Hopefully someone will post in, Steve! I was looking at the same stuff, we had terrible weed problems last summer. I'm renting the field so didn't want to wood chip mulch.
Susan

Good luck to both of you. Really, I mean that, it isn't a sarcastic comment.

I learned the hard way not to plant lilies in ground that hadn't been mostly (or completely) weed-free for years. In addition to that, I top-dressed with an inch or two of compost every year, and it basically doubled as a mulch.

Lilies can be left in the ground for years, so applying a mulch could be quite cost-effective - unless, in Susan's case, you're not sure you'll be using that space for very long.

Jeanne

I have used Preen in my "landscape" beds around lilies for years. It doesn't seem to hurt them and it certainly helps with a lot of weeds. I just make sure that I don't sprinkle it directly on the plants.I truly am NOT a big advocate of using chemicals on my market gardens. I only use it on some of the perenial cutting beds and the landcape beds. I DON'T use it around the vegetable market gardens or anywhere near edible plants/herbs.

Last fall I planted 200 lilies in the field. Once they sprout(I'm starting to get nervous as they haven't done anything yet) I will put the Preen around them.