I've never posted on the lily forum before, but we are having an issue with an old lily this year that was planted by the previous owner of our house, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

I believe the lily is a Fire lily (Lilium bulbiferum). I've noticed recently that the bottom leaves on the stalks/stems are turning yellow. These yellow leaves fall off easily if you just brush your hand against them. I've never seen this lily in this condition before in years prior.

The rest of the lily looks perfectly fine as usual, and it's starting to form flower buds on the top. The lily is about 5 to 6 feet tall at this point.

This May and June we had a tremendous amount of rain, and less sunny days than than usual for late spring in the Mid-Atlantic region. Could the excess rain be causing the yellowing? Is there anything we should do about it? Or should we just ignore it and see what happens?

Also had a question about planting an Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) outside. A family member gave us recently her Easter lily and asked us to plant it in our garden. When she gave it to us last week, it no longer had any blooms and the leaves were in the process of turning yellow. Is this normal for a "forced bloom" Easter lily that was purchased in April?

Right now, the Easter lily is just sitting outside in the container it came in. Should we plant it in the ground now? Or wait until the fall? Or should we keep it indoors in a sunny location and plant it outside in the spring?

Sorry if these questions seem so basic. Just not that familiar with lilies. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks in advance!