Expert: Long Island Gardener - 5/28/2008

Question
I bought 2 stargazer lilies from Lowe's.  They had about 8 bulbs on each of them
when I bought them.  They bloomed real well but now they don't look so good.  
The buds are falling off before they can actually bloom.  What might be the
problem.  I have them planted in cement planters at my front door.  My zip code
is 36330.

Answer
Sorry I have taken so long to answer to your question, Patsy. I have been out with the flu for a week and I'm just getting back today.

I'm guessing that you actually meant that you purchased 2 bulbs in a pot with 8 buds each, and some have bloomed successfully, others are dropping before they open.  If I'm wrong, please let me know.

Your Enterprise, Alabama temperatures have not been sweat-dripping, heat-stroking high.  The thermometer only hit 90 degrees on the 20th of May.  To quote University of Florida's Extension website, 'Oriental hybrids need a warmer [than Asiatic Lilies] night temperature of 60 to 65 degrees F and a day temperature not exceeding 85 degrees F.'  FYI, Stargazer --  the most popular potted Mother's Day Lily -- is an Oriental hybrid.  Here's their page for growers on 'Production of Hybrid Asiatic and Oriental Lilies':

edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_CN003

Your region's humidity has been relentless -- daily almost hitting 100 percent, never dipping below 65 percent, the kind of moisture that would make a fish happy.  This is the kind of setup for a disease called Botrytis Blight.  But you have not mentioned any apparent damage to the leaves, so we'll dismiss Botrytis as a complication here.

Bud drop on Lilies is something we see when the plant is not getting enough light and/or the temperatures are too high.  Combine slight excesses in both of these and you boost the tendency for the Lily to lose buds before they open -- mainly because the buds start producing Ethylene Gas before they have a chance to bloom.  Note too that these plants need soil on the acid side.  If you have the roots growing in a cement planter, they are probably getting very hot, and the planter will eventually raise the soil pH.

I also want to point out that overwatering any plant will promote the premature loss of buds.  This is the most common care error we find everywhere, in every plant.  A few small mistakes here and there add up, often to bud drop.  If you want to keep this plant, repot it in rich, well drained soil, in location where it gets full sun in morning but some cool shade in the afternoon, and plant it TOO DEEP -- Oriental Lilies like Stargazer grow roots out of their stems that help anchor the plant when it's in active growth and collect more of the nutrients these heavy feeders need.

I'd be happy to go into more detail on any of these factors if you think one in particular might be the cause.  With the high temps and humidity continuing, I don't expect this is going to get better before it gets worse.  But these are certainly worth keeping through the Summer.  Next Summer, when it blooms again, you'll be happy you went through the trouble.  Thanks for writing.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER