Transplanting Oriental Lilies

[SusanM]

Is it safe to transplant oriental lilies now, after they have bloomed? I know it is OK with daylilies, but am not sure about the oriental (and asiatic) lilies.

Thanks,

Susan

[Deb118]

Susan,
I see your in Indiana too. Sure, go ahead and move them. I was just looking at mine today and thinking they are dried enough to be cutting back, and moving the ones I need too.

[LucyGoose]

Most my orientals still have some flowers or just recently quit blooming and are still green....I guess if yours are done blooming and have turned brown already, it would be okay to move them....I always thought that you don't cut them till they turned brown....Just like Deb said, if they are all brown, it's okay....

[Chris_W]

If you can easily dig them up without damaging the bulbs I think you could do it now. My problem is that with older plantings it is hard to get at the bulbs without cutting into them, so I try to wait until the fall and then dig up a big area to find them. My Oriental lilies are still really green too but some of my asiatics have already died back so they could be moved for sure at this point without any trouble.

Good luck!

[Riskey bud]

I think if you can dig them without cutting them you'd treat them the same as when moving spring bulbs after flowering.
Just leave the leaves on if they're still green and let them die back naturally. You can wait til they've died back with the fall frosts and then move them also, as far as I know.
Mine turned brown prematurely , before frost last year because of the hot dry conditions probably, but normally they don't die back until frost , if the weather is to their liking and they're not too dry.

[oldcoot]

Only the Lilies that got some shade lasted very long. I never cut mine back until the green is gone. Just let them dry back naturally. I had two Eater Lilies I planted last spring that had stems still green in July's 100* heat. I had to move a lot of mine late last spring becase they were in TOO MUCH shade and were quite spindly. Had surprisingly good blooms even after I moved them. Really can't wait to see what I have left this summer. Don't plan to move any around this year but I do plan to have a big planting season this fall (05) Check with you then Chris.