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Advice needed for dead lilies please!

louiseZNNlL_wtlouiseZNNlL_wt HovePosts: 8
in Plants
Help! My lilies are dead 😢. Can anyone tell me are they dead forever or will they come back next year? Should I cut them down to ground level? Thanks for any advice (and sorry about sideways picture) xx

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  • B3B3 Posts: 21,523
    I would tip them out of the pot to see what the bulbs look like.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 46,404
    Unless they're waterlogged and rotting, or completely dried out and shrivelled, they should be fine, but they benefit from a feed or two while dying back, and some of the soil mix replaced in spring when they come back into growth.  :)

    The foliage seems in very poor condition for the time of year, but without knowing what care they've had, and what variety, it's difficult to tell.
    I don't cut the foliage back until they've completely died back - I just stick mine out of sight until they're ready to go next year. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • louiseZNNlL_wtlouiseZNNlL_wt HovePosts: 8
    Thank you for your response. I have just done that. They are small but look ok - they look whole and alive with roots coming out. Shall I replant do you think?
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 46,404
    Do you know what they are? Have you any photos of them when flowering?
    You can certainly put them back in the pot  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 11,336
    Yes, replant immediately in either the old or new compost.  While lily bulbs are sold 'dry', they don't really like being out of the soil for any length of time.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • louiseZNNlL_wtlouiseZNNlL_wt HovePosts: 8
    Sorry for the delayed response. And thank you for your advice. They looked like this until a couple of weeks ago. I went away for around 10 days (back last night) and they weren't watered as they should have been. They were watered and fed before that and were healthy. The flowers went brown and died about three weeks ago but the stems and foliage was fine. Then they weren't looked after for a couple of weeks whilst i was away and I've come back to this. I've replanted the bulbs that I took out in one pot, but have another couple of pots that look like the ones in the original photo. Should I just water and wait for them to die back do you think?
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 46,404
    Just water them but give them a couple of feeds with something like tomato food or a liquid seaweed while the foliage dies back completely. Once that happens, and it's properly autumn/winter, they'll be dormant and won't need any attention. If you're in a wet part of the country, you can put them against a house wall or similar, just to prevent them getting waterlogged. Otherwise, they need no special care.  :)
    There's no need to feed lilies while they're growing and flowering. Everything they need is in the bulb itself, and the bulbs get larger as they get older. 
    You will need to divide the clumps every so often as they get congested, especially in pots.  You'll also get small ones appearing which will also grow on and flower eventually too. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • louiseZNNlL_wtlouiseZNNlL_wt HovePosts: 8
    Thank you that's super helpful x
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