The lily leaf beetle—destroyer of true lilies—was already spotted in our county last summer, so I was fearing the worst this year, but none arrived.
It’s only a matter of time—just like the marching army of Japanese Beetles that eventually moved east across the country and arrived in our city more than a decade ago. Thankfully those numbers have leveled off.
The lily leaf beetle eats all parts of the lily so rather than trying to pull them and their eggs from my plants I will probably give up on lilies altogether for awhile.
In the meantime I decided to take a risk and order a few more Orienpet lily bulbs that should arrive any day now. These plants add a spectacular burst of color to my annual flowerbeds each July and August.
I’m going to keep growing those big, beautiful flowers as long as I can.