Everyone loves lilies. With large, showy blooms, lilies add striking elegance to the yard and garden from early to mid-summer. 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.
Asiatic and Oriental lilies are the most popular garden lily varieties. Asiatic lilies bloom first in early summer (in 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. It’s the Oriental lilies that 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).
What are “True Lilies”?
True lilies grow from bulbs and are of the genus Lilium. Daylilies (Hemerocallis), despite having “lilies” in their name, 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 the bulb. Similarly, peace lilies, canna lilies, and calla lilies are not true lilies. Learn more about “true” lilies.
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.
Reader Comments
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I was recently given cut
I was recently given cut lilies in a floral arrangement from work. Is there a way I can get seeds from them so I can plant my own lilies? Thank you for the guidance.
Seeds from Cut Lilies
The flowers will likely not have enough strength to produce seeds, unfortunately. Once they’re cut, they really only have enough energy to finish blooming before dying.
Rest period
I recieved potted oriental Lillys for Valentine's day. I want to save the bulbs for my garden. When will they re-bloom? What steps should I take as they have already bloomed?
Lily Trees
I have Lily Trees & lily bulbs how deep should I plant Lily Trees 5’-8’ tall?
The lifting & storage of lilies bulbs for approx 6-8 weeks
As we are moving home & we wish to lift & store for approx 8 weeks what is the preferred method of doing this please — I’m talking about 40 bulbs.Thank you
How to Store Bulbs for Travel
Hi Les,
To store for travel, dig up your bulbs and gently wash them, removing all dirt. Discard any rotten or disease-ridden bulbs. Fill a cardboard box (or several if you have a lot of bulbs) with alternating layers of dry peat moss and bulbs. Top the last layer of bulbs with a final layer of peat moss. When possible, store in a cool and dry place to insure that no moisture gets into the box. We hope this helps!
Lilies
I received three pots of lilies, as gifts last spring. My question is what does the bulbs look like? I have taken these , what I think are bulbs, from the dirt and there is one big glob of things that I think are bulbs, but they are all attached. Several little things attached to the stems. Do I break the large glob from the stem? Another question these things have roots do I need to plant now it's October or do I wait for early spring?
Lily Bulbs
Lily bulbs should look similar in shape to a large bulb of garlic, except lilies do not have the papery covering or “skin” that garlic and onions do. Typically, you want to leave lily bulbs in the ground until the foliage (stem and leaves) dies back naturally. If you have already pulled them up, then you can just cut off the stem and foliage, leaving about an inch on the bulb. Little bulbs growing at the base of the stem are called bulblets; if they are growing farther up the stem, they are bulbils. Both eventually grow into new bulbs, but take a long time to do so.
If you’re located in a climate where a true winter freeze doesn’t occur, then you can plant the bulbs in the fall. However, if you typically see freezing winter temperatures, then you’ll want to store the bulbs until spring. The easiest option would be to replant them in the pots they came in and store the entire pots in a cool, dark place for the winter. The key to storing lilies is to keep them cool and to not let them dry out, which is why storing them in soil is a good idea. Just make sure they do not get too moist, as they could rot.
lilies and cats
Readers should know that ALL parts of ALL lilies are toxic to cats. Lily ingestion causes kidney damage which can be severe and sometimes fatal. So use care when deciding where to put that vase full of lilies.
Indoor lily
Hi i bought an indoor lily plant last year, it flowered and it died back.. i followed the instructions online, but this year it has grown ( 6 bulbs in pot) and is 10 inches in height but it hasnt produced flowers, only what looks like little bulbs with roots, on the top of each plant! Please advice what these are and what if anything i can do?
Thanks Eirwen
Overwintering?
I bought an Asiatic and an Oriental lily. The flowers had been removed on both plants (I assume because they already bloomed). Will they overwinter in the ground or should I cut off the foliage and overwinter them indoors? I'd prefer to keep them in the ground, if possible. We're in Zone 5. Thank you!
old fashion orange daylilies
I dug up some day lilies to transplant. It rained while they were piled up and some now have mold on them. Can they be saved?
Thank you for your help.
replanting daylilies
Try to carefully remove as much mold as you can from the plants. Cut the leaves back to approximately one third to one half their length, then replant. Good luck!
What to do with bulbs right now
I had 3 lily bulbs that did not get put into the ground until this past April/May (can't remember for sure when I got them in). I wasn't sure what would happen, and sure enough, 2 did not come up. I figured they died. While planting other plants, I came across the bulbs. There are no shoots on them at all but they look alive still. What should I do ... Plant them now or store them until a bit later in the fall? If I should store them, can you tell me how they should be stored? The kinds I bought are Asiatic and Oriental. Thank you for any help you can give me.
storing lily bulbs
Your idea is a good one–store them and then replant in the fall. Good luck!
seed question
I live in Rhode Island and have an almost accidental garden of Asiatic and Oriental lilies that have all done incredibly well (West facing garden against the house in sandy soil with my own compost added each year). There are all different kinds that begin to bloom in mid-June and the last assortment finally finishes blooming in Sept. I've been reading about harvesting the seed pods and planting them so I'll give that a try this year (I've watched some videos on line about cultivating them). My question is (and this may sound dumb) will the lilies that grow from the seeds be annuals? All my other ones have grown from bulbs that come back each year.
