Lilies are among the most spectacular summer-flowering bulbs, prized for their large, elegant blooms, dazzling colors and, in many varieties, unforgettable fragrance. Easy to grow in beds, borders or pots, they return year after year and bring height and drama to the garden from early summer onwards.
| Name | Lillium |
|---|---|
| Family | Liliaceae (lily family) |
| Type | bulb flower |
| Height | 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun and part sun |
| Soil | ordinary to moist |
| Flowering | early summer to early autumn |
Caring for it from planting to keeping the bulbs in winter will help you to have superb lilies year after year.
The most desirable season to plant lily is spring, but it can also be done in fall. If the climate is mild in winter, you can also plant it a bit later.
Avoid planting your lily bulbs in summer because they would suffer from the heat and lack of water.
Choosing the location and the quality of the soil is crucial when planting lily. That’s what determines the blooming and potential growth of the plant.
Proper planting means less follow-up and watering at later dates, so take the time to plant your lily properly.
Lily bulbs can go into the ground at several moments of the year, but each season gives a different result. Here is what the article says about each planting window.
| Season | Suitability | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Best choice | The most desirable season for planting, in the ground or in pots for the terrace |
| Autumn | Good alternative | A second reliable window, also suitable for planting in pots |
| Late autumn to winter, mild climates only | Possible | Planting can be pushed back a little where winters stay mild |
| Summer | Avoid | Bulbs suffer from the heat and from lack of water |
Whatever the season, depth and spacing matter as much as timing: 4 to 6 inches deep and at least 6 inches apart.
Lilies fall into a few broad groups that behave quite differently in the garden, from unscented Asiatics for pots and beds to towering, heavily perfumed trumpets and Orientals. The table below sets out the kinds most often offered as bulbs in garden centres and catalogues.
| Variety | Group | Flower colour | Scent | Height band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madonna lily | Species | Pure white, golden anthers | Strong | Medium to tall |
| ‘Black Beauty’ | Oriental/Orienpet | Dark crimson-red, white edge, recurved | Light | Tall |
| ‘Pink Perfection’ | Trumpet hybrid | Deep purple-pink | Strong | Tall |
| ‘Mona Lisa’ | Oriental hybrid | Pink with white margins | Strong | Dwarf, good in pots |
| ‘African Queen’ | Trumpet hybrid | Apricot-orange, bronze reverse | Strong | Tall |
| ‘Golden Splendour’ | Trumpet hybrid | Golden yellow, wine-red reverse | Strong | Tall |
| ‘Casa Blanca’ | Oriental hybrid | Pure white, outward-facing | Strong | Tall |
| Lilium speciosum var. rubrum | Species, Oriental type | White flushed deep crimson, recurved | Strong | Tall |
| ‘Stargazer’ | Oriental hybrid | Crimson-pink, white edges, upward-facing | Strong | Medium |
| ‘Muscadet’ | Oriental hybrid | White with pink flecks and stripe | Strong | Medium to tall |
| ‘Enchantment’ | Asiatic hybrid | Bright orange, upward-facing | None | Medium |
| ‘Landini’ | Asiatic hybrid | Very dark maroon-black | None | Medium to tall |
Once properly settled in, lily is a plant that has little need for care. From year to year you’ll be falling unreservedly in love with this marvelous flower.
If your lily bulbs are properly settled in rich soil that stays cool in summer, you shouldn’t need to intervene too often.
Lilies, like most plants, also fall victim to certain parasites like aphids, slugs or thrips.
But the most common and most fearful parasite for lilies is the common lily beetle.
It is a red-bodied beetle with black legs that devours lily leaves and flowers and can cause great damage.
As soon as you’ve noticed the first lily leaf beetles, often inspect the leaves to detect their larvae on the underside of leaves.
The earlier you spot them, the higher your chance of getting rid of them or of thwarting the invasion.
The lily is the symbol of the Virgin Mary and more generally the symbol of purity. This is most certainly because of its pristine flowers.
This plant has a majestic bearing that its colors and various shapes support in any garden.
Bunching up like trumpet-filled bouquets, this hardy bulb flower is perfect to ornate flower beds, edges and terraces.
It also spreads its fragrance by and far, an inviting odor of delicate lily.
Although most lily varieties are deciduous, Lys candidum is one of the rare evergreen cultivars, and hence keeps its leaves in winter.
Add special flower-bulb organic fertilizer to make the blooming even more spectacular!
Yes, lilies are described as a hardy bulb flower that can survive winter outdoors. The article advises on keeping the bulbs in winter to have superb lilies year after year, and notes that most lily varieties are deciduous, with only rare cultivars like Lys candidum being evergreen.
The article does not specify the time from planting to first bloom. It indicates that lilies flower from early summer to early autumn once established, but does not provide information about the growth rate or timeline for reaching mature size or first flowering.
Lilies spread their fragrance far and wide, offering an inviting odor of delicate lily scent. The article emphasizes fragrance as one of the plant’s notable characteristics that adds to its appeal in gardens.
For lilies in the ground, water only during dry spells or strong heat waves if the bulbs are properly settled in rich soil that stays cool in summer. For potted lilies, the same watering principle applies, though fertilizer is often required starting from the second year of growth.
The most common and fearful parasite for lilies is the lily leaf beetle, a red-bodied beetle with black legs that devours lily leaves and flowers and can cause great damage. Early detection of beetles and their larvae on leaf undersides is crucial for preventing infestations.
Going further on lilies: the lily beetle, leaf blotch, basal rot and virus, growing in deep pots, bulbs through winter, multiplying one bulb into twenty, and why the plant is dangerous to cats.
