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!
Reader Comments
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oriental lily growth
A rabbit is chewing through my lily stems before the plant can bud and bloom. I dug up the bulbs and am wondering if they can be saved? Can I just cut the remaining stem away and replant them or should they be stored dry until fall and planted then ... or are they just a lost cause?
Oriental Lily
I purchased a lily with 3 beautiful fragrant flowers. Will it flower again? Is there anything I can do to help the process besides water and fertilizer? Thanks!
Lilies No More :(
I had a huge area of Easter lilies in my front garden for at least 12 years, along with several Asiatic lilies in the yard. Three years ago, along came the Japanese lily beetle, and that was the end for them. I'm not sure how far they've traveled yet but if you see a beautiful red beetle on your lilies, get some tissues ready because you'll cry. Manually crushing them before they lay eggs is the accepted method of control but that's a big task and I can't imagine anyone saving their lilies once the beetles arrive. While they don't devour the entire plant, they do such severe damage that any lilies that do make it to bloom are weak and fall apart within a day or two at most. I tried for three years to get the beetles in early spring at the first sign of foliage coming up but they hide out well. The only good news is that daylilies, which are not true lilies, are not affected. My Easter and Asiatic lilies are gone now and I'm not prepared to spend money on new ones to feed the little red creeps.
Toxic to pets
Be cautious about bringing lilies in for cut flowers if you have cats or dogs. Most lilies are very toxic to pets
from seed to plants xmas Lilli
i have had some luck just b 4 winter i had a few seeds from last years plants i have got 6 small plants with nice petals or leaf depends what part or world your in. its now may and i want to get thes 6 plants to grow inside as i have 12 plants out side only problem is i have the white legit xmas type the have a very nice smell. i do live in nz and its just starting winter now. also is it safe to grow them close to tobacco seedlings. i dont have green fingers as im a it tech. and i have only grown 7 foot tall tobacco plants in winter well all year round. and im trying to find help to grow a orchid that the bulb grows nice but has never flowered since 1988 since the passing of my father and only has long leaf type green growth plus they are one of the rear plants as my father did supply a flower shop back in the 70's and 80's till he past and i realy want it to grow. a company close to me did a cleen up of 4 bulbs and they did keep one of the bulbs. as payment. how do i solve this big problems with all my bulbs. i dont trust others with them as they are rear bulbs. thank you pls if you can help with my problems
How do I move tiger lily bulbs in cold weather?
My grandmother recently passed away and her house has been sold. She has a tiger lily that I would like to keep, but the temperatures in the area are highs of upper 30's and lows of low to mid 20's. What's my best option for moving the bulbs and establishing them in my garden?
Thanks!
transferring lilies
This may or may not work but your best bet may be to dig deep and wide around them, not disturbing or touching the bulbs–perhaps not even seeing them. Store them in a pot or box in similar conditions until spring and let them thaw naturally. Then when the soil can be worked, plant them.
IF this does not work, buy others. The sentiments related to saving plants runs deep, and we understand the desire to perpetuate a loved one’s loved plants, but sometimes even the best intentions succumb to nature.
if
lily bulbs
Checking the spot where my lilies are, I noticed the bulbs are showing through the dirt. Should I dig them plant them deeper? It's November now and they are on the south side of the house.
lilies peeking up
Why disturb a contented plant?
Per the guidance 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. See your local frost dates.
Asiatic Lillies that are yellow from spring to fall.
From Central Minnesota, I have many varieties of Asiatic Lillies and every year I get a few plants that are yellow from spring to fall and stay very short. I fertilizer throughout the season and mulch in winter. They are not being over watered. They are planted in direct sunlight. One year they are picture perfect and then the next year they are yellow all year long. What can I do to bring them back to life?
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..
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