we typically dig up our lilies every other year in the fall, "rotating our stock" so to speak; to reposition them, divide them, and to pluck off any bulblettes. a general clean up if you will. we replant the bulblettes in a separate area to allow them to mature without getting in the way of already mature plants. then yes, we mix up the colors and the varieties to have different species blooming at different times. most we give away to family and neighbors however. this year though we had several giant pots that we didn't get to. several of the said bulbs have been in there for several years and have reached the size of oranges! as a result, a few of these pots, as big as they are (24 inch diameter), are completely overgrown with as many as 20 stems in several of them! I have no doubt this was a contributing factor in this whole botrytis ordeal. not to mention the poor "clean up". we've never really had a problem with transplant shock. we always wait until fall when the stems die back to do our transplants. it appears to not have any negative results...? but then again we don't do it every year, usually its every two years. this is the first year we've really gotten hit hard with it. im assuming the record setting warm winter/spring Seattle had this season is also a leading factor.
