Well, let me tell you, lilies, they’re pretty flowers, but they sure can get sick. Just like us folks, they get all sorts of ailments. I seen it all in my time, growing these flowers in my little garden. You gotta watch out for them, or they’ll just wilt away and break your heart. This article is about the diseases of lilies. Hope you can learn something from an old lady like me.
One thing I learned is these lilies, they get sick from them fungi things. Like that Botrytis, sounds like a fancy word, but it ain’t nothing good. It makes the leaves all spotty and brown. Makes the whole plant look poorly. I remember one year, all my lilies got it. Was a sad sight, let me tell you.

- That Botrytis blight, it’s a real troublemaker.
- Makes the leaves all ugly and brown.
- Spreads real fast, too.
And then there’s that other thing, the mosaic. Sounds like something you’d hang on your wall, but it’s another sickness. It makes the leaves all streaky and funny-looking. This one, they say it’s a virus. Like when we get the flu, I reckon. These diseases of lilies, they just keep coming.
Another thing is called basal rot. Oh, that’s a bad one. Makes the bottom of the plant all mushy and rotten. You see the bulb, it’s all soft and smelly. It’s no good. Plant just keels over and dies. I lost a whole bunch of lilies to that one year. Was a real shame.
So, you gotta keep an eye on your lilies. Make sure they got good dirt, not too wet. If it’s too wet, that’s when the rot sets in, I always say. Like if you leave your taters in the rain, they get all mushy, same thing with lilies. Diseases of lilies come when the dirt is too wet.
You see those spots on the leaves, you gotta do something quick. I used to pick off the bad leaves, try to keep it from spreading. It’s like when you get a bad apple, you gotta toss it out before it ruins the whole bunch. You must take care of the diseases of lilies at once.
Sometimes, you gotta dig up the whole plant, bulb and all. Just throw it away. Sounds harsh, but it’s better than letting it make all the other plants sick. It’s like when your cow gets sick, sometimes you gotta put it down to save the herd. Sad, but that’s just the way it is.
Lily disease, that’s what they called it in the past. Now they got all these different names like Botrytis and Mosaic. But they all mean the same thing, sick lilies, sad garden. Remember what I said about diseases of lilies, kid.
- Keep the dirt just right, not too wet.
- Watch for spots on the leaves.
- Don’t be afraid to toss out a sick plant.
One time I bought some bulbs from town. They looked fine, all plump and healthy. But after I planted ’em, they got sick. Turns out, they were already carrying some kind of sickness. It’s hard to tell sometimes, you just gotta be careful who you buy from. It’s just like buying a pig, you gotta make sure it ain’t sick before you bring it home. You should check the bulbs before you buy to avoid diseases of lilies.

Another year, I had a whole row of lilies, tall and proud. Then one of ’em started to wilt. Leaves got all droopy. I thought maybe it was just thirsty. But it kept getting worse. Then the next one got sick, and the next. Was like a sickness spreading through the whole row. I ended up losing most of ’em that year. So, you gotta keep the sick ones away from the healthy ones. You must learn how to deal with diseases of lilies.
I learned a lot about growing lilies over the years. It ain’t always easy. But when they bloom, all pretty and bright, it makes it all worthwhile. Just gotta keep an eye out for those sicknesses, and take care of ’em when they show up. That’s the best advice I can give you.
So, you see, these lilies, they’re beautiful, but they need care. You gotta watch out for the diseases of lilies, just like you watch out for your own health. Keep the soil good, watch for the signs, and don’t be afraid to take action. That’s the way to have a beautiful garden, full of healthy lilies. And that’s all I have to say about that.