Do my lilies look okay?

This is my first year with lilies, so I'm not sure what to expect. I thought I had read that lilies may not come up to their full height their first year after planting--is that correct? I have three varieties of lilies in this bed--Oriental "Casa Blanca" lilies in the back, Asiatic "Lollipop" lilies in the middle and Oriental "Aruba" lilies in the front. All seem relatively fine except that they seem somewhat short to me. The Orientals all have flower buds on them and the Asiatics are just beginning to get them. My Asiatics also look a tad pale to me, but I had read to not overdo fertilizing lilies so I thought I would ask here first. I also am just not sure what their normal color should be, though it does seem to me that the leaves on the bottom of the plant appear darker green than those on the top.

Any information or opinions or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

**Edit**--most of the lilies average between 18-24".

This message was edited Jun 17, 2007 4:21 PM

Your lilies look pretty happy in that nice new bed. Most lilies are a bit short the first year and catch up after that. Depending on how much direct sun you get on that bed, they may like an underplanting of a shorter plant to keep the roots cool....
I don't generally fertilize my gardens, but mulch with compost. I know others use different concoctions to good effect.
Good luck!

Thanks esw--I feel better about them now! Do you think it would be okay to fertilize them with compost now or later this fall when I'm putting everything to bed?