Last year I bought a few lilies and potted them on my patio. I know ZERO about gardening now and even less then. The lilies died and I just left the pot untouched. This week I decided to give it another go and planted several new things in my flower beds. I was going to throw away this pot and I noticed these little sprouts! Did they die and then come back or is it something else?

Hi blackthumbkate and to ATP! Your lilies (true lilies, genus lilium) did not die, they just went dormant for the off season. The foliage and stem die back and the bulb rests to return in the spring.

They look crowded and would grow best planted in the garden but you probably should wait until fall to transplant them. You can ask questions about true lilies on the lily forum here http://garden.org/forums/view/...

True lilies are different from daylilies (genus Hemerocallis). Stick around and you can learn a lot about both!

I can't judge the pot size from the picture nor can I tell whether they're Oriental, Asiatic, or other but I'd assume Asiatic if I were to guess. Might be a good idea run a tool along the inside edge of the pot and loosen it up and gently ease the contents out and again, gently sift through the soil with your fingers to find the primary bulbs and their offspring and either repot all to a larger pot or individual pots. Of course I'm guessing that they're all the same variety in which case I'd try to keep them together. I've ground planted Orientals and Asiatic lilies in spring and early summer with no ill effects but it's likely not always the preferred method. I've found them to be reasonably sturdy plants in my growing zone. You'll find plenty of info here. For me drainage has always been key in maintaining healthy lily bulbs. The three that look alike are all good, that leafy one won't amount to much anytime soon but it's leaves are feeding a growing bulb.

Best of luck!

Thank you guys so much! I'm young(ish) and a first time homeowner. All of this is very new to me and I'm excited to have some help!

It may be important to know that I potted them as full plants with blooms and they turned brown and dried up. Due to lack of attention I'm sure.

Katie!!!

lilies are one of the easiest plants to grow ever! lucky for you, your "lack of attention" as you say, is not a big deal. haha! they don't need much attention to do well. but they do need a little in order to really thrive however. right now is the PERFECT time to give them a small shot of slow release fertilizer. an organic 5-10-10 bulb/flower food will work wonders. im going to assume they're still in the same pot...? leave them be if they are- they'll be fine. but if you're looking to be more "involved" with your lilies then might I suggest moving them to a larger pot in the fall. judging by the size of your pot id say two tablespoons of fertilizer worked into the top part of the soil would be good. once all the flowers have fallen off in late july is a good time to give them another two tablespoons of fertilizer and 1/2 cup of alfalfa meal, again, worked into the top part of the soil- and give them all the sun exposure you can give them! cut the small individual flower stems off (not to be confused with the main stems), so the plant doesn't waste energy producing seeds. you want that energy to go into storage for next years flowers. let the stems die back on their own. they'll continue to manufacture food throughout the rest of the summer and early fall. if you choose to replant them the best time is once the stems have turned brown and died back. next years blooms should be amazing!

Plants in pots tend to dry out very quickly, way faster than plants in the ground. So they need watered regularly or they will dry out. Now if they were in the ground, they would not need watered as often. What you have is a perennial -a plant that returns every year. They usually die down in the winter (dormant) and then re-sprout when the weather warms in the spring. The flowers that actually do die, and have to be replanted every year are called annuals. Those are mostly the little colored flowers you see in the 6 packs. Marigolds, pansies, zinnias, begonias, vinca, petunias, coleus, impatiens ect. These do sometimes make seed that will grow the next year, but the blooms may not be the same color or quality as the parent and they usually take a while to establish-most people just buy new ones of these each spring. Most perennials like a little mulch over them for the winter months. Your zone is warm enough though, you may not need that. We do here in zone 5 - 6.