Lilies: let the stems die back and leave them in their pots. Bubble-wrap the pots if it's really cold where you are. Re-pot them in fresh compost in the spring and watch them grow!

Dahlias: as soon as the foliage is blackened by the first frost, or before if you'd rather, dig the tubers up, brush the soil off carefully, cut the top growth back to a stem of about 2 -3 " and leave them to dry for a short period, then store in dry compost in a frost-free place. Pot them up in the spring.

Hi Stewbabe welcome to Goy. I agree with Spritz advice on the dahlias and the lilies in the pots. If your tree lilies are in the ground cut off what is left of the flowers and let the stem die down before cutting it off at ground level. If you have some compost put a layer of that over them to protect the bulbs from frost and they will pop up next year again and should be bigger and better than they were this year.

No...you don't cut off Tree Lilies. !

Sorry to disagree Pimpernel but Tree Lilies are a hybrid between the fragrant oriental lilies and the large flowered trumpet lilies. They get treated in the same way as other lilies - remove the flowers after they finish flowering and then after the first frosts cut away the flower stem. Mulching keeps the bulbs safe. The bulbs should be planted at 3 x the depth of the bulb because this is going to be a tall plant and needs to be well anchored.

Tree lilies are different..Best left alone

Sorry about the conflicting advice Stewbabe. Pimpernel I am giving the advice on the care of Tree Lilies given with my bulbs when i bought them a couple of years ago. I followed the advice and it worked for me in East Central Scotland.

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-bulbs-and-tubers/lily-bulbs/tree-lily-collection/p92145TM?source=socialfb&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring2011&utm_content=treelilycollectionvideo

Because the above link is so long I took the liberty of copying some of the advice given by Thomson and Morgan.
"Feed and water Oriental lily bulbs regularly throughout the growing season, keeping them moist at all times. Deadhead faded blooms at the base of the flower where they join the stem to prevent the development of seed pods. When cutting Oriental lily flowers for indoor arrangements, it is important to leave a third of the stem intact in order to feed the bulb for the following year. After flowering leave the stems intact until they begin to yellow in autumn. Reduce watering and move containers of lilies to a cool, frost free position over winter. Lilies grown in borders can be lifted, cleaned and stored for the winter, however in mild areas most lilies should survive outdoors provided that the soil is not too wet. A mulch of well rotted manure or garden compost should be applied in spring. Divide and repot container grown lilies into fresh compost every other year. Caution: All parts of Oriental lilies are toxic to cats. "

Sorry. It is me reading Lilies and thinking Peonies......

Stewbabe Take no notice of my comments.

I am not sure how many more faculties I have got left to lose Scotsgran...Hearing's going, eyesight's going, now simple comprehensive skills are obviously heading downhill.

My sister and brother both raved about their tree lilies and so I got some too. I was disappointed last year that they were only 3' high but they did grow to 4' this year. I have never had the profusion of blooms that are supposed to grow on them and I have had to take a bit of ribbing from my elders and betters (they think). I have been taking particular notice of how to grow them well and one of these days I might catch up with them. That is if my failing faculties hold out. I'm in the same boat as you Pimpernel but we're not dead yet. I think you might enjoy a poem I blogged in July 2010. It describes the pair of us to a T.

Just read it Scotsgran...Made me chuckle, Think mine is a mid life crisis in the making though.

You are lucky you can grow out of it. Lol. Too late for me.
Poor Stewbabe you must think we are all mad but we are just trying to be helpful and enjoying ourselves at the same time. Do not let us put you off. Happy gardening.

ofcourse we are all mad lol x .