hello ....will VERY established lily plants, exterior in my long-standing flower beds, continue to grow, bud & bloom if squirrels have chewed off the first couple inches coming out of the ground in Spring ?? .....I am devastated that this has occurred for the very first time is almost 10 years in our yard, the squirrels have got to over 10 of the biggest & thickets upshoots.....I am hoping I have not lost my amazing lilies and their blooms for Summer 2016 ......please tell me all you can, thank you for the help

Hi UncleFreddy and :welcome:

If your stems look like the one in the picture below, there's a good chance it will continue to grow up from the center and still be quite normal this year. About all that will happen is you'll notice the lower leaves will be short and stubby. However, if it is chewed off all the way down to the white on the stem, it will go to rest until next year.. When this happens the plant will be a little smaller next year with a couple less flowers. You may also find the plant may generate a few extra offsets during this year of resting.

I do not believe squirrels are the culprit, but rather it's a rabbit looking for an early spring salad. Squirrels, as a rule do not like lily foliage. You'll have to make some kind of cage using chicken wire or rabbit fence until there's plenty of other greenery for the bunny to eat and by then it shouldn't bother anymore (hopefully).

I have planted fritillary in most of my lily beds and they keep out everything from rabbits to dogs and cats and squirrels. You need one bulb per every flat bed. They bloom in the springtime and not every year after but they still do a good job underground. they are also called a skunk bulb. they smell horrible
you need to get the crown imperil type for them to work properly. They are usually planted in the fall........