I am wondering if lilies are like other bulbs such as daffodils, where you have to wait for the foliage to completely die down before cutting them back?
My brand new lilies bloomed very well, but now it's extremely hot here in North Texas. They are in full sun and are they're looking yellow in spite of lots of watering. (Seriously, they've been watered very well.)
Since I am a rank beginner -- I don't know if this sun is too much for them, or if this is normal after the bloom period is over. Or maybe both? (They started blooming in May, which seems really good to me.) If they're all finished now, do I wait until they're totally wilted before I cut them back?
Thank you all for helping a Lily dummy.
NLaw
Beginner question: what after the flowers have faded?
P.S. These are Oriental lilies -- Muscadet, Acapulco, Star Gazer, etc.
Cannot speak for Texas heat. When my lilies finish blooming, the pods continue to grow, filled with seeds (they stay green). They get quite large and misshapen before they dry up so that you can remove the seed heads. For me that is sometime in late October/ November. I can't guess for this year, because we've had so much rain and everything is freaky, but my orientals generally bloom around the end of July to the very beginning of August. Most plants bloomed later than usual, but the lilies once started are blooming at record speeds. Some lilies still have very small buds, so they'll probably bolt in a couple of weeks.
It will be interesting to see how the veggies do, provided they do not rot.
It's better to keep lilies on the drier side, rather than overwatering them.
Hopefully you didn't get blasted with rain ~ so drainage is very important.
If you're not interested in growing lilies from seed, then don't allow them to waste energy making seed. Snip the flowering part off, just below the lowest bloom. They need all the leafy parts to remain intact until the whole stem dies back.
I'd say that once they fully turn yellow, they are gone for the season. But not to worry.
I think several kinds of alliums - certainly daffodils and tulips and probably lilies - have evolved to die off in early summer not only so they might endure the winter, but also so they might endure long, blistering, hot, dry Asiatic summers. The kind Texas gets. My bet is that these guys will push up new growth next spring. And bloom again early summer. Toss a little bulb booster around them, cut them down, and see what happens next year.
Thanks to you all for your help.
I needed that reminder that lilies don't like being too wet. They're planted behind my irises, and that same thing holds true for them as well. I might have been on the way to killing them all with kindness. Especially since their bloom season is over, I need to cut back the watering.
Thanks for the tip on how to trim the lilies back.
NLaw
You really should pose this question to Steve Ft. Worth. He grows some magnificant lilies and peonies. He has first hand experience with your climate. :)