Asiatics bloom first, and sometimes come up first, but a lot of times I've had different types of lilies emerge at the same time. They might be set back a bit since they were in a container, since they were colder over the winter (I thought I'd read that growing in a container is like having it a zone or two colder). Hopefully they're just slow in coming up, since sometimes even the same kinds of lilies can be a little different in how they grow/emerge.

Hi Carolyn

Thank you. They are totally different beasts, aren't they. :-)))))

The Asiatics decided to break suface, then set of like a rocket. Now 20" tall, with buds just starting to develop.

The Asiatics range from 1" to 6". Three are showing buds. The 6" is next to a small Pittosporum tobira “Variegatum” which must have given it some protection, as we had strong, cold, dry winds for an extended time which burnt the new grown of the others as soon as it dared to stuck its head above ground.

The 3 smaller ones are all < 3", 2 with buds and one doing nothing, just sulking.

Further info on the sulking lily (Lilium formosanum v pricei).

I decided to carefully dig down to the bulb and see what, if anything, is happening.

After I got down about 1", the stem just petered out. It looks like the stem died (therefore the bulb, probably), but there are stem roots forming, on the top bit of the stem.

Is this likely to grow a new bulb, or just disappear at the end of the year?

It died. RIP