Hi. I'm new to your site, and a neophyte lily grower. I've looked for a cause of my problem online with no luck. Hoping you might have an answer. I live in Oregon, near Salem. I bought 3 Stargazer bulbs about five years ago. The first year they bloomed nicely, but every year since, the most vigorous shoot has looked healthy until maybe a week or two before I would expect it to bloom. Then, starting at the tip, it turns black and slimy looking. This black "rot" works its way 6-8 inches down the stalk, then it just slowly deteriorates and never blooms. It almost looks like someone took a blow torch to it. The leaves below look normal and green. No insects or larvae are evident. The less-vigorous shoots usually haven't bloomed, but just look puny. Last year there was one sad looking bloom, maybe a month later than expected. The foliage on those shoots didn't look very healthy, but I don't remember details of that. Our soil is heavy with clay and only moderately well draining. I replaced about 8" of the soil with purchased soil 8-10 years ago, which turned out to be quite sandy. It grows daffodils, hardy fuchsias, coneflowers, and several other species beautifully. So far this year the one stalk looks great. Any thoughts? Thanks, Marti