GROWING LILIES

HOW TO PLANT, GROW, AND CARE FOR LILIES

By Catherine Boeckmann

Lily Oriental Colorado
Longfield Gardens
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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. 

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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.
 o In areas with particularly harsh winters, we advise planting in the spring
instead. Plant as soon as the threat of frost has passed.
o 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.
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.
o 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.

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.