I have a variety of Lillys of the tall variety I think they are called stargazers. Do I cut them low when they are done blooming? Also, are there any (photo)reference guides to help distiguish weed leaves from the leaves of plants that you wish to nurture? In early summer it ‘s very hard to discriminate. Thanks in advance……..
Thanks for your question Larry. Right after your Stargazer Lily finishes flowering you should cut off the remainds of the flower (called deadheading) to prevent the lily from putting any energy into making seeds. Leave the leaves below the flowers as long as they remain green. The leaves are converting sunlight into food that is sent down to the bulb so it can grow and expand. Little bulbs will form from the sides of the original bulb and become full-sized lily bulbs producing their own flowers within a couple of years. When you have a cluster of lilies growing where you only had one, you can dig them up and replant them as individual bulbs and the process will begin again. make sure to use bone meal in your planting holes to provide phosphorus to help them root in and mature more quickly. This is one of the things I love most about lilies…their ability to reproduce quickly. As far as your question about a chart showing what weeds look like vs. what desireable plants look like, I haven’t ever seen such a chart. There are, however, charts that show what common weeds look like. You’ll have to use one of those to help you learn the common weeds and then go from there. Here’s a link to a good weed chart. http://njaes.rutgers.edu/weeds/thumbnail.asp