HI, no stargazer is an oriental lily. I've never heard of anyone growing liliums indoors, like we do the hippeastrum bulbs.

Many varieties of lily do well in pots and can be grown under cover. If you want to get early flowers for a wedding or similar celebration then, provided you've left enough lead time - and have a suitable environment such as a cool or temperate conservatory or glasshouse - you've got a fair chance.

I know lilies are presented for sale in miserable little pots but a 2 gallon pot is a better bet. More room for good growing compost and food, for a start. They need about four inches over the top of the bulb.

Repot annually in autumn.

Unlike Amaryllis they do NOT appreciate being 'dried off' or having a rest period. In fact, they really resent any droughtiness and show it by a seriously diminishing bulb which will not produce decent flower stems, no how. If you can keep the container in a cool place so the plants have 'cool feet and heads in the sun' you can probably produce suitable stems.

There is an oriental lily with the cultivar name 'Stargazer' and there is an amaryllis (hippeastrum) with the cultivar name 'Stargazer.' They are unrelated.

You can grow lilies indoors in pots, but it's not as simple as growing amaryllis. Potted lilies are usually available for Easter and Mother's Day that have been forced in greenhouses. 'Stargazer' the oriental lily grows too tall for indoor growing without chemicals to retard the height.

Walmart or HD had 'Stargazer' amaryllis in the stores here. I forget which had it. I bought one to pot and it has leaves starting.

Nell

I grew lilium Stargazer 100% as well as other lilies (do not remember their names but there was even a tall white/pink trumpet lily), in pots inside my apartment. This was years ago so cannot tell you when I started them, however I'm 100% sure this can be done. I did not use any growth retarding chemicals but I am in zone 5, so they may not grow as tall here as they do in the warm regions of the US. They were planted in large (nearly bucket size) deep pots, 2-3 bulbs in each pot, and may have used my unheated room (+10 C during the winter) which is also the room where I have the best sunlight. I took proper care of them, i.e. gave them light and the right temperatures in due time, and they grew into full sized plants with wonderfully scented flowers. They lasted long and smelled gorgeous. It was worth the effort. The biggest problem may be the size of the pots - if you'd rather not look at them indoors filled with just bare compost before the lilies grow.

I am sure you can find information on forcing lilies indoors if you google. I have not grown a lily for the longest time. Tempting idea to do it again this year :-)

This is how I did it. I have just read that Stargazer is the most popular lily forced for Mother's Day.

1.
lily bulbs "must be stored at or very slightly above freezing temperatures (32-35F) to avoid premature growth. Do not store below 30F and not above 35F. Target 33F."
============================================================================
* I do not think I stored them, I just bought them and planted around December (but I do not recall the exact timing)

2.
"Once you take the bulbs out of storage, plant immediately and water well after planting to settle the soil around the roots. The fertilizer in the potting soil (such as Miracle Grow potting soil) will be enough for the plant so no need to fertilize for the entire season.

For asiatic lilies this is the timing:
- when planted, place the lilies in cool temperatures (in the seperate refrigerator but with temperatures raised slightly to 35-40 deg F) for 2 weeks until the new shots are just out of the pot (1-2")."
============================================================================
* This stage was my nearly dark and nearly unheated basement, frost free, below 50F.

3.
"at this time, the lilies must be brought into very bright light. Do make sure temperature is above 35F not more than 40F.

The lilies require a lot of light. The brighter the light, the shorter (and nicer) the potted lily will be. Make sure the pots are placed in the greenhouse in very bright sun.

Best growing temperatures from this time onwards is 50-60F. 50F-55F nights and 60-70F days are required. This is the hardest part of forcing lilies. You can do this by growing them in a heated greenhouse which is vented if daytime temperatures go above 65F and which is kept to a minimum of 55F at nights. Do not allow to freeze.

Generally, as soon as bulbs comes out of cooler, the pots should be placed at the above temperatures for 30 days in order for buds to appear and then another 30 days until the first lower flowers open up.

E.g. a total of 75 days from planting to finish."
============================================================================
* This stage was the unheated room in my apartment with a sunny window. I do not think they should exactly bake in the sun but rather only have a lot of light. I remember also bringing the mature trumpet lily to the heated room (65-70F) because I wanted to enjoy it around me rather than only when peeking into the cold room.

Good luck if you try this :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: forcing lilies

There is an Amaryllis (hippeastrum) Stargazer being sold at our Walmarts this year. It looks an awful lot like Minerva...

Stargazer is normally associated with the oriental Lilium 'Stargazer' which I adore. It is very fragrant, but not as easy to grow in our southern gardens.

They are definitely two separate Stargazers! Gee, I wish they wouldn't do that. It just makes for more confusion, doesn't it?

Thanks and many more thanks to all who answered my question regarding Stargazer lily and hippeastrum. Very informative and helpful. I am very appreciative, wtmac