Growing Lilies

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Lilies

Lily Oriental Colorado

Longfield Gardens

Everyone loves lilies. With large, showy blooms, lilies add striking elegance to the yard and garden from early to midsummer. Grown from bulbs, lilies are perennial flowers that will return year after year and require minimal care, provided that you plant them in the right place.

Lilies have six plain or strikingly marked tepals (“petals”) and are often trumpet-shaped, sitting atop a tall, erect stem with narrow, long, lance-shaped leaves. They come in many beautiful colors, including pink, gold, red, orange, and white.

There are a number of popular lily species—and their endless hybrids—available to gardeners:

Asiatic lilies bloom first in early summer (in May or June), right after peonies. They are not fussy as long as they are grown in well-draining soil. They are the shortest type of lily (about 2 to 3 feet tall) and come in many colors, from pastel to tropical. They don’t have much of a fragrance, but they do add bright color to the garden.
Easter lilies are most commonly grown indoors as a holiday plant. As their name suggests, they are typically forced into bloom around Easter, in March or April. Outdoors, they are better suited for warmer regions of North America, where they can be planted in the garden after blooming has finished.
Oriental lilies have that famously strong fragrance. They are tall and stately (4 feet), and tend to grow more slowly, often blooming about the time when Asiatic lily flowers are fading (mid- to late-summer).
Trumpet lilies are similar to oriental lilies, producing many blooms with a nice scent. Their flowers tend to be smaller and more closed (like a trumpet) than those of the other lilies.

There are other lilies out there, of course, such as tiger lilies and Turk’s cap lilies, as well as hybrids like “Orienpet” (Oriental + Trumpet) and LA lilies (Easter + Asiatic). Browse through your favorite online gardening retailer’s catalog to find what you like best!

Get to Know the “True Lilies”

There are many plants with “lily” in the name, but most are not what we call “true lilies.” True lilies grow from onion-like bulbs and are of the genus Lilium.

Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.), despite the similar appearance of their flowers, are not true lilies. Daylilies have many leaves that grow from a crown, whereas true lilies generally have only one stem or shoot that grows from a bulb. Similarly, peace lilies, canna lilies, water lilies, lily-of-the-valley, and calla lilies are not true lilies either! Learn more about what makes a lily a lily.

When Do Lilies Bloom?

Lilies tend to bloom from early summer to fall, depending on the type. By carefully blending early, mid-season, and late varieties into your garden, you will enjoy their magnificent blooms from spring through first frost. At home in both formal and naturalistic settings, most lilies also take readily to containers. Plus, they make great cut flowers!

*Asiatic lilies come in a range of bright, beautiful colors*.

Planting

When to Plant Lilies

In most regions, plant lily bulbs in the fall, a few weeks before the winter brings freezing temperatures. Bulbs planted in the autumn will have well established roots in the spring. The bulbs benefit from a winter chill to produce big blooms.
- In areas with particularly harsh winters, we advise planting in the spring instead. Plant as soon as the threat of frost has passed.
- Container-grown lily plants can be planted anytime during the early summer.
Buy the bulbs close to planting time. Because lily bulbs don’t go dormant, they will deteriorate over time, so don’t plan to buy bulbs in the fall and wait until spring to plant them.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Select a site with soil that drains well. How can you tell? After a good rain, find a spot that is the first to dry out. Water trapped beneath the overlapping scales on the lily bulb may cause rot, so a well-drained site is essential.
Lilies need lots of sun. For dependable blooms, lilies need 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day (aka “full sun”). If it’s too shady, the stems will attempt to lean towards the sun or get spindly and fall over.
Most of the popular varieties prefer acidic to neutral soil, but some are lime-tolerant or prefer alkaline soils (e.g., Madonna lilies).
Loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. The deep planting encourages the developing stem to send out roots to help stabilize the plant and perhaps eliminate the need for staking. Also, deep planting keeps lily bulbs cool when temperatures soar.
Enrich the soil with leaf mold or well-rotted organic matter to encourage good drainage. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.

White lily

How to Plant Lilies

Plant the bulbs 3 times as deep as the height of the bulb and set the bulb in the hole pointy side up. Fill the hole with soil and tamp gently.
Space bulbs at a distance equal to three times the bulb’s diameter (usually about 8 to 18 inches apart, depending on the variety).
For visual appeal, plant lilies in groups of 3 to 5 bulbs.
Water thoroughly at time of planting.

See more tips on how to grow lilies.

