for the winter? Or can I just pop them off when they're dry and store them,
say in a zip-lock bag, over the winter? Any thoughts?
Thank you
Lisa in W. MI
Those black things are the seeds, I do know that. Now that they're ripe,
they look sorta like blackberries, I assume that's how they got the name.
What I do not know is, What is the best way to proceed with the seeds --
rather to dry and store them, or plant them now, or just let them self-sow.
Somebody will know.
I have some Candy Lilies, very similar but the flowers can be speckled
orange or purple, whereas the Blackberry Lilies have orange speckled
flowers. Seed head looks the same. Both have leaves similar to iris. I'm
not wild about it, but don't dislike it enough to dig it out.
Hope someone answers your seed question.
--Kathy K, mid-Missouri, zone 5
I have a number of blackberry lilies and just let the black seeds fall
where they may and the plants always come back close to where they were
initially planted.
Jackie
Iowa
From: Steve and Lisa Gibbs
Does anyone have blackberry lilies? Mine are making seeds or bulblets
(not sure which), little black round pellets. Do I just leave them on
the plant for the winter? Or can I just pop them off when they're dry
and store them, say in a zip-lock bag, over the winter? Any thoughts?
----------
Lisa, those are the 'berries'...inside each berry is a seed. As I
recall, only one per berry, but it's been a few years since I
collected them, so I might be wrong.
You need to harvest them when they turn dark purple/black and then
clean off the berry pulp. I do this by putting seed in a sieve and
mashing it under running water - sort of scrub it on the sides of the
sieve to loosen the pulp and berry skin; then dump the mess into a
bowl and usually the seed will sink and the skins and pulp will be on
top so you can scoop them out - several rinses and some picking of
debris will usually do the trick.
You can then dry them on paper towels or a paper plate for a few days
- you want to make sure they are good and dry before storing - if you
sow immediately, you don't have to dry them off. Either sow
immediately in warmth (room warmth) or wait until spring to do so -
if you can't take care of seedlings in the house; once there is no
danger of frost and air temps stay in the upper 60s. They germinate
readily at around 70F and, if you sow early enough and they are
brought on without any set-backs, they just might flower the first
year...that's never happened to me, but I never end up coddling
seedlings or feeding them regularly or any of the things you're
supposed to do to encourage them:-)
If you sow in pots, use a good bagged peat-based potting or seeding
mix. I like to put about 1/4 to 3/8" of starter sized granite grit
on the top of my seedpots; it prevents the medium from caking or
washing in rain or hard watering and keeps it more uniformly damp;
also discourages mosses and liverworts. I just put my seed on the
top of the medium and cover with grit.
They will self-sow, but I'm not sure about in your climate as you're
so much farther north than I am. Try a few...sow a few of the seeds
somewhere protected outside and sow the rest in pots or flats and see
what happens. If sown outside, you may need to cover the area with
some screening to keep critters from feasting on the seed over
winter.
If you want to save the cleaned seed over winter, it's better to
store the dry seed in paper envelopes or glassine than plastic
baggies and I prefer keeping seed in the fridge with a few packets of
desiccating powder - that stuff that comes in new handbags, shoes,
vitamins...lotsa places. Or you can use powdered milk...anyway, the
container should seal tightly - a glass jar is good.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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If you are near Lake Michigan, you are likely a USDA Z 5 or maybe 6.
I'm in Z 5 some years, some years Z4 and other years Z6. It doesn't
seem to hinder these plants. Blackberry lilies are also called
Leopard lilies or Belamcanda chinensis. They are easy to grow and
make a good cut flower. No fanciness needed to propagate by seed
except the seed needs cold exposure (pre-chill) in order to
successfully germinate.
The easiest way to propagate by seed: Let them ripen on the plant
for interest; the seed will fall and self-sow. Second easiest way:
Pick the pod just before it's ready to open or when it's open and
keep it dry. The pod will open completely and the seed will ripen.
Remove the seed from the pod. Cold-zap the seed in the freezer a few
weeks before you are going to sow.
The open pods are very pretty in dried arrangements if they're not
picked late. I always remove the pods when they are green because in
no time they dry, open, re-seed and spread like crazy.
Linda in NW Ohio, former cut flower grower in a second career, now retired.
--
Linda, gardening in NW Ohio near Toledo / Lake Erie (USDA Zone 5)
Metrofarm known as Blue Clay Plantation
llbs@accesstoledo.com
blueclay2@accesstoledo.com
--
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