Hi Lucie,
Your lilies are dieing down for the winter. Now that the leaves have turned yellow you can cut the stalk back if you'd like (as long as they're green they are feeding the bulb). Next spring the bulb will send up another stalk.

Lilies don't require much care. They like to have the top of the plant in the sun but like the soil to be cool. You can mulch them or underplant (ferns are nice) to acheive this. They also like the soil to be well drained, but they aren't real fussy about this they just shouldn't be soggy a lot or the bulbs will rot.

Lilies are tasty to various "critters" (squirrels, moles, voles, etc.,) especially over the winter when food is scarce. And slugs can be a problem in the spring. So if you underplant don't use plants attractive to slugs. If you mulch them over the winter (which lilies like) pull back the mulch in the spring (especially any leaf cover which slugs hide under).

Other than that, just be careful not to stomp on the emerging shoots in the spring (plant markers are handy) and all should be fine. Lilies are really pretty tough plants.

-Helen

UK??? as in england? anyway, Like hld6 said this is normal. The leaves die back in autumm. Lilies are one of the most forgiving plants. They aren't fussy about where, how, when you plant them. If you must get the planting depth wrong it better too shallow than too deep. They will pull themselves down to the proper depth. They multiply at a rate of at least 6 to 1 per year for a full size bulb. I mulch my garden but they will be ok without that. Invading grass can be a problem so keep them weeded. DO NOT EVER over water them. Too much water will rot the bulb and they will be fine if left until it rains. I've never had a problem with squirrels eating any of my bulbs and I have the critters around. Ideal planting depth is 6". Too deep they may not grow, too shallow they will adjust themselves. A foot high seems a bit short for an Oriental unless its the first year you had it. I don't agree with the idea of underplanting with ferns. The ferns will in a short time crowd out the Lilies. But I guess you could control the size of the ferns. You can leave then in the ground over winter. The Orientals are the most fragrant and limited to pink,white and red and mixes and shades of those. The Asiatics and American hybrids are much taller and come in most any color and generally less fragrant. some Lilies multiply by growing small "bulbils at the top of the bulb, some at the bottom and some grow tiny bulbs along the stalk next to a leaf. The "baby bulbs" can be replanted anywhere and will over winter fine. Its quite hard to kill a Lily bulb. Just don't get them too wet. They reguire to be frozen in the ground or they won't grow next year. If you live in a warm climate dig them up and put in a freezer bag with enough peat to ensure full coverage and place in the freezer for 12 weeks.

On 11/3/06, lilium_guy56 wrote: 'If you live in a warm climate dig them up and put in a freezer bag with enough peat to ensure full coverage and place in the freezer for 12 weeks.'

If you had said fridge instead of freezer, everything would be fine. You can't put flower bulbs in the freezer. See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: do not freeze flower bulbs!