Care

How to Care for Lilies

During active growth, water freely—especially if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
Keep lilies mulched so that their roots are cool. The mulch should feel moist, but not wet. Read more about mulching.
Apply a high-potassium liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks from planting until 6 weeks after flowering.
Apply a thin layer of compost each spring, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch.
Stake tall lilies.
Lilies do not bloom more than once per season, but you can remove the faded flowers so that the plants don’t waste energy making seeds.
After the lily blooms, you can also remove just the stem itself. However, do NOT remove leaves until they have died down and turned brown in fall. It’s very important not to cut back the leaves until the end of their season because hey help provide nourishment to the bulb for next season’s blooms.
Cut down the dead stalks in the late fall or early spring.
Before winter, add 4 to 6 inches of mulch, simply to delay the ground freeze and allow the roots to keep growing. Leave the mulch until spring once the last hard frost has passed. See your local frost dates. See your local frost dates.
- If your region doesn’t have snow cover, keep soil moist in winter.
When lily shoots grow through the mulch in the spring, start to remove it gradually.
Divide plants every 3 to 4 years as new growth begins in the spring. Just lift the plants and divide the clumps. Replant the new bulbs adding some compost.

Lily

Pests/Diseases

Gray mold is sometimes a problem, especially in a wet, cool spring or summer. Make sure lilies are not crowded and have plenty of air circulation.
Viruses, spread by aphids, may be troublesome, although some cultivars are virus-tolerant.
Red lily beetles, slugs, and snails may occur.
Deer, rabbits, voles, and groundhogs may eat entire plants. If these critters are a problem, plant the bulbs in buried wire cages to protect them from getting eaten.

Harvest/Storage

Displaying Lilies in Vases

Lilies make wonderful cut flowers. However, avoid cutting off more than a third of the stem. Taking more than that can reduce the plant’s vigor and longevity, since the plant needs its foliage to create energy.
If you are growing lilies strictly for cut flowers, consider planting them in a designated cutting garden, where you can plant fresh bulbs each year.
When cutting lilies, choose those with buds that are just about to open, with a bit of the flower color showing. The higher up buds will open as the bottom ones fade.
Just one lily stem in a vase can be a show-stopper.
As soon as you get lilies inside, trim the stem ends an inch or so, making a diagonal cut with a sharp knife.
If you worry that the orange pollen of lilies might cause stains, simply snip off the stamens in the flower’s center.
Before arranging in a vase, remove the lower leaves on the stems so that no foliage will be underwater.
A good lily arrangement will last two or more weeks. Change the water every few days.
To help prolong the flowers’ life, add cut-flower food to the water. Lilies require only half the amount of food recommended for other flowers.

Learn how to keep cut flowers fresh.

Recommended Varieties

There are many types of lilies which bloom at different times. With some careful planning, you can enjoy lilies all summer long by planting bulbs from different varieties.

Asiatic lilies are the earliest to bloom and the easiest to grow. With their upward facing flowers, they bloom early to midsummer. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9, Asiatic lilies come in pure white, pink, vivid yellow, orange, and red. Intense breeding has erased much of the Asiatics’ fragrance, but in spite of their lack of perfume, they are a favorite with floral arrangers.

‘Crete’: deep pink, blooms June to July, 3 to 4 feet tall
‘Enchantment’: orange, blooms in June, 2 to 3 feet tall

Trumpet lilies bloom mid-summer. Tall with trumpet-shaped flowers, they are hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Trumpet lilies grow many blooms (12 to 15 per stalk!) and have a wonderfully heady, sweet fragrance.

‘Regale’: white, blooms early to late summer, 3 to 4 feet tall
‘Rising Moon’: pastel yellow with a pink edges, blooms in mid-summer, 3 to 4 feet tall

*Trumpet lilies bloom mid-summer and their blooms are deeply fragrant. Just a few plants can perfume your entire garden.*

Oriental hybrids end the season, blooming in mid- to late summer, just when Asiatic lilies are beginning to fade. From tiny 2-footers to towering 8-foot-tall giants, Orientals are always a striking choice (the shorter ones are great for patio beds or container gardens). Adored for their intoxicating fragrance that intensifies after dark, Oriental lilies produce masses of huge white, pink, red, or bi-color blooms. They make wonderful cut flowers that will fill even the largest of rooms with their spicy scents.

‘Black Beauty’: dark red, blooms in late summer, 5 to 6 feet tall
‘Casa Blanca’: white, blooms August to September, 4 to 5 feet tall

Wit & Wisdom

The name “lily” can be misleading because lots of other plants use it besides true lilies. Daylilies and water lilies aren’t lilies at all, and neither are lilies-of-the-valley or lilyturf. With so many other plants using the name “lily,” it seems that identity theft has been around since long before the use of computers and credit cards!
Easter lilies can be planted in the ground in the spring. They may survive several years if you mulch them heavily in the fall, especially in northern regions. If they survive, they’ll bloom in late summer.
In a flower bed, lilies prosper in the presence of low-growing plants that protect the lilies’ roots from drying out.

