Question
I have Oriental and Asiatic lilies which have been in small containers all summer. This is the first year that I have bought flowers, and am learning hands on with all sorts of varieties. I have been waiting until now to plant the lilies as I have had to wait for my son to come home from a summer overseas and prepare a spot for planting. We have had a very hot and dry summer in Southcentral Pennsylvania, with no measurable rain since late June, and a heat wave in late July hovering around 100 degrees for a week straight. In my ignorance I moved them to a shadier spot, (dappled morning sun until about 2 or 3:00, then all shade) and just kept dumping water on them once every day to try and protect them. They are now turning yellow one by one at different times, and the yellow stalks are dying. Are they dying because I overwatered them, and have not given them enough sun, or is this a normal process? I was planning on planting them this week, now I am not sure how to proceed. I also have some Space Star and Stargazer lilies that are doing fine, although one Space Star, which has three stalks, has lost all of its leaves on two, and has a few left at the top of the other one. This stalk ond one other are still green and strong, but the other is turning brown and looks dead or close to it. Is the whole plant dead, or should I plant it and see what happens? How shall I prooceed with my Asiatic and Oriental lilies? Did I overwater them, and deprive them of sun, and if so is there any hope for them if I plant them? Please advise ASAP on all these lily types, as I must plant them immediately or not at all because of my schedule. Thank you so much for any advice you can give me! Mary

Answer
You can relax. I believe your lilies are fine. You did the right thing to get them out of the heat.
Lilies are bulbs. They are very tough to harm. It is possible to over water them, but if it was that hot, they probably dried out enough inbetween watering.
The yellowing is natural. They are going dormant. Now is the best time to plant them. The more yellow they get, the more you need to cut back on the water.
Work the soil so that you have very good drainage. Add some peat moss and steer manure. Some time release fertilizer mixed in the soil, would give nutrients for next years bloom, or you can use a liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer in the spring.
It is helpful to mark where you plant them, so that you can find them if you plant in that area again.
When the stalks are completely yellow, they can be trimmed off. Then just watch for them to come up every spring.
They are really wonderful plants.

bakerplanter