Growing Lilies

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Lilies

Oriental Lily

Lily Oriental Colorado

Longfield Gardens

Share: 

Rate this Article: 

Average: 3.8 (813 votes)

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.

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-lily_full_width.jpg
Asiatic lilies come in a range of bright, beautiful colors.

Planting

When to Plant Lilies

  • 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.
  • We do advise planting in spring in areas with particularly harsh winters. Container-grown lily plants can be planted anytime during the summer.
  • Buy the bulbs close to planting time. You don’t want to buy the bulbs in the fall and wait until spring to plant them.

How to Plant Lilies

  • 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. If it’s too shady, the stems will attempt to lean towards the sun or get spindly and fall over. 
  • Lilies are best suited for Zones 3 to 8. They do not thrive in Zones 9 and 10 without a period of refrigeration; they need a cold, dormant period.
  • 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.
  • 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 a good effect, plant lilies in groups of 3 to 5 bulbs.
  • Water thoroughly. 

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.

White 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, which can reduce the plant’s vigor and longevity.

  • 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. You can enjoy lilies all summer long if you plant 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

yellow-trumpet-lily_full_width.jpg
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.

2020 Almanac Calendar Club

What do you want to read next?

Reader Comments

Leave a Comment

What is or where are "Hardiness zones"?

Submitted by Daisymae D on

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

5 Blue Rare Lily Bulbs

Submitted by Sanda on

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

Submitted by Sanda on

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

Easter Lily

Submitted by Jade on

I let my Easter lily die off and just repotted the bulbs. How do I get the Easter lilies to grow straight rather than have these super long arms of leaves/stem that hangover the pot. Last round, the arms were about 4 ft long. I tried to add steaks in the pots .... grew straight then the rest dropped like it had a mind of its own. I grow mine indoors.

Lily

Submitted by Jade on

I was given a plant and told it was a lily. It died and I repotted and now a yr later I have beautiful leaves. Still have no idea what type of lily and based on the leaves in the pot, I can’t find a lily with this type of leaves. I repotted 8 bulbs and 4 grew leaves. Small bulbs produced smaller or thinner leaves than the large bulb. Each bulb produced 3 long leaves with parallel veins. Since it is not quite at the point of flowering, I’m stumped. Before adding bone meal, I wanted to ensure it is a lily. Any ideas?

lilium/lilies

Submitted by boni on

good day! can we order bulbs all colors oF LILIUM? CAN YOU SEND US HERE IN PHILIPPINES?

THANK YOU...!

Re-doing Flower Bed

Submitted by PJ on

I'm going to be redoing my flower bed this spring. Currently the bed HAD several Tube plants and I won't be replanting them - I'd like to make the bed all Lilies.
My question is we have white rocks covering the bed (much like Mulch would) - can the Lilies be planted in this bed, or do I need to remove the rocks? (we are in Zone 5a to 6a area my location is in the middle of the 3)

lilies and stone

The lilies can be planted there. The question is how deep is the stone/rock? It would seem to be easier for you if you remove the stone before planting; if you don’t, some of it will tumble into the hole in which you plant each lily and you would soon have rocky soil. If you’re asking will the lilies be able to push through it, maybe; it will depend on how deep it is, therefore the weight and volume of stone. Thinking this through, to be safe, you might do better to remove it.

Lily bulbs in San Diego Zone 10

Submitted by Thimy on

Hello (what's your name?)
Your website is my gardening book now, thank you so much.
Since you recommended that the lily bulbs need to be chilled for 2 months of winter, I would like to buy some lily bulbs to store them in refrigerator now and will plant them in Spring next year. Do you think it's right to do or what else, please advise.

some quesion i need help please :(

Submitted by marf on

in lily flower :
- Do the female or male parts of the flower develop first?
- Are all of the flower parts developed before the flower emerges from the bud?

dividing the bulbs

Submitted by lecee on

They have grown together in a doughnut shape and are white and wet. They look like an onion. I want to separate and replant them next week. How can I separate them?

