I've just read that purple leaves on lilies are a sign of too much water in the soil. The one time I've tried Lilium regale before was the year I was flooded four times; at one point the plants virtually capsized. The leaves were extremely purple, and the plants never recovered. I'm thinking that it could have been the flooding that did much of the damage. But I still have the odd weeny little thing popping up, and they never do anything, so maybe there's more to it than that.
That's very interesting - I've grown lilies in pots for years, and all seem to thrive except Madonna lilies (l. candicum). They're fine the first year, in the second the leaf tips go purple, in the third whole leaves become purple and don't develop properly, becoming distorted and often small. The same happens to the buds, which never open. The only thing I could find as a possible reason was phosphorus deficiency, but I've never managed to correct it - completely new compost seems to help, but only to a limited degree. I try keeping them dryer now, and see if that helps.
It does sound like phosphorus deficiency, the water logging of the soil would wash away many trace elements. You can buy specific phosphorus fertiliser, but do not apply at the same time as anything containing calcium as they combine and become insoluble and thus no use to the plants.
Thanks for that. I had wondered if hard water was a contributory factor (they were in acid soil) so tried an iron multitonic, but I do have pure phosphorus, so I'll try that with the newest (and so far healthy) bulbs, and soft water.
Edited for typo.
:) I have 6 pots of Lillie's & have had them for years. They flower every year really well. :) I re-pot each spring with a compost mix of No3 & organic multi. Over winter in green house but keep the compost just moist & then when they flower feed with tom feed & after flowering feed with organic seeweed fertilizer for growing not flowering They live on patio all summer & I water well but they must have good drainage :) Well that works for me anyway :) :)
oh marley farley, i also have many pots of lilies and do absolutely nothing with them. If they are very lucky, they get the top inch of soil renewed some years....and they go like mad. It has to be said, the oldest pots are around 12 years and they are looking slightly tatty but i had come to the conclusion that lilies were a doddle needing a bit of watering and thats about it. They get a comfrey feed when their buds start to swell so not totally ignored but i have a lot of them because they look spectacular with no effort from an idle gardener. I may try as bit more tenderness so they actually increase.
:) Oooooooh ....  ;D ;D I shall try that next year, each year, when I am re-potting I think maybe I won't bother next year, then forget until I am in the middle of doing it ??? ::) ;D
I wish I could grow lilies as easily as some! Every time I try I have nothing but problems. I won't give up though.
Asiatics are trouble-free, I promise ;D
Have quite a selection, including one bulb in a pot that has become many (bulbs, not pots ::)), and all I do is water it. It's just the Madonnas that are causing problems ::)
I've had trouble with every lily I've put in! I'll get there, the first time I tried was a bit of a freak year, with the plot flooded four times and a '100-year event' which involved a tornado a couple of miles away. The survivors never did anything subsequently though, which makes me wonder.
I don't think you can blame failure due to flood on yourself!
Keep trying - they're very rewarding once settled (and I would post a picture of mine if I could find it...)
:) Oh don't give up Robert, ??? ??? I have to say though that I only have a smallish pot of them, but they don't seem to like it outside very much. I keep mine in the conservatory in the shady corner. That never really gets the sun at all but it is quite light & they seem really happy  ;D I didn't do well with the first lot that I had as I thought they would be alright outside & they were not :'( Had a chat with a lady at a local flower show & she said she never put hers outside, as they don't like the sun & wind at all, & she did have some beautiful plants, so bought one kept it in doors & here we are a couple years down the road & have a lovly bushy plant that flowers ;D I give it a tepid shower about once a month to keep the leaves clean then wipe dry ;D probably too much fussing but it loves it & I love the plant. No camera for a couple of days so can't take a pic at moment :(
Big containers may be the way to go with them, but not under my lilac as my regale are currently growing sideways. As long as they're still there next year, that'll be a big step in the right direction.
:) I would definately do that, & don't leave them out over winter, put them inside somewhere even if they are only in a shed with a small amount of light , protect them from the weather. ??? ;D
:) Thin the canopy or lift it at least on the Lilac to let more light to your regals :) the Lilac will probably quite like it too, I usually trim mine each year. ;D
What is it that causes problems over the winter, damp or cold? I trimmed the lilac canopy earlier, but I can't lift it any more without spoiling the look of it altogether. So I either need to move that sink or shift the lilies to something else.
 :) That was quick Robert. :) I don't think they like the cold at all & not coupled with the damp  :'( They like it warm & humid really as they are tropical ground plants that can get as high as 6' in their natural habitat, ;D which I can sort of manage in the corner where they are. ;D
i have lilies in the garden and in pots , the lilies in the garden are doing really well they have been in the garden for about 4 years and are multiplying every year and more flowers every year , i never feed them ,and they seem fine , the lillies in the pots are doing just aswell but i do water them often never letting them dry out ,i read that once u have planted lillies u shoud never move them as they dont like there roots being disturbed.I leave them out all year the frost never affects them but i do live in the south west.
:) The Madonna (peace lillies) lillies in my experience don't like the great outdoors here much but most of my other lillies stay out in the beds with no problem. There are a few types in pots that are a little more delicate or special to me that I take in in winter. I agree that they do not like their roots disturbed though. :)
I have lilies both in pots and in the ground. The ground ones are about 12" away from the house's south-facing wall, and are hence kept very dry in winter. I think the dryness is the key to overwintering them outdoors - I know that my Mother loses hers regularly in winter. She's in the NW which is several degrees warmer than me, but also a good deal wetter.
I'll try to organise something which will keep them dryish in winter, and see how they go. So far I've tried longiflorum (struggled up, lasted a few weeks and vanished), pumilum (never came up), regale (flowered magnificently the first year then faded) and speciosum (ditto).