Posted: 15/10/2012 at 11:46
Hi everyone, thanks for your comments. That's a great tip about soaking the bulbs before planting them, obelixx.
Regarding lily beetle, I've heard that if you lay newspaper beneath the plants and knock the adults off the flowers, you can gather them up easily and dispose of them. If you don't use newspaper they can quickly disappear. A systemic pesticide will kill lily beetle, but the chemicals will also be taken into the pollen and nectar of the flowers and be collected by bees, which doesn't kill them outright but can cause problems for them back at the nest. I've not had lily beetle on my fritillaries yet but it's only a matter of time!
Best
Kate
