Growing Oxblood Lily Seeds

I find it so amazing that some of the original old German Oxblood Lilies will actually reseed. I love everything about the Oxblood Lily, and this fun little fact will help multiply your bulb population in no time!
For those of you who are new to Heirloom Bulbs, Oxblood Lilies are not supposed to produce viable seed. In fact, if you ask Google if Oxblood Lilies will reseed, the answer is no, but clearly some do. I found this oddly fascinating and spent some time experimenting on the best way to germinate Oxblood Lily seeds.

After the lily flower blooms, watch for a seed pod that develops. The seed pod will resemble rain lily seed pods. A little trifold package that will grow into maturity if conditions are right. Seed pods will continue to grow and eventually split open, revealing beautiful black little wafer-like seeds. Most of the time, the pod will simply fail to grow, dry up and fall off. I have found that the bulbs enjoy a lot of water during their seed production. The bulbs also prefer cooler temperatures as well….although, these are just my theories. I have some bulbs in full sun that produced viable seed, and some in shade that did not. Weird.

Once the seed pod begins to split open, collect the seeds. I have tried to hand sow the seeds throughout the gardens, just to see what would happen. The answer is nothing, so I now collect the seeds. Rain Lily seeds prefer moist conditions to germinate. No bright sun, just the warmth of a window. I place soil in a shallow teacup. Little cups keep the moisture even without have too much area to overwhelm the seeds. Place the seeds on top of the soil and dust the top with a thin layer of soil. Water in well, and wait. For most lily seeds, little greenery begins to poke through after about 11 days. My newest little teacup full of Oxblood Lily seeds germinated within 5 days. Needless to say, I’m thrilled!

Currently, I have about 6 different varieties of rain lilies in teacups scattered all through the Agape Haus Studio. It looks like a teacup-bomb has gone off. After about a year, I plant the lilies. Last year I made the mistake of over-wintering the little cups in my potting shed. We got a hard freeze and the baby bulbs froze. I have been known to love my favorite bulbs to death by trying to protect them from the elements. This mishap was placed at the very top of my garden-failings list. It definitely hurt my pride. Martha Stewart would never let that happen. Martha would probably be shaking her head in disapproval, as she uses her fine, Lenox china to germinate her lily seeds. I’m using the thrift store special. Luckily for me, I have so many garden mishaps, that my pride left years ago.

After you plant your lilies, keep them well watered, and watch them grow into adulthood. Let me know if you have any questions, or if you are interested in the nice, old Oxblood Lily stock. I’m always happy to share.

Happy Gardening, my friends!
Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl