My daytime temps should be fine, we just have to make it to Tuesday.

I have no idea, what kind of lillies you have. Mine, had to tough it out, since I flew to Florida. If I was at home, during such cold temps, I would cover mine too. Old sheet doubled, or a towel, or a cardboard box should do.

I would rather cover, then let them get set back.

Moni

Pawprint, plants will often begin growing during an untimely warm spell. Sometimes we lose that year's floral display entirely; that's just how Mother Nature works.....or plays!

I would cover the lilies with more than a light sheet, if I were you. Triple layers of a woven material such as sheets or even a blanket can protect your liliies from freezing temperatures. Uncover during the day, if possible.

I'd be very surprised if you didn't have even more freezing temperatures in your location.....that would, in fact, be normal. Isn't your usual, expected, average last frost date sometime in May?

I'm not sure what kind they are, but here's a picture around May 30th when they bloom.

Ok, I'll get them a blanket for the next few nights. I wasn't sure how much heat they would need. I'll uncover them during the day when it's sunny.

You are correct. It's not safe to plant anything in Ohio before May 15th. I usually add some perennials around then. Normally Mother Nature does a gradual warm up for us, but this winter has been anything but normal.

Some variant of Oriental lily...yes, cover heavily for anything below 31 or so. I am faced with the absolute same thing (tomorrow and the next day) for my Bletilla orchids. If I don't cover I'll get no flowers and a major setback to the plants...same as you.

gorgeous, looks like what we call Easter Lily in Oklahoma. Yup, use heavier cover than doubled up sheet.

Oh btw, you'd probably get more action in a GARDEN forum about Lilies, than Kitchen Table :) But you got the answers you needed anyway. I just happened to see it on the front page.

I have daylilies growing. I'm in the zone 6 or maybe 5 and I don't do anything to them. They seem fine and handle the weather ok.

They look like Stargazers to me. Love them. Here in Central Alabama varities of my lilies break ground around Christmas time, so will get some periods below freeing and they have always survived without any special attention. I have never covered them. They've even been snowed on.

OK....that's NOT an oriental lily...or stargazer(no freckles & too early) or day lily...that's an Asiatic lily. "If" it puts up buds right now, you'll lose the bloom and the bulb won't have enough energy to come back next year as a healthy plant. I often dump large amounts of really decomposed horse manure....since there's a stable nearby. You can save them! Very nice display!!!!!!!

I used to grow hundreds of lilies...pocket gopher colony got them and deer jumped the fence....I just don't have the time to keep up...

My stargazer lilies are full of buds already but here in Houston they are fine. Mine are in a large planter in the atrium. They get so tall I have to stake them up. I am going to separate out some of the bulbs and plant some in the garden.

Your lilies are beautiful. I have several asiatic lilies in my front bed in various colors. I am sure if you covered them they will be OK. They are tough.

Oriental lilies...which includes Stargazer lilies have a "wave" to the petal and scent.

Asiatics have NO scent unless they've been hybridized with orientals. Then "IF" properly labeled they're called a Longiflorum.

http://www.bdlilies.com/long.html

Your Lilies will be just fine. I live in Missouri, expecting a low of 25 degrees for Monday - Lilies are up about 10" and will be o.k.

I like the scent of my stargazer lilies but have developed a bad allergy to the pollen. I don't bring them in the house anymore. We had some in the funeral arrangements in the house and it took me a little while to realize why I was having such a reaction in the house . I had my husband clip off all the pollen laden stamens.

@dbarron, the very first line of my post states that I also posted in the garden web lilie forum but it's pretty dead in there.

Thanks everyone, I guess I shouldn't worry so much. I just didn't expect all these buds so early.

It was a good question, Pawprint. and isn't it wonderful that we have to ask it this year?!

Well, tell us what you did and what the end result is (as long as the stem doesn't look like cooked spinach when the days warms to 50 or so, you're good).

On nights when the temperature is going below freezing, cover the lilies. Cover in the evening before sundown to preserve as much heat as you can. Don't wait for it to drop to freezing. By then, the top part of the soil has lost too much heat. Don't skimp on the amount of area covered. The center of the covered area will be the warmest; The temperature lowers toward the edges and at the edge, it will be near the temperature of the uncovered ground.

The next day, do not uncover until the temperature has risen above freezing.

This could be a loosing battle. If the cold snap is too severe or lasts too long, nature will have its way in spite of your efforts. Covering at night works only when the temperature does not fall more than 2 to 3 degrees below freezing and for only a few hours at night.

I was given these bulbs ten years ago and they have bloomed and multiplied each year since then. I have separated and moved them a couple times and they just keep on blooming and multiplying. The scent is wonderful. I was told they were Oriental, but didn't really know, until I read the above and I'm glad to know for sure now. Thanks. ETA This pic is from a group a couple years ago. Haven't seen any sign of them yet this year.

This is the first year of bloom after I planted the bulbs. (Kinda blurry.)

Well just to report in the spirit of this thread...I covered what I thought would be tender perennials, and got away with all of them EXCEPT that darn bletilla. I lost most of the stems, despite a 5 inch thick covering of straw. It plunged beyond the predicted 29 to a 25, and that was too much.

Strangely, a passionflower (borderline hardy) that I wasn't able to cover (due to it being a foot tall on the trellis), wasn't touched at all (of course it was flat against the house too).

Sue_va.....those are trumpet lilies. :0) Yeah....and there are more varieties than what's been mentioned on this thread. I grew anything and everything that was in the lily family I could lay my hands on, back in the day.....lol

dbarron.....straw was a good save!

Hi, Nicole. Thanks for clearing that up for me. If anyone asks me this year what they are, I will tell them for sure they are Trumpet Lilies!