Many gardeners’ introduction to lilies was probably the potted plants sporting pristine white trumpets that suddenly appeared as Easter approached. Or the pots of hybrids with blossoms in lively colors that appeared in stores as Mother’s Day grew near. Sadly, once the flowers on these gift plants faded, many of those gardeners, not knowing what to do with the plants, discarded them.
Other, more adventurous gardeners may have crossed their fingers and planted the bulbs in a corner of the garden, not knowing what to expect. When the following spring arrived, and no lily blossoms were anywhere to be found, perhaps disappointment set in. Patient gardeners who allowed their bulbs to remain in the garden were rewarded with blossoms as summer weather set in.
All those potted lily plants were forced to bloom out of season to be salable for specific holidays. When they were allowed to grow in the garden and develop on their own genetic timetable, they bloomed in summer. Having experienced the beauty that lilies could contribute to the garden, many people became interested in exploring the wide assortment of these plants, many wonderfully fragrant, that are readily available as fall-planted bulbs.
Happily, lilies are pretty easy to grow as long as you can provide their basic requirements: good soil that is moist but not overly wet, roots kept shady and cool with several inches of mulch, and filtered sun at the top of the plant to encourage flowering.
If you are starting with potted plants, cut off the spent flower heads after they’ve finished blooming to prevent any attempt by the plant to produce a seed pod. That would reduce the vigor of the bulbs while they are getting established in the garden.
Whether planting bare-root bulbs or potted bulbs, select a site where the soil is well-drained and where your lilies will get some protection from the hot afternoon sun. Lily bulbs can get very large, so you should amend your soil with compost or peat moss to a depth of about 12 inches. Add some complete fertilizer too.
Tap potted plants from their containers, but don’t remove any of the soil mix in which they are growing. Set the plants or bare-root bulbs in the prepared soil about 12 inches apart to allow them to increase in size. Lilies do best if they are not disturbed too often after planting.
For the white Madonna lilies, cover the bulbs with about 1 inch of garden soil. Cover the bulbs of the colored lilies with about 4 inches of soil. If you are planting a variety that gets very tall, you might consider planting the bulbs an inch or two deeper. Apply a mulch about 4 inches deep to keep the soil cool during warm summer sun days.
Give the lilies good care year-round. Unlike many other bulbs, lilies never go completely dormant. When winter comes, the tops will die back, and they can be trimmed off, but leave an inch or two of stem to mark the spot so you don’t accidentally disturb them.
Lilies have been organized into horticultural divisions by their parentage and characteristics. Some of the divisions you are most likely to encounter are:
Asiatic hybrids: These usually flower in June here. They are available in a rainbow of colors, including white, yellow, pink and red. The mature height of an established plant is a garden-friendly 3 to 4 feet. The most familiar Asiatic hybrid cultivar is probably the vibrant orange Enchantment lily, which has upward-facing flowers.
Longiflorum hybrids: Lilium longiflorum is the botanical name of the traditional Easter lily. It and its hybrids grow to about 4 feet tall in the garden and have fragrant, white trumpet-like flowers. They are not reliably hardy in cold climates but grow well in our frost-free climate.
Trumpets: These majestic lilies may grow tall enough to look you in the eye. The blooming season is midsummer, and the colorful flowers are highly fragrant. As the name suggests, the flower shape is usually trumpet-like. Because of their height, they may need to be staked to protect their stems from breaking when they are carrying a dozen or more flowers.
Oriental hybrids: This group contains some of the most garden-friendly lilies. They typically grow to about 3 to 4 feet tall, and their open-face flowers are available in an assortment of colors. The sweetly fragrant flowers usually open in midsummer. Stargazer is one of the most popular and familiar of the cultivars.
Interdivisional hybrids: Plant breeders are always busy crossing various lilies to give us bigger and better plants.
Hybrids between Oriental and trumpet lilies (OT for short) are some of the most robust of all, growing 6 or more feet tall. The flowers are very large and substantive and have a mild, sweet fragrance.
Hybrids between Longiflorum and Asiatic lilies (LA for short) have colorful flowers that are lightly fragrant and have larger flowers than their parents. They grow to about 3 to 4 feet tall.
Hybrids between Oriental and Asiatic lilies (OA for short) usually grow to 3 to 4 feet tall and have sturdy, lightly fragrant flowers in various colors.
Caution: Lilies are reputed to be toxic to cats, so if you have a kitty that likes to dine on your plants, you should keep them apart.
Unfortunately, gophers are especially fond of lily bulbs. If you have an out-of-control gopher problem and are determined to grow lilies, plant the bulbs in the protective metal mesh baskets that most nurseries carry.
Ottillia “Toots” Bier has been a UC Cooperative Extension master gardener since 1980. Send comments and questions to features@pressenterprise.com.
