[Bernard]

With so many people suffering floods I should not complain, however -
I have grown lilies in tubs for about 10 years with no problem but this year the leaves have turned soft and brown from the bottom of the stem up, then the buds have rotted as they opened. I hope it is just the weather and not a wide-spread disease.

My roses have also failed but differently - the buds have developed and then the flower has grown to full size but without fully opening and has finally withered as a full but unopened flower. Strange. Anyone else had this?

[Trillium]

Lilies can tolerate only so much water before they begin to rot.  I'd unpot the bulb and check it's condition. If still viable, repot in fresh dry soil and leave under shelter until it recovers. If sort of mushy, toss it.

As for the roses, sounds like you've got bud blast. Usually it's when frost hits the bud before it opens, but it could be cold wet weather as well. Clip the buds off as they're done for.

[Bernard]

I'll do that. Actuallu, I have so many tubs of lilies that it's quite a big job.
I am still surprised that after the arrival last year of lily beetles, I have found none this year. Maybe they don't like the weather either.

[Trillium]

I have a lot of potted lilies as well that I must check. But checking is better than having pots of dead bulbs sitting about or wondering when they'll grow.
As for the lily beetles, they prefer dry weather so my guess is they're dormant in the top 1/2" of soil, another good reason for fresh soil and tossing the old. I wouldn't compost it as the beetles would only crawl out and become a problem again unless you don't mind some chemical sprays.

[jackiestagg]

Yup my roses have been a sad failure too - I don't live in the best of areas for them anyway but this year 99% of them have failed to open at the last minute and rotted on the stem. I've had none for the house at all. On the plus side, I've never in my life seen such a spectacular display of hydrangeas. Has anyone else noticed this? There's massive blooms everywhere I look.