Oriental Lilies - Autumn/Winter Care

TheScottishGardener · July 2020

Hi all,

I'm a relatively new gardener and new to Lilies (outwith pots!). I created a new bed and planted some bulbs in the Spring, they've come on great and are just about to start blooming.

I'm already thinking ahead and making a to-do list of Autumn garden maintenance and I was wondering what the best thing to do with the lilies is. I read that ideally you should be taking the bulbs out and pulling off any smaller bulbs that may have developed and trying to compete. Then replant the "best" or bigger bulbs. I planted the bulbs with a balanced bed in mind, however a couple of the bulbs did fail, and the bed now looks quite unbalanced which I find annoying but all part of the fun of gardening. So I do want to reposition/rearrange the bed as soon as I can/is best for the lilies. Especially once I see what colours they bloom as (I got a mix of bulbs) and see if I can balance the colours out better.

My question is, since this is only their first year in the ground, should I leave them where they are this year and then maybe pull out the bulbs next year? Or is it going to be fine to pull them out this year?

Thanks in advance

Obelixx · July 2020

If you feel the need I think it will be OK to lift them this autumn or as soon as their foliage has died back, by which time it will have fed the bulbs for next year's flowers.

My last garden was too cold and wet to grow lilies in the ground so I have only ever done them in pots which means I can bring them forward when in flower and stash them in a less conspicuous spot before and after. I tend to empty out the pots every 3 years or so in order to check for offsets I can grow on/give away/swap but also so I can replant the biggest bulbs in fresh compost and maintain the display. It's also easier in pots to check for the dreaded lily beetle.

TheScottishGardener · July 2020

That's great, thank you for your response.

Obelixx said:

It's also easier in pots to check for the dreaded lily beetle.

Do you have tips for managing lily beetle? One of my plants are showing signs of potential lily beetle (I think?), some spots on the foliage, signs of being eaten in a couple of small places. I check the underside of the leaves every now and again but don't seem to see any. I've taken to lightly pinging the leaves on a daily basis whenever I am out there. I thought it was strange that it's only affecting one plant, they're all relatively close together!

fidgetbones · July 2020

Put a hand underneath when you ping them. They drop on the floor on their backs and you can't see them. I put a hand under or pinch them between two fingers, then stamp on them on a hard surface. If you have the larvae covered in black excreta, then wipe them off with damp kitchen towel.

strelitzia32 · July 2020

fidgetbones said:
I put a hand under or pinch them between two fingers, then stamp on them on a hard surface.

That's horrific! You know you can hear them cry when you squeeze them? How can you kill the poor little things after that...

Obelixx · July 2020

Easy when you see what they do to your precious lillies!

As @fidgetbones says, the adults drop off when disturbed and land on their back so they're invisible. I was advised that you should go out at tea-time when it seems they are most visibly active with a mug of tea and put it under the beetle to catch the blighetres and drown them. Squish with foot to be sure.

The pooey bits are the larvae which cover themselves in their own excrement to deter birds from eating them. I used a blast from the hose pipe to remove them. So far, touch wood, no beetles here. No idea why as I brought my pots withe me and you'd have thought they'd have had passengers.

Mike Allen · July 2020

Returning to the question. To lift or not. If your lillies have grown well and rewarded you. Then it's obvious they are content. So leave well alone. If your location tends to suffer winter rains and flooding and or deep penetrating frosts etc. Then do your best to provide covering. Cut bracken is ideal, otherwise straw etc, anything that will baffle the onslaught. Come spring the protection can be removed or used as a mulch.

TheScottishGardener · July 2020

Obelixx said:

The pooey bits are the larvae which cover themselves in their own excrement to deter birds from eating them.

This all sounds gross

they're making my skin crawl just at the thought!

Mike Allen said:

If your lillies have grown well and rewarded you. Then it's obvious they are content. So leave well alone.

Thanks for your response. This is a very good point and although it seems common sense I hadn't really thought of it that way. I guess my main concerns are I'm not entirely sure how well draining the soil is yet and we do tend to get a lot of rain/snow and frost and ice up in Scotland over winter, so I was concerned that the bulbs may rot. Can you recommend what's best/easy/cost effective to put down over winter?

Fairygirl · July 2020

I don't do anything to lilies. In pots - they get divided occasionally, and fed while dying back, but that's about it.
In the ground, they're in with plenty of other planting which takes up any excess water. I improve the soil with compost etc on a regular basis, which helps with drainage. Cold wet ground is far more damaging than frost/snow, so no need to protect them from that.
Up here - get the drainage right and they're fine.

Lily beetles aren't always a problem if you keep a look out for them. They never used to be very prevalent here, but have become so in recent years. I had a bit of an infestation last year, but picked them off and dispatched as soon as I saw the adults. Wipe off the eggs/larvae - they're mostly under leaves. You'll have to get used to doing that if you want lilies, and it's easy once you start. Take care as @Obelixx and @fidgetbones say, as they drop and turn, making it hard to see them.

Oriental Lilies - Autumn/Winter Care

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