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Help! I am a very new gardener. I purchase some oriental lilies from The Green Spot.  
 
One of the buds was already blooming and the rest were closed. Two days after transplanting them in my garden, the buds opened more and were a gorgeous color but are now turning a gross burnt looking color.  
 
I'm positive I've transplant shocked them. Is there a way to help them recover or have I ruined my new plants?

Not to worry  
They are a perenial, meaning they will come back next year and years after that.  
They don't do so well the first year, specially if the ground was super hot when you planted them.  
They will be more beautiful next year. promise. So DO NOT dig them up.  
Really, by the image showing they just look sun scored, even tho they like a sunny spot.  
Have many in my garden and that's just what they look like when they are spent.(done blooming) evidence is the middle pokey thingys drooping. All lillies are a very short blooming period, like only days not all summer long.  
Maybe others will have other suggestions if I am wrong.  
 
Edited by HAGD, 2021-07-01 11:37:07

I hope you're right!  
 
I know they are perennials. I prepped the ground and even threw new dirt into the mix. Sadly I didn't have a big budget so I was not able to get a bunch of the same kind to plant in groups of 3 or more so I only have a few orientals in a row I right now!  
 
I watered the soil so it wasn't completely bone dry and then gave them a good watering after. Hopefully the bulbs don't rot and they just need to establish better!

Is right. Also, as a new gardener you may not know this but don't water your gardens during the hottest and sunniest parts of the day. Best done early morning or when the sun starts to go down. I made that mistake many times when I first started and burned many a plant in the beginning!

They bush out quickly. I planted some 3 years ago (2 plants, one of each color) and should be getting about 15 flowers in each color this year when they bloom.  
 
But, if anyone knows how to separate the clumps of them, I'd love some advice.

Once all the green stuff is wilted, cut that off to to ground. I dig some of them up and separate them, kinda go around the mother plant (bulb) and leave that there, you'll see little bulbs from the mother plant, they should have tiny roots and even if they don't just replant them. kinda gives the new bulbs a head start for next season.  
Maybe others will have ideas also.

You can dig them up and seperate them in the fall once they start to die back. Replant them right away.  
 
And I agree with the others, maybe sunscald but really it looks like just normal life cycle. It's pretty hard to mess up perennials, as most thrive with a certain level of benign neglect. If they only do so-so this year, as long as they get enough water and sunlight they will likely bounce back next year.  
 
Edit to add: Make sure you water deeply. When transplanting, I always start the plants off by watering the transplant hole before I even put the plant in. I will fill the hole completely, and wait for that water to fully absorb (and sometimes do that twice if it's very dry). That makes sure there's good deep moisture available to encourage deep rooting, which helps tremendously in this hot weather. Once you get past the first few weeks, water less frequently but for longer/deeper. In a "normal" year I rarely water my perennials.  
 
Edited by Abbysmum, 2021-07-01 13:18:11

I try to minimize transplant shock by doing my planting, (whether perennials or bedding plants), in the evening ,so they have a chance to 'settle in', before being exposed to the heat and sun.  
I also, soak them in a pail water (about 6" deep) while preparing the planting hole. That way the root ball is well saturated.  
I agree, your lilies should be OK, as perennials are usually very determined to survive.

I always do my watering in the morning depending on how dry things are or later in the evening around 9pm. I've always known that much not to water during the hot times.  
 
My grandpa used to be a big flower guy but I never paid too much attention to growing up. Now something about all those lilies he used to grow has me wanting my own. Baby steps but I will get my garden established and filled with some more plants

I tried my best to do all my transplanting in the evening a few nights back when it wasn't so hot out! These heat probably isn't helping much for being a newer gardener!

I don't have direct experience with lilies, but I found a locally focused, thorough article about this species and how to keep them their best. If anything, it's a good read and also how to prepare them for winter. The author had a regular gardening column in the local newspaper and lives in SW Manitoba.  
 
https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/country-crossroads/growing-oriental-lilies-in-manitoba/  
 
A little off track, but still another really valuable gardening resource for any novice or well seasoned gardener is the Manitoba Master Gardener website. If you click the top tab on the menu item that says "ASK AN MG", it's really interesting. Also, there is a general search box to the right. I found some great articles on tomato plants and more for myself personally.  
 
https://www.mgmanitoba.com/  
 
Happy gardening!

I posted two new pictures of how my plants look today.  
 
At this point I think I'm just gonna cut them down. They don't look too hot

cut the flower heads right off, When plants in full bloom are transplanted the roots struggle to get enough moisture to grow new roots, maintain leaves and flower all at the same time.  
It also looks like they are planted close to a wall, if it is South facing they are getting radiant heat from the wall and the ground dries out much quicker.  
Cut the flowers, leave as much stem as you can, water copiously but do not add fertilizer. Hopefully you planted the bulbs with the tops 3-4 inches deep, a lot of lilies also root from the stem and need the depth, although they do manage to work themselves to the correct depth over time.  
They will survive and bloom well next year.  
A word of warning the stamens can be fatal to cats and the pollen stains your hands and clothing.