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motinot

By Motinot

down, Ireland Ie

I planted this bulb last year and it grew nicely (like this)...Then out of the blue the top growth turned brownish and died...I thought the bulb had rotted, but obviously not as here it is again...what might have caused this please and is there anything i can do now to prevent it happening again.?..I gave it a mulch and a shake of blood, fish and bonemeal.....


On plant FRITILLARIA IMPERIALIS

More_garden_stuff..19th_mar__10_009

Answers

 

I think you may have had a visit from the rather attractive looking LILY BEETLE which is bright red, thankgoodness. Pick them off ,if you see them. Put your other hand under the beetle as they have a clever habit of tumbling in free fall through the leaf axils to escape predators......YOU. Their grubs eat the leaves when they are developing. They go through a disgusting phase of living in a covering of their own excrement. My regals do not stand a chance either. They are a very expensive bulb to buy as a playground for such a pest. Mine have given up flowering. I suppose if the leaves get eaten they can't store energy for flowering. I have a nearly empty can of Provado bug killer and one sole survivor which is not going to bloom.

20 Mar, 2010

 

Goodness Dorjac...I have a garden full of Liliums and have NEVER seen a lily beatle....but obviously they attack Fritillaria too?...I didnt know that...Why did they leave the lilies alone??

20 Mar, 2010

 

i was absolutely invaded by the lily beetle last year,they left my day lilies but ate bit holes in all my big fancy ones,i didnt get a single flower.
this year i will be ready and waiting with toilet paper and a jam jar.a cleaner way to pick them off,the red stains your fingers.

20 Mar, 2010

 

My lovely white,tall lilies were OK for several years and so were the regals. Then the leaves started to get shredded and they started to fail in performance.Its probably a bit difficult to say fritillaria beetle! It will be interesting to see if the one remaining regal gets attacked this year.

PM Day lilies are just name only not in same family. On the whole Day Lilies are a reasonably trouble free plant, hardy, not too much attacked by snails and slugs. Our red enemy does nor find them a tasty snack or want to breed on them.

21 Mar, 2010

 

My Fritillaria didnt have any shredding on the leaves last year, or any sign of nibbling....It just turned brown and soft and keeled over....Is that the work of 'lily beatle'?.....:>)

21 Mar, 2010

 

thanks dorjac i had a feeling they were in name only but wasnt too sure.you are right though they are trouble free plants, but spread abit too much sometimes.

21 Mar, 2010

 

I once visited Warley place in Essex. It is a private nature reserve and daffodillerama. The garden used to be a lady's pride and joy, now it is a romantic place of the ruined remains of the house, a boating lake, a grotto and a stream through rocks. Lots of winding paths,steps and ups and downs. The daffodils, fields of them, should be really fantastic now, bluebells later. It also seemed to be a reserve for our friend the lily beetle in the old walled garden! I have never seen so many in one place. Yet the old lillies were battling on bravely. I hope they don't fly too far!!!! Well worth a visit now...parking limited. Yes Motinot thats what they do to fritillaria and lillies, too given half a chance. I think they cannot use the leaves to sustain themselves and build up any flower power or resilience

22 Mar, 2010

 

Ok.. thank you Dorjac....:>)

22 Mar, 2010

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