Reader Comments

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Day lillies

Hi. I have what I think are Stella de Oro day lillies. After the flower they turn to a big green seed pod. Should I let this happen? Should I pull the dead flowers before it happens? Should I pluck these off? Please advise. I read something that says they should bloom all summer, it’s don’t and I’m wondering if it has to do with the above question. Thank you!

Daylilies seed pods

To keep the daylilies’ energy directed into flower production, remove seed pods after bloom. Plants producing seed are likely to have fewer flowers the following year

Regions

Can Florida tolerate Lillies without a freeze?

lilies in Florida

It depends on what part of Florida/zone 9; zones 10, further south is a maybe. The Cooperative Extension service in Florida could tell you which lilies thrive in which parts of the state. Find your service here: https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services

liles changing color

my sister (northern illinois) has a lily that was pure magenta last year and this year has white borders (faded, not defined). each flower seemed to have different degree of white on edges...
would love to know answer as noone on fb has a clue.. thanks

why flower color changes

It’s complicated, but here we go, briefly: Temperature is a major physical factor which affects flower color. Extreme temperatures will have an impact on flower color development in plants, primarily due to the effect of temperature on pigments. In general, high temperatures lead to lighter flower colors due to reduced anthocyanin content in plants such as oriental lily and others. Conversely, low temperatures result in darker flowers because of increased anthocyanin content in plants. (Anthocyanins play an irreplaceable role in the color development of plants.)

Light is another major factor that affects flower color, particularly light intensity, light quality and photoperiod.

Water is key, too: Appropriate water content allows plants to maintain their inherent flower colors for a longer period of time, while water deficiency (drought stress) causes flowers to turn darker.

Finally, pollinators affect the flower color of ornamental plants.

Lily Colors

I have a bed of lilies, purchased at different times through different merchants. After a few years, they have all turned white! They are all asiatic lilies. I have never seen this before. Any ideas?

lilies change color

See the comment immediately above for some insights on this phenomenon.

Asiatic Lily

Can I grow the Asiatic Lily in a large pot indoors?

You can plant the bulb in

You can plant the bulb in deep pots (plant about 6 inches deep for large bulbs in container) but it needs to be outdoors for natural sunlight.

Asiatic Lilies

After a great flowering this year, I have enormous seed heads. I have removed them and opened one to find a minimum of "1million" seeds - I consider!! I have searched the internet and find it may be 7years before they grow to flowering state, but prior to that, what should I do? Dry them? Let them drop into the ground? Is it worth it? Thank you, Dianne

lilies from seed?

This is not our area of expertise, so with thanks to NDSU.edu, here’s some info:

There are three different groups of lilies when it comes to seed germination. Immediate seed germinators are fairly easy to propagate from seed. This group includes most of the commercially important species. Another group is the epigeal slow seed germinators. These germinate slowly and erratically, but the procedures to propagate them are the same as for the immediate germinators.The hypogeoal slow seed germinators are very difficult to propagate.These seeds require three months of warm conditions, in which the root grows and a small bulblet is produced, followed by six weeks of cold treatment, and then another warm period, in which the leaves and stem begin to grow.

To propagate from seed, sow the seed in pots in the late winter or early spring in a cold frame.Seeds should be treated with a fungicide to prevent the fungal disease Botrytis.Within two to four weeks, the seed should germinate.Make sure to sow the seed thinly and use a fertile medium.When they reach their dormant stage, divide the young bulbs.Put two or three in each pot and grow them there for another year or more before planting them outdoors in their permanent places.Always move the plants when they are dormant.

You ask, is it worth it? Without knowing whether your plant is “an immediate seed germinator,” it’s hard to say. But there is only one way to find out: Plant them!

Lilium Regale

I have the same problem as Nancy. The leaves, mainly at the top, are turning brown adn falling of. What can I do?
Regards
Norma

lily dying back

The lily was probably forced to bloom for the holiday; Nancy’s was Christmas (see below), perhaps yours was Easter. Different plants are forced for holidays throughout the year and sold in different parts of the country. It is “dying back” of natural causes—although it’s probably not dead. If you still have it, plant it in the ground—not for a flower this year, but maybe for next. The success of transplanted forced plants is unpredictable: some thrive, some never quite regain their holiday beauty.

