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I have stargazer lilies and the flowers are over.
What do I do next please?
Can I store the bulbs also?
Do I need to cut them?
Once your lilies have finished flowering, cut off the flower head and allow the stem and foliage to die back naturally (this puts the energy back in the bulb for it to flower the following year). Once the stem has turned brown and hollow, you can cut it off from the ground level or, in fact, you should be able to just pull it out of the ground leaving the bulb still secure in the ground.
Lily bulbs like to have a cold, dormant phase and will therefore be happy to remain in the ground or in pots over the winter period. Just ensure they don’t get too wet by planting in well-drained soil and/or having good drainage in your pots. You can even bring pots under a cover so they don’t get too wet. Lilies can stand the cold just not the wet as they will rot and not flower properly the following year.
If you wish, you can feed your lilies with a tomato feed next year once you see signs of growth again.
The Hart Family