Lily Seeds
The lilies you’ll get from this year’s seeds will act just as their parents, so they will also grow into bulbs and come back year after year. You should be aware that lilies grown from seed may take at least two growing seasons to mature, and may not produce flowers until then. The flowers of the new plants may also be different from those of the parent plants, as some of the seeds you harvest this year will likely be hybrids.
thanks
How exciting! Thank you for the helpful response.
Overwintering in Pots?
I planted some oriental lilies in pots this spring. After they bloom, I plan on leaving them in their containers after removing their stalks. My zone is 10b (Northern California - Bay Area). My question is whether I need to water my lilies (and how often) during "overwintering" of my oriental lilies if I plan to leave them in their pot/container outside all winter. Thanks!
Potted lilies in winter
As far as possible you want to replicate the conditions the lilies would experience in the ground. As noted above, 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. If your ot is not deep enough to allow that much mulch, you could put the pot into something else that would facilitate that (from a box to the ground). Also above it says Keep moist in winter. How much depends on local conditions. Adequate mulch should keep the “moisture” from freezing. Speaking of freezing, a too shallow container (or bulb depth in ground) can result in frost heaves (essentially freezing and thawing cycles) in the soil that can lift the bulbs and expose them more than is desirable. Rain, followed by dryness, then rain again can also contribute.
Alternatively, we often recommend lifting the bulb, storing it in a cool, dry place in peat moss that you occasionally dampen, then replanting it in spring.
Small Flowers This Year
Hi - I've always had success with my lilies. This year, however, all the lilies that were either already planted or newly planted in the fall produced very small flowers - even the Casa Blancas and they only lasted a few days. We had a hard winter - 56 feet of snow in the mountains. But I prepared the beds as I always do before winter with lots of mulch and cover with pine needles. We are at 6000 feet so we get a fair share of snow. I had some bulbs left that weren't planted in the fall. I planted them in the spring and although they never got tall, they got nice flowers. So not sure what to think - wondering if the bulbs are permanently damaged - I lifted a few and the bulbs look okay although the roots are seemed to be shallow. Maybe plant them deeper - add a lot of soil and/or sphaghum on top, then mulch. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
lost your luck with lilies...
We might suggest dividing the lilies, but if you lifted and looked at some and they don’t appear to need that… Then, we were beginning to think that maybe your altitude put you on the extreme end of the hardiness zone. But you’ve had success in the past. How about the soil pH? If you have lilies that prefer neutral to alkaline soil, the pine needles—esp if you have mulched with them over a period of years—may have altered the soil pH. Check it and amend, as needed. Fall is the best time to lime. Here in info on pH: https://www.almanac.com/content/preparing-soil-planting And more on soil amendments: https://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/organic-soil-amend...
We suggest high-potassium fertilizer above; ever done that? It would be lacking.
As for planting deeper; per above (you should review all the tips above), the holes should be 2 to 3 times the bulb’s diameter. If you think that’s it, we suggest checking the pH, amending as/if necessary, and then planting in fall.
Hope this helps!
Thanks
I think I'll try the high potassium fertilizer. I have all varieties of lilies - my Casa Blancas were always huge and gorgeous. I'm going to test for pH as well. Nothing I can do about the very hard winter but I might increase the mulch topping this fall. Thanks for the suggestions!
help with a transferred lily
I was recently given a pure white lily plant that I have admired in my neighbor's yard for 2 seasons. He moved and gave me the 4 ft. tall stalk, which I have planted in my flower bed. I've never had lilies and don't know what to do next. There are no flowers on the plant and the lower leaves are brownish yellow and wilted. Please help me save this gorgeous flower.
losing the lily
Jackie, we have to ask because you use the word “stalk”: did your neighbor include the lily bulb on the end? Did you plant that part of it? Assuming that you got and planted the bulb, if he only recently gave it to you, it is not likely to bloom this summer. It needs time to set roots and feel at home in your yard. You best bet for blooms next summer is to be sure that you provided the proper/best conditions. See the guidance above for specifics on sun, soil, and more.
your response July 27, 2017
The lily I was given by my neighbor did have a huge ball of dirt and I assume the bulb is in that. Since the plant no longer has flowers, can I cut the stalk down? In it's present condition, it looks rather pathetic. Thank you for your reply.
pruning lilies
You mentioned this lily is white. Do you know what type? If it’s an Asiatic lily, you really should not remove the lily’s stem or leaves until they die back. Even with out the flower, the lily is alive and needs to store energy to bloom next year. Once it dies back and is yellow/brown, you can cut down.
trumpet lilies
what to do with the green pods and brown tongue that appear after flowering
pods
People ask about the pods every year. We invite you to scroll through the questions and comments below. In short, the small “bulbs” that you see on top of the stalks after a lily has bloomed are seed pods. These will turn brown as they mature and you can collect them if you like and plant the seeds that are inside the pods.
Oriental Lilies - Wintering in Pot?
Hello, I'm located in Northern California and this is my first year growing oriental lilies in pots. They are all blooming right now, and from my research online, I'm suppose to "winter" them after the blooms fall off. If I just want to leave them in their pots outside (since it's not very cold here), but what does "wintering" them really mean? I've seen comments to not let the bulbs dry out, does this mean still water the bulbs in their pots during winter? Or do I stop watering altogether? Do I cover the pots or can I just leave them outside? What months/seasons should I be doing this?
Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help!!
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