Can u spread mulch (a thin

Can u spread mulch (a thin layer) on lilies in the spring to prevent weeds

mulch lilies

Hi, Melissa. You should apply a thin layer of compost each spring, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch.

Christmas lilies

We purchased beautiful white lilies at Christmas, and planted them in a pot. They bloomed through the holidays, and now the leaves and stalks are brown. What to we need to do to keep them alive so they will bloom again next winter?
Thank you,
Nancy

Christmas lily

The lily was probably forced to bloom for the holiday; different plants are forced for holidays throughout the year. It “died back” of natural causes—although it’s probably not dead. If you still have it, plant it in the ground—not for a flower this year, but maybe for next. The success of transplanted forced plants is unpredictable: some thrive, some never quite regain their oliday beauty.

lilies

i found it very helpful but, i want to know can i grow asiatic lily on north east part of india on febuary

lilly oriental mix bulbs

I am from India, currently we have the October heat which is around 89 deg F during the day...I have put the bulbs in the pot..could you pls advice me the dos n donts & as to how could i get the plant grown successfully..

Lillies

My Lillies have started to shoot already what did I do.?

Lily recommendations

I tried following your recommendations for Lily varieties. But one variety that no longer seems available commercially is the Enchantment. What can I replace it with? Thank you.

Red beetles

My lilies were so big and beautiful this year but I noticed the leaves had holes. I look closer and see red beetles all over them now they are dead (the flowers) and the leaves are gone. Beetles are still there. I read you are not supposed to cut the stems till winter (WI) how do I get rid of the bugs so my lilies return next year and are beautiful again?

Daily lilies

How can I kill daily lilies if I can’t cover them and dig them up and also can’t buy classic herbicide like round-up. I’m looking for a way to silently kill this stupid plant because it’s toxic to cats and there’s some in my community house garden. They are growing in a pot

day lilies

Since they are growing in a pot, you can give them to someone who will appreciate them. Salt, if you must, but you simply cannot go around and kill toxic plants. There are too many for you and a plant has a right to defend itself.

What is or where are "Hardiness zones"?

Does the hardiness zone refer to where I live or where the plant is placed in the garden?

Hardiness Zone

Hardiness zones or “planting zones” are determined by the USDA and refer to the area in which you live and garden. Read more about them and find your zone here: https://www.almanac.com/content/planting-zones-us-and-canada

5 Blue Rare Lily Bulbs

I got these blue flowering lilies from Amazon after seeing them advertised on various online locations. I live in Central Florida - zone 9 - and each question I see here is not answered regarding how to provide these the "cold" period they will need. I see someone said 2 months in the fridge.....which months? Does the plant die back to tell me when it's time to dig them up and refrigerate them? Can you tell me when is the best time? We get a few cold nights in January and February, but I'm not sure that would be enough. I have a cucumin plant that I got through the last winter, but I'm sure it was by luck and by chance!

5 BLUE RARE LILY BULBS

Dear EDITORS
Why no answers? You have answered others....

Hi, zone 9b gardener here.

Hi, zone 9b gardener here. When they say a bulb needs a chilling or cold period, they mean during the winter months, the temperature of the soil the bulbs are planted in has to drop to at least 40 degrees for a week or so in order for the bulb to produce flowers. I've put both lilies and tulips in the refrigerator, wrapped in paper towels or a paper bag, for about a month to six weeks after buying them, and have gotten great results---flowers just as pretty as if I grew them in the northern Midwest where they get frozen for a lot longer.

Another method I haven't tried yet but am thinking of doing this winter is planting the bulbs in the ground as usual, then laying a couple of bags of party ice on top of them. You can't store apples and pears in the fridge while you have bulbs in there, as the gases emitted by the fruit will kill the bulb; since I enjoy apples in the fall and early winter months, this got really inconvenient for me, to the point where I almost bought a dorm fridge to put my bulbs in. But the party ice acts like an artificial blanket of snow on top of the bulbs. Hope this helps! A lot of the advice here is great but mostly applies to gardens in the East and Midwest.

Growing Lilies

Botanical Name	Lilium spp.
Plant Type	Flower
Sun Exposure	Full Sun, Part Sun
Soil Type	Loamy
Soil pH	Varies
Bloom Time	Spring, Summer, Fall
Flower Color	Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Hardiness Zones	4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Varies
Special Features	Attracts Butterflies

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How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Lilies

Share:

Get to Know the “True Lilies”

When Do Lilies Bloom?

Planting

When to Plant Lilies

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

How to Plant Lilies

Care

How to Care for Lilies

Pests/Diseases

Harvest/Storage

Displaying Lilies in Vases

Recommended Varieties

Wit & Wisdom

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Reader Comments

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