From my core, the rhizome, I feel the seasons turn. I am a lily, a being of cycles. For many moons, I have gathered the sun's energy, channeling it downward to swell my underground storage organs—my bulbs. They are my life, my memory, my future. As I sense the days shortening and the air cooling after a vibrant growth season, my above-ground foliage begins to yellow and retreat. This is not an end; it is a strategic retreat. My energy consolidates within the bulbs, and I enter a period of rest. It is during this dormancy, typically in the late fall or very early spring, that I am most prepared for the great division. This is when you, the gardener, can help me multiply my song.
The process begins with a careful excavation. Please approach with a gentle hand. Insert a spade or fork into the soil a good distance from my central stalk to avoid slicing through my precious bulbs. Lift the entire clump from the earth, shaking off the loose soil to reveal our interconnected network. You will see me not as a single plant, but as a colony. The large, central mother bulb is surrounded by smaller offsets—my children, the bulblets. These smaller bulbs have been growing from my base, drawing energy from me until they are ready to become independent beings. Our connection is a fragile thread of roots and basal plate tissue.
Now comes the moment of separation. Your role is to be a precise and clean facilitator. Do not simply pull us apart with brute force, as this can cause crushing damage that invites rot. Instead, use your hands to gently tease the smaller bulblets away from the main mother bulb. If the connection is stubborn, a clean, sharp knife is a preferable tool to a ragged tear. Make a swift, clean cut through the basal plate where we are joined. Ensure that each new section you create has its own healthy roots and a portion of the basal plate intact, for this is from where new roots will emerge. This careful division minimizes our stress and allows our energy to focus on regeneration, not healing wounds.
Once divided, we are ready for our new homes. Please plant us promptly. Prepare a hole for each of us that is two to three times deeper than our height, in a location with well-draining soil and ample sunlight. Place us in the hole with our pointed growing tip facing upwards and our roots spread out beneath us. Cover us with soil, firming it gently to eliminate large air pockets, and provide a thorough drink of water. This settles the soil around our roots and begins the crucial process of rehydration. We will spend the coming weeks and months establishing new root systems, drawing sustenance from the soil, and preparing for our next great performance: a spectacular display of blooms that is our way of saying thank you for helping our family grow.