Lily bulbs

Submitted by Diane Caston on

I was given part of a family plant. It is supposed to be some kind of
ruffled lily. What I received is a tangle of roots with little bulbs in it.
How do I plant these?
Thanks

ruffled lily

The Editors's picture

Submitted by The Editors on

Our best guess is that your bulb is a day lily. All lilies are planted about the same. See above for guidance.

why have i got pink and white lillies in the same pot.last year

Submitted by pat king on

Can you explain why.

Probably because there’s a

Submitted by Marcella on

Probably because there’s a pink bulb and a white bulb

oriental/asian lilies/seeds?

Submitted by mert carlson on

i have a half dozen beautiful oriental/asian lilies w/full flowering capabilities; at each node from half way up a 3' stalk, i have a small black (what appears to be a seed) lodged at the beginning of a leaf and stalk...are these seeds? and if so, what do i do to make use of them for next year? i'm a beginner here...thank you...

Lillies

Submitted by Lois D Emmons on

The black little nodes between leaves or to the tips of the lilly plants are seeds and when they produce a short root underneath them I roll them off my finger gently and put them in a brown sack with peat moss to winter over in the potting shed, next year to plant individually.

Can you cut down the height of the stalk in the fall?

Submitted by Cheryl Britton on

I live in an apartment and they are getting to tall for my windows that crank out and I don't have anywhere to move them.

Cutting stalk of lily

If this is a true garden lily (versus daylily), then you can remove the stem itself. But do not remove the foliage which it needs to store energy. Once the foliage dies back, you can cut it off.

deer and rabbits eating leaves of lily plants

Submitted by joe on

How can I protect my lilies from the voracious appetites of the deer and rabbits in the area?

Daylillied

Submitted by Sheila on

My daylillies have & are blooming quite a bit. I’m new st this & was wondering if the spent blooms should be removed and if so where is the best place on the stalk to remove them?

Thanks so much!!

Sheila

deadheading daylilies

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are not true lilies, but they can benefit from deadheading spent flowers so that the plant doesn’t spend energy on forming seeds, and also it’s helpful for a cleaner look. In some of the newer varieties, this can also encourage further blooms. The flowers form on a long stalk, called a scape, that ends in several flower buds. The flowers on each scape may open at different times. You can use your fingers, or pruning shears, to pinch or cut off a spent blossom just below the base of the flower. Once all flowers on the scape have gone by, you can use pruning shears to remove the scape, cutting at the base of the stalk.

Potted lillies

Submitted by Julie on

For mother's day I bought my mom a pot of four lillies. My mom loves having flowers in the house so she has no intention of planting them outside. But, she still has no idea what the right amount of water and sunlight lillies actually need is. Would putting them in a room that gets partial sunlight be enough? As for water, I read that a little bit of water, enough to keep the soil moist not soaked, is enough. Is that true? How would we be sure the soil towards the bottom of the pot is moist as well? Is there any other things we should do to keep the lillies alive for as long as possible? Thanks in advance.

My Asian lilies are blooming again

Submitted by Jes on

I bought 3 Asian lilies in mid April. They already had buds and fully bloomed within 10 days. The same seems to be happening again. The 3 indiv plants are full of what looks like buds. They are in a long container and I was going to plant them in organic soil. After reading your info and advice I’m asking what you think I should do. I live in Sarasota, in SW Florida which is zone 9.
Thanks.

forcing lillies

Submitted by Joe on

i live in CA after lilies have flowered how long before i can cut them back and put in the fridge in order to force a fall foliage may i should ask can I?

Lillies

Submitted by Vicky Ross on

Recently bought Lillie's in a container. 3 per container.Do I need to space out the 3 stalks for better results?

spacing for lilies

If you’re planting lilies in a group of three, we would plant them 8 inches apart, depending on the size of the lilies.

Pages

Growing Lilies

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

FREE BEGINNER'S GARDEN GUIDE!

BONUS: You’ll also receive our Almanac Companion newsletter!

The Almanac Webcam

Almanac Headquarters Cam

Visit the Almanac HQ Webcam

Chosen for You from The Old Farmer's Store