Whether you're new to gardening or a gardening pro, you'll want to consider adding lilies to your summer garden. Lilies, also known by the botanical name Lilium, come in a variety of flower colors, sizes and bloom times. These classic sun perennials are known for their big, showy, often fragrant flowers and low maintenance. Lily flowers are also favorites for bridal bouquets, centerpieces and cut-flower arrangements.
Lilies are grown from bulbs that can be planted in the spring or fall. They tolerate a variety of soils, as long as it is well-drained, and they are sun lovers, doing best in areas that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. They are perennials, coming back year after year-”and most varieties naturalize well, multiplying year after year.
Top Reasons to Grow Lilies in Your Garden
Easy, easy, easy. Lily care is simple. Lilies are some of the easiest sun perennials to grow, as long as they have good drainage and lots of sun.
Showy, summer color. Lily flowers are large, with some growing up to 8 inches across, so they're sure to get noticed in the summer garden. The come in a wide range of colors, including white, orange, pink, yellow, red and more.
Outstanding cut flower. The lily flower is treasured for wedding bouquets, centerpieces and cut-flower arrangements. One lily flower is enough for an arrangement.
Incredible fragrance. Oriental lilies are known for their outstanding fragrance that floats on the summer breeze. As cut flowers, they can perfume a room.
Versatility. Lilies come in many colors and sizes, so they're easy to fit into garden settings and even containers.
Bloom time. When do lilies bloom? This depends on the variety of lily you are growing. With a little planning, you can plant different varieties and have up to 8 weeks of summertime blooms.
Lilies are a favourite flower for wedding bouquets.
Where Should Lilies Be Planted?
Using Lilies in Garden Design
Because they are showy, reliable bloomers, lilium are favorites for mixed perennial flower beds and gardens. When choosing lilies for your flower beds, keep these things in mind:
Lilies need lots of sun. For best results, lilies should receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. When planning your lily planting, make sure that other plants, shrubs or trees, or buildings or other manmade objects don't block their sun.
Lilies need well-drained soil. Avoid planting lilies in areas where there frequently is standing water. Slopes are popular areas to plant lilies because they drain well and the slope really makes the flowers stand out.
Lilies don't like to be crowded. Lilies do not like to smothered by ground cover or crowded by other plants.
Lilies come in various heights. Because some varieties of lilies grow just 12 inches tall and some others can reach up to 8 ft., check the variety's size before placing it in your garden. This way you will avoid having taller plants blocking the view of your lilies, or the lilies blocking the view of your other plants.
Lilies are Favorites for Mixed Flower Beds
Lilies (lilium) look right at home with other sun perennials and annuals and can add a burst of yellow, orange, pink or other colors. With planning, you can have months of color in your garden. Lilies bloom after perennials such as peonies, iris and columbine. They bloom before sweet peas, snapdragons and rudbeckia. When selecting companion plants for lilies, look for shallow-rooted plants (many annuals are). Lilies look best when they are planted in groups of three of more.
Flower Bulb Beds
Lilies can also be planted in the flower bulb beds. They bloom after the early-blooming flower bulbs like hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and alliums. Lilies usually bloom before the dahlias.
When planting in flower bulb beds, take care as not to overcrowd them and make sure they get plenty of sunlight and aren't shaded out by other plants or buildings.
For waves of color, plant lilies en masse.
Plant Lilies in Masses
Because lilies have such a height range, you can plant low-growing, mid-sized and tall varieties for a stunning color show. Surround taller tree or trumpet lilies with mid-sized lilies and low-growing Carpet Border Lilies. Another favourite idea is staggering the lily bloom time by planting early blooming Asiatic lilies with later blooming Oriental lilies.
Grow Lilies as a Ground Cover
Many of the Border Carpet Lilies grow just 18 inches tall, making them the perfect size for a ground cover. Carpet lilies look fantastic on the front edges of flower beds or lining a walkway. Your garden visitors will love the colorful blooms and fragrance.
Smaller lilies, like Sunny Keys Oriental Border Carpet Lily, are ideal for containers.
Plant Lily Bulbs in Containers
Almost all lilies will grow in containers, but the shorter ones are easier to manage and do not require support. Growing lilies in patio pots adds vibrant color to container gardens. It is also a great solution for gardeners who may not have a sunny location in the garden to plant lilies. (More information about growing lilies in containers is included later in this article).
A Warning about Lilies
Lilies (lilium) are extremely toxic to cats. Ingestion of the leaves or pollen by cats could result in severe kidney failure.
How to Plant Lilies
Lilium bulbs can be planted in the spring or fall. You will likely get more flowers the following summer if you plant the bulbs in the fall. Because lily bulbs are actually tubers, they never go completely dormant like some flower bulbs. They also don't have a protective covering like tulip and daffodil bulbs. Handle your lily bulbs carefully because they lose moisture quickly. Try to plant your lily bulbs as soon as possible after receiving them. If planting lilies in the fall, plant them before the ground freezes.
