Hope it is not the red lily bug

They are just dreadful
I have worked hard on my lilies and some are in bloom presently

Hardly a red lily bug to be seen
Well I have not seen any this momth of July

Hi Diane: It is definitely not the red lily beetle. I have my share of them on my Asiactics since I was not dilligent in the spring with them. I have been squishing them all summer. Actually the lily beetle does not attack my Orientals or my Daylilies. Today my Lovely Girls are in bloom and I have topdressed them with some composted cow manure. It has been hot and dry the last few days and perhaps if it is bulb rot, it will be curtailed. I will definitely be lifting the bulbs in the Fall.

Well

How do your lilies grow in August

I know that the lily beetle does not bother at all Daylilies But did not realize it is same for the Orientals

I have some lovely lilies in bloom just now
Stargazer began blooming just yesterday and Casa Blanca should open any day

Hope you do not have bulb rot

I had an entire bed of calla lily a few years ago that in just a few weeks was completely wiped out
Must have been a fungus or something. Most all the bulbs rotted. I think I had to much compost, compost of mostly kitchen scraps in the bed.
The only thing that survived in that bed, where seed on the plants. I kept them and they are now doing well as plants.
Calla lilies are so gorgeous
Some that I did not get around to digging up last fall, overwintered. I had thrown about a foot of leaves on the particular sheltered bed.
I couldn't believe it this year when I saw them, coming up in that flower bed. Took awhile to get through the thick blanket of leaves but looking good and are starting to bloom

As well in that bed where a number of Voodoo lily which as well survived.

Wish more people wrote on this forum

Northerner, why not post a message on the Lily forum if you have questions about your lilies, growing conditions, etc. I grow a few and they are doing well this summer, but I would not attempt to tell anyone how to grow them. I really like the orientals and regals because of their fragrance. Like you, I have found that the red lily beetle has less effect on these, compared to the asiatics. My problem is that all my gardens have some degree of shade and dry soil (except for this summer LOL). That is why my lilies tend to get smaller and die out over a few years. I wait until they are on sale for $1 and plant more of them. They bloom at a time when the garden is starting to look boring and really give it a lift. I don't fuss over mine, other than staking them if they start to topple over. I found by accident that "dog flea spray" used once in the spring will prevent the red lily beetles destroying the plants. Good luck with your lilies. Oh, yes, I'm in southern Ont and my orientals are just about to open. I think that they are a bit later than some because of being in part shade.

Hello Diane & Ontnative: The Lovely Girl blooms are done and the plants continue to have brown leaves. I am thinking of lifting them now in case it is something that could spread. My Casa Blanca are now in 'full flight' with their regal splendour and fragrance. I will be very gentle digging around and move them to a pot to see if I could save them. BTW, Ontnative, where do you get Oriental lily bulbs for $1.00?

I think it may be a fungal disease of some sort. maybe early blight. If it was root rot I'd think the plant would be spongy at soil level. Lifting them may help, but if it's a fungal disease it is in the soil and may infect others. I would dose them with fungicide after I picked off any infected leaves and cleaned up any that have fallen. Put newspaper around the plants and then mulch. If the spores can't get to the plant it can't reinfect

Early blight--in fact many fungal diseases like leaf spot spread the same way. It spreads by water hitting the soil, splashing on to a leaf carrying the spores. Then it will spread by splashing on to an infected leaf and on to a new leaf, all the time carrying the spores with the water. You can't do much about the rain but don't wet the leaves when you water.

I was out at a garden centre near Barrie Ontario and bought half a dozen mixed lilies for just over a dollar a piece. Potted and finished blooming Didn't say which each was but for that price will give it a go.

I agree, Lilies bloom at a most opportune time.
That is interesting, spraying with flea spray.

Don't have a dog but will buy some spray and give it a try next time I see those dreaded pests. Have not seen a one in a couple of weeks. Yippee.

Hope you can save your lilys

Thanks for your detailed advice, Oilpainter. You may be right about a fungus because the browning of the leaves has started at the base and is going up the stem. We have had so much heavy rain this summer it is not surprising. It has been dry the past few days and I will try to get to them today. Can't let it get to my Casa Blanca's - they are still so beautiful.

