Thanks! I'll give it a try. Marg

I think the rain saved your plants by washing off most of the vinegar solution.

I use vinegar to kill unwanted weeds and it's very effective. If you don't want to spray Raid or use Neem oil, then I suggest a solution of dish soap and vegetable oil and no vinegar.

Meant to say a solution of 2 tsp dish soap, 1 TB oil and 1 litre of water.

I am getting tired of fighting the battle this year with the red lily beetle
Fortunately most of my lilies are already bloomed or blooming or near blooming

As the flower finishes I have been cutting off the flowers, stripping off all the leaves and just leaving the long stem standing

I know , I know that is not the right thing to do
But, I figure the stem is there to feed the bulb and my soil is very rich
As well I don't have to watch that particular lily plant for those darn bugs
Seems everyday and more than once a day you have to watch for them

I hate to give up on lilys as they are so gorgeous and did manage quite well this year.
But seems to me they are never completly, GONE just waiting for you to give them a break and they can get on with multiplying

diane_v

I pick my lilies too to enjoy indoors. They a make beautiful, long-lasting bouquet. I leave as much of the stem and leaves on the plant as possible, but I've never had any problem with my bulbs comiing up year after year.

About the lily leaf beetle, there was a garden expert/horticulturist on the radio yesterday and he said that sprinkling coffee grounds on the soil around your lily bulbs in the spring will 'confuse' the lily bugs. I don't know if he meant to say that they fly away or are too confused to mate, but it's worth a try.

we now have the red lily beetle here in Mt.Uniacke N.S. Canada, it has killed off most of the many lily's that my mom has planted, she to is desperately trying to get rid of them.