Lilies grow best in well-drained soil. While they will tolerate a lot of different soil pH levels, they prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil. It is time well spent to determine where you want to plant your lilies. Lilies are excellent for perennializing and prefer to be left undisturbed for years.
Before planting lily bulbs in the garden, spade or rototill the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. Then mix in plenty of organic matter such as dehydrated manure or compost. Also mix in Breck's Food for Bulbs and Perennials. If you have a lot of clay in your soil, amend the soil with compost and either rock dust or crushed stone. This will improve its drainage. If you have sandy soil, amend the soil with compost and possibly clay. This will help it retain moisture and nutrients.
Once you have prepared the soil, dig a hole about 6 to 9 inches deep. Place the lily bulb at the bottom of the hole with its roots facing down and the scales pointing upward. Space the bulbs about 9-12 inches apart (again, this will vary with variety). Lilies spread and fill in the space. Cover the bulb with earth, pressing down gently. After planting, water well. If planting lily bulbs in the fall, water two to three times before the ground freezes.
If you live in a climate with warmer temperatures, plant your lily bulbs a little deeper (closer to the 9 inches). This will keep your bulbs cool when summer temperatures soar. Also, by planting deeper, your get better root development which helps stabilize the plants.
Lilies Benefit from Mulch
After your lily plants emerge in the spring, place a 2-4 inch layer of mulch around them. This helps keep the soil from drying out, suppresses weeds and maintains a more even, cooler soil temperature. This also helps prevent your lily bulbs from being heaved out of the ground during the alternate freezing and thawing weather of winter.
Fertilizing and Watering Your Lilies
Because lilies like rich soil with lots of nutrients, apply Breck's Food for Bulbs and Perennials each spring when the lily sprouts emerge from the ground and again in the summer when the flowers open. During the growing season, lilies need about an inch of water per week. If the rainfall is not sufficient, additional watering is recommend.
Want Big, Beautiful Flowers Every Year? Do These 2 Things
If you remove the spent flowers from lily plants, this prevents the forming of seed pods. The bulb uses energy to make seed pods. If it is not making seed pods, it is putting its energy into the bulb and future flower production. What is really critical, though, is NOT removing the foliage until it has turned yellow. The foliage helps build energy for the bulb and future flower production.
Tips for Planting Lilies in Containers
When selecting containers or patio pots for lilies, remember the bigger the pot, the better. Containers should be at least 12 inches deep. The best containers for lilies are 10 gallons or larger. When planting lilies in pots, use a quality commercial potting soil. In the bottom of the pot, place a 2-inch layer of rocks or small stones. Place the potting mix on top of the drainage materials. Make sure your container has drainage holes, as the bulbs will rot if they sit in water. This is especially a concern over winter.
When planting in containers, you can place the lily bulbs closer together than you would in the garden. Lilies look better when planted in groups. Allow at least 2 inches between bulbs when planting in containers. The plants don't need to be quite as deep in containers as they do in the garden.
Because lilies need a cold season in order to flower, leave the containers outdoors during the winter. In areas with severe cold weather, move the pot indoors into a cool place, such as an unheated garage. Bring the pot outdoors again with the temperatures rise.
Container lilies can be repotted in the fall when the foliage dies down. The bulbs can also be transferred to the garden. If growing lilies in containers for a second season, add two inches of compost along with some fertilizer or well-rotted manure to the pot.
Lilies make excellent cut flowers.
Tips for Cutting Lily Flowers
Lilies make excellent cut flowers, and look spectacular in vases, bouquets and centerpieces. To get the most out of your flowers, pick the flowers as the buds are just beginning to open. If you want to avoid staining the blooms, furniture or clothing, remove the orange, pollen-coated stamens when the flowers are fully open. If you want to avoid the pollen, consider planting double flowering lilies or newer cultivars that do not have pollen.
When cutting the flowers, make sure to leave at least one third of the stem on the plant. This helps the bulb gather strength for the coming year. If you cut too much stem and foliage, the bulb may not flower the next year.
When placing lilies in a vase, leave the upper leaves on the stem to nourish the unopened buds. Remove the leaves on the bottom so they don't foul the water. The flowers will last longer if they aren't exposed to direct sunlight and the water is changed every day. Blooms often last 1-2 weeks.
Dividing Lily Bulbs
Because lily bulbs multiply, they must be divided every few years when they become overcrowded. Dividing and replanting the bulbs in the fall is the best way to ensure flowers the following year. When digging up the bulbs, dig at least 8 inches away from the lily stem. Divide the bulbs and either replant them in your landscape or share them with a gardening friend.