Ontnative, can't promise to buy any 'dog flea spray'. Dog is a bad word in my vocabulary because of all the trouble I have in my garden with the neighbour's dogs. You won't believe how the Dachshund digs under my fence, leaves his droppings around, and breaks my plants down. U-g-g-h!!

Northerner
My Casa Blanca's are in bloom now

Gorgeous just gorgeous and ever so fragrant
My daughter took pictures must get her to post them for me.

Plants all look good in my garden.
Even bought three more lilies this year

Just hope to keep ahead of the lily bug which has as of yet been my only problem with Lilys

Northerner, I spray my lilies just once early in the season, when the green growth is up and looking good, but before the lily beetles have arrived. This is only the second year I have done this, and no bugs to be seen.

For bargain lily bulbs, check out Can.Tire, Walmart,grocery stores, etc. for pots of lilies that have finished blooming. Sometimes you can buy a pot of three healthy bulbs for $3.

Thanks for the info. on the bargain lily bulbs, Ontnative. I have decided I will completely 're-do' my Asiatic lily garden because so many of them have reverted to their primary genetic stock over so many years. I never thought of lilies that had already bloomed. That's a great idea.

I usually spray my lilies just when the shoots are emerging in the spring, but I have been distracted this year - we are doing a renovaion and I did not get around to doing it. Then they spread to another tall group I have near the fence and I didn't realize till a friend came over with some tomato plants and started looking around. So it was worse than usual this year, but no unmanageable and no losses either.

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather.
Northener.

I have a lot of problems with my lillies this year. All of my Asiatic lillies died. Some of them had been with me for over 10 years).

Somebody told me that maybe it was drowned. Is that true? My garden had always been like that. A few feet of snow in the winter melted down to the soil in the spring and they were OK for all of those years.

I bought a lot of Asiatic liilies and some Oriental lillies that had finished blooming at Home Depot. One pot-of-6 for $10, some pot-of-3 for $3, a lot of pot-of-3 for $1.

My first problem is many of them were bitten off by squirrels.

But my real problem is how can I protect them in the winter? Can I leave the lillies in the pot outdoor? Because I don't want them to be drowned again but I am afraid they would be frozen to death.
How should I take care of them?

Susie: I am very surprised that you lost Asiatics - mine have been in the ground for years, they have multiplied and I have moved new plants to other places. The squirrels will be a problem, but I have my beds enclosed. If bulbs are not in well-drained soil they will rot, so maybe you need to find a different spot for them. If you decide to over-winter them in pots, I would suggest you sink the pots in the ground or they won't survive. I have done this with tulips and daffodils, and lots of perennials but never with lilies. Perhaps someone else can give you their experience. Good luck!!

Susie, as northerner said, the lilies will freeze if you leave them in pots above ground over the winter.

Are you sure that the bulbs rotted because of the soil being too damp? As you said, the bulbs have been there for 10 years. Has anything changed that would cause more moisture, such as a large tree or a hedge that was removed? If not, I doubt it's because of wet conditions.

If you say that you had squirrels eating the shoots, the bulbs might still be there. Have you checked?

Is there another place in your garden you could bury the pots over the winter, like a vegetable patch where they might be safe from squirrels? You could keep them there while the shoots are still tender enough to be appetizing for squirrels and other rodents like rabbits and mice or voles. and then move them.

I lost a lot of my lilies last year to voles who ate the emerging shoots and some other creature that dug up the bulbs.

I got some new bulbs at a good price a while ago and what I did was loosely wrap some chicken wire around each bulb before planting them in pots. I'll bury the pots in the vegetable garden soon. In springtime, I'll remove the bulbs from the pots and plant them in their designated spot. I'll bury a piece of chicken wire a few inches deep in the ground above the bulbs so squirrels can't dig them up and I'll be protecting the emerging shoots with crates or maybe those wire wastepaper baskets you get at the dollar store, or maybe just by throwing a nylon net over them.

Seems like a lot of work, but if you're a lily lover like me, you know it's worth it.