I got my first pink lilies 2 weeks ago in Lowes, i was so happy because i never had those before, i only have tens of tens regular orange lilies. As i was checking them yesterday i noticed that something was eating the lilies!!! i did not find anything though, but this morning i saw them!! those nasty red beetles!! disgusting!!! I hate insects so much that i can not even describe it, but the worst thing is that I can not make myself to squish them, so i wont be able to keep control of it. I think the bugs must have come with the bulbs, so i am afraid now that all my orange lilies are gonna be attack soon. :( This weekend i am gonna get nees oil and try this but if this is not gonna work i will have to dig upp the lilies and get rid of them i can not let my garden die casuse of some stupid bugs!!

You have Lily Beetles. Most sites recommend a heavy determined "squishing campaign". If your lilies are defoliated every year they will eventually die out - since the bulb will not get nourishment from the leaves photosynthesis. Google "lily Beetle" (with the quotes so it searches as a phrase). Here's one link, but there are many more. http://www.rcgardens.ca/factsheets/factsheets/neem.html -Helen Here is a link that might be useful: One Lily Beetle Link

Hi minflick, I don't have many asiatics, but I have a number of orientals and trumpets. leaf placement isn't that different between Oriental hybrids and Asiatic hybrids. Asiatic leaves tend to be more slender, though not as "grass-like" as the trumpets. The best way to tell Orientals and Asiatics apart is by their blooms. The most dramatic difference will be bloom time and fragrance. Asiatics are the earliest blooming lilies and are blooming now in my zone, (in your zone they may be already finished ). Orientals don't bloom until July-August. Orientals have a strong "spicy" fragrance while the great majority of Asiatics have no fragrance at all. (There are some new hybrids with a very light fragrance - not likely to be found in a bin.) They also differ in the shape of their blooms and their arrangement on the stem. Both blooms have a overall bowl shape with a little recurve to the petals, but Oriental lilies have a "ruffled edge" and Asiatics a smooth edge on their petals. Oriental blooms are carried sequentially along the stem, Asiatic blooms all come from the tip of the stem in an "upside down umbrella shape called an "umbrel". Also, many Oriental lilies get quite tall in good garden conditions. There are a couple shorter hybrids, Mona Lisa (2') and Muscadet (2'-3') but in general 3' is small for an established oriental. Of course there are exceptions to every rule (especially among the species lilies), but the wide separation in bloom time will be the most reliable rule to use to distinguish them. As for digging them up most Oriental bulbs are a bright yellow when freshly dug (the color fades) and Trumpet bulbs are purple. I think Asiatic bulbs are white, but I'm not sure. Maybe someone else knows that. If the flowers are the same as far as you can tell, they may all be Asiatics. -Helen

The bright orange and striking red cultivars look stunning with native grasses...pair taller varieties with taller grasses. The native Agastache and other native blue flowering plants look wonderful with the white lilies (esp. the oriental Casa Blanca) It is not just the color but the variety of texture that is so striking. I also love love love yellow lilies with the purples of ironweed, blazing star (rough especially) and purple prairie clover. Once again, it is the texture as well as color, many of the natives have a very fine texture in leaf and flower that plays well with the large striking form of the lilies. In the autumn, the green of the lily leaves is nice with the yellows of the native foliage, if you deadhead the lilies they will retain that beautiful green, shiny, leaf. Hope this helps, Helen.