A little question for you to ponder on

I love lillies and like to grow them in pots on the terrace, when they have flowered I usually transfer them to the flowerbed. About 8 years ago I replanted two pots of orange lilles; they have done really well, especially given our nasy wet, heavy clay - they've flowered every year, and increased in size too.

So, what's the problem you say - very simple last year we didn't have any orange lillies, only white ones. This year too, a gorgeous show of WHITE lillies, any bright ideas?

Maureen

ummm.... nope! lol

Have there been white ones there as well, if yes could they of taken over the space?

it sounds like they have 'reverted' from hybrid orange ones to white ones??

Lilies do, in fact, revert after a few years. My glorious pink Stargazer ones all eventually reverted to either bright orange or white - it happens with most F1 hybrids which are bred to be "abnormal" colours and eventually give up and go back home!!

I always say this is an educational forum, well what do you know.

Yep. A reversion, Maureen.

Most plants/bulbs for the domestic market are hybrids, bred especially for the particular market. The original plants are 'species' and are not often bought. Even all our beautiful roses originate from a species rose.

If you are lucky enough to keep a plant alive for many years, they often revert back to the original form.

Well, you learn something everyday. Very interesting.

Would that have been what happened to two of my orchids, they were lovely deep cerise but after I moved I did not have any only two more white ones.

I knew you'd come up with the answer. Have to say I'm quite pleased that they are now white not so garish they also have that heady perfume - especially lovely in the evening.

I've just had a look and I think that were originally four plants one of them may well have been a Stargazer, I know I had some in posts years ago.

Also had two pots of the beautiful Madonna lillies, they were well over 5' last year. I think that the main plant has died as this year as there are only what looks like young shoots - will try to nurture them and if they overwinter in the cold frame maybe they'll flower next year.

Maureen

It would seem that the same thing can happen with fuchsias. I have had some very large (flowers) ones in pots that keep surviving to flower another year. But this year the flowers on one of them are coming out as those tiny little red ones that you find on wild bushes and old gardens. Still quite pretty but not worth keeping in a pot on the patio.