End of the lillies, what next?

My lillies have finished flowering, i'm left with really tall stems, what should I do? i need the decorative pot they are in for something else! Do i cut the stems and put the bulbs in another pot?

biscombe don't cut back the stems as they are what nourishes the bulb so it will bloom next year. If they are cut off and not allowed to die naturally they will not get what they need to bloom next year. I guess you could try to move them to another pot. I am not sure if that will hurt them or not if you disturb their roots. Hopefully someone will come along and let you know that.

Sandy

It will disturb their roots but should not negatively affect them. Since they've already bloomed, just make sure they have good drainage. They will otherwise take lots of abuse and still love you.

This is not exactly on the same subject but similar.
There are a clump of roots about 1 " above the actual bulb. If, when the stem is finished, you cut the stem just under these roots and cut the stem off above them for appearance sake, and then replant the cut off stem and these roots, it will regenerate a new bulb while keeping the old one intact in its bed. I have used this technique to increase my lily collection. Its advantage is that you don't have to breakup the mature bulb and you get a new bulb faster than if you try to raise the small seedling bulbs from the mother bulb. Try it!

When I plant lilium in pots, I add a couple of calla bulbs. They come up as a nice surprise, and with lovely foliage. They distract and add beauty.

Oh, Cathy, great idea!. I grow both lilies and callas and I will combine them next year as you have. That's very clever!

The callas are still up, and the ones in the containers are starting blooms.

I try to plant dahlias each year simply because they bloom right up until the first frost. The small ones have already started blooming, and the big ones are already needing staking. Last year I figured "what the heck" and did not plant them due to the high heat and my laziness and ended up being sorry.

We have a garden in the front with walkers, so after the lilies and bee balm are pretty much finished, I like to give our sidewalk friends a run for their money. After all, they've already seen the peonies, irises, alliums and such. On the other side under the treed area where there is quite a bit of shade, there are containers of caladium, begonia, sweet potato vine and coleus.

The sun has been so deadly that we moved all the Heucheras (in pots) to the east side of the house for morning sun.

Donna, I always have a lot of "stuff" in containers because they can be planted while the ground is still cold. That way there is always something to "gift" without cutting or digging. Your flowers are always beautiful, and I love your peonies!

I have a prominent front view, too, but I haven't been as creative as you. I mostly have annual grown from seed. I just grow a ton of them and stuff them into pots.

Some I stuff into the ground - if I'm luck, they reseed.

The rest end up on the back wall, which people can also see. Except for verbena appleblossum and verbena homestead purple, I grow it all. I particularly love growing heliotrope, double petunias, and taking geraniums from cuttings. I love your ideas! I'm going to dig up my heuchera and put them in pots!