In most regions, plant lily bulbs in the fall, at least four weeks prior to your first fall frost date.Most of the popular varieties prefer acidic to neutral soil, but some are lime-tolerant or prefer alkaline soils (e.g., Madonna lilies). Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. Water trapped beneath the overlapping scales on the lily bulb may cause rot, so a well-drained site is essential. Enrich the soil with leaf mold, compost, or well-rotted manure to encourage good drainage. How can you tell? After a good rain, find a spot that is the first to dry out. Select a planting site with soil that drains well. If it’s too shady, the stems will attempt to lean towards the sun or get spindly and fall over. Lilies need lots of sun. For dependable blooms, lilies should get 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day (aka “full sun”). Lilies come in a range of bright, beautiful colors. 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. In addition to there being many types of lilies, there are also many plants with “lily” in the name-and most are not “true lilies!” True lilies grow from onion-like bulbs and are of the genus Lilium.ĭaylilies (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. Browse through your favorite online gardening retailer’s catalog to find what you like best! Get to Know the “True Lilies” There are other lilies out there, of course, such as tiger lilies (Lilium henryi) and Turk’s cap lilies (Lilium superbum), as well as hybrids like “ Orienpet” (Oriental + Trumpet) and “ LA” lilies (Easter + Asiatic). Their flowers tend to be smaller and more closed (like a trumpet) than those of the other lilies.

“Trumpet hybrids”) are similar to oriental lilies, producing many blooms with a nice scent. 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). “Oriental hybrids”) have that famously strong fragrance. Outdoors, they are better suited for warmer regions of North America, where they can be planted in the garden after blooming has finished. As their name suggests, they are typically forced into bloom around Easter, in March or April. Easter lilies (Lilium longifolium) are most commonly grown indoors as a holiday plant.They don’t have much of a fragrance, but they do add bright color to the garden. They are the shortest type of lily (about 2 to 3 feet tall) and come in many colors, from pastel to tropical. “Asiatic hybrids”) bloom first in early summer (usually in May or June), right after peonies. They are not fussy as long as they are grown in well-draining soil. To create a sequence of Lily blooms in your garden, keep in mind that Asiatics generally flower first followed by Orienpets and then Oriental varieties. There are a number of popular lily species, including Orientals, Asiatics, Orienpets, and Species types. They come in many beautiful colors, including pink, gold, red, orange, and white. 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. 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. Lilies add graceful elegance and fragrance to any garden, blooming from early summer all the way through fall, depending on the type. With colorful, star-shaped flowers, lilies give star power to summer gardens. Although it’s best to plant these bulbs in late summer, you can also plant them bulbs in spring once the ground is workable. Learn more in our Lilies Growing Guide.

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