Their floral beauty is on par with roses. For good reason, lilies are considered the aristocrats of bulb flowers, because their abundance of summer flowers takes our breath away. Find out here which gardening measures enable these legendary flowers to flourish luxuriantly.
How do I plant lilies correctly?
To plant lilies correctly, dig holes in a sunny to semi-shaded location in spring or autumn, fill them with humus-rich, fresh, moist soil and plant the bulbs with the tips pointing upwards. Water and cover the soil with mulch.
Planting lilies correctly
Although lily species differ significantly in habit, the planting of these flowers follows a similar pattern. Follow these steps:
- Create a planting pit with twice the volume of the bulb
- Create drainage at the bottom and a small mound of earth above it
- Insert the lily bulb with the tip upwards and water
The flowers come into their own wonderfully in small groups. In this case, choose a planting distance of 30 centimeters.read more
Care tips
The opulent lily blossom festival is based on these fundamental aspects of care:
- Never let the flowers dry out
- From March to July, fertilize organically every 8-14 days with compost, horn shavings or guano
- Mulch with lawn clippings and peat or plant under planting
- Clean out lilies regularly
- Before the first frost, cut off close to the ground and cover with conifers
Which location is suitable?
The choice of location contributes significantly to the successful growth and abundance of flowers. These criteria should be met:
- Sunny to partially shaded
- Protected from pelting rain and strong wind
- Humose soil, fresh-moist, well permeable and loose
The noble flowers develop their optimum with cool feet and sunny, warm heads. Ideally, the chosen location allows the lilies to be underplanted with low-growing cushion perennials.read more
What is the best time to plant?
The best time to plant lilies is the autumn months of September and October. If you miss this date, choose spring during the months of April and May as the planting time for flowers and bulbs. The only exception is to plant Madonna lilies in August.read more
When is flowering time?
The lily genus includes more than 100 species that vary in terms of their flowering time. Cleverly combined, the colorful flowers decorate the garden throughout the summer. The Madonna lily takes center stage from May to June, followed by the King lily in June and July. The finale is the oriental lily, which blooms from August to September.read more
Cut lilies correctly
There are different occasions to cut lilies. Once the first two blossoms have opened, the flowers serve as enchanting vase decorations. If you regularly cut out the withered flower heads of lilies in beds and containers, this care will help preserve their vitality. For the last time of the year, before the first frost, grab the scissors to cut the flowers and leaves close to the ground.read more
Fertilize lilies properly
Fertilize lilies regularly from March to July. In the bed, compost and horn shavings (€52.00 on Amazon) provide all the important nutrients. In the pot, a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants or a long-term fertilizer in stick form can be considered.read more
Diseases
If lilies are affected by a disease, it is often Fusarium wilt, leaf spot or gray mold.read more
Pests
If pests attack the lilies, it is usually the lily chicken. The red-winged beetle and its larvae eat the flowers bare in no time. Collect the pests immediately and carefully spray an infected lily.read more
Wintering
To ensure that lilies in the garden overwinter safely, cut the flowers back to the ground as soon as winter knocks on the door. A cover made of pine branches, straw or reeds serves as protection against moisture.
Propagate lilies
Lilies provide you with material for propagation in several ways. A variety of species develop bulbs at the base for easy breeding. In older flowers, bulbs sometimes grow in the leaf axils. Last but not least, the capsule fruits contain numerous seeds for sowing.read more
The propagation methods
If you can't get enough of the royal flower rush, multiply your lily using these methods:
- Sowing the seeds
- Cut the seed bulbs from the base
- Cut axillary bulbs out of the leaf axils
Lilies in a pot
Plant lilies in pots with drainage above the water outlet. A good potting soil, enriched with ericaceous soil, sand and perlite, serves as the substrate. Placed in a sunny, sheltered location, the flowers must neither thirst nor starve.read more
Are lilies poisonous?
Lilies should not be cultivated within the reach of children. The onions contain toxic substances that can lead to serious he alth problems if consumed.read more
Is the lily poisonous to cats?
If you have one or more cats among your family members, we advise against lilies in beds and pots. The flowers pose a deadly danger, especially for kitties, as they love to nibble on plants.read more
Planting lily bulbs
To plant lily bulbs professionally, choose a sunny to partially shaded location in spring or autumn. A fresh, moist, humus-rich soil with excellent drainage creates the best conditions. Plant the bulbs with the tips pointing towards the sky, cover them with soil and water. Mulching with leaves, grass clippings or bark mulch keeps the soil moist and warm longer.read more
Planting the lily
To plant lilies properly, dig planting holes 30 centimeters apart and 20-25 centimeters deep. A drainage or a hill at the bottom of the pit prevents waterlogging. Place the flower bulbs so that the top is just covered with soil. Plant ready-prepared flowers just as deep as before.read more
Are lilies perennial?
You can enjoy the glamor of lilies for years to come. Since the bulbs overwinter in the soil as a survival organ, the flowers act as perennial ornamental shrubs in beds and pots.read more
Are lilies hardy?
The majority of lilies prove to be hardy because the flowers retreat into their bulbs. If you cut the ornamental shrubs back close to the ground in autumn and cover them with coniferous twigs, the winter moisture cannot harm them. Lilies in pots, on the other hand, require more extensive protective measures due to the exposed location of the flower bulbs.read more
Cut lily back for overwintering
Before the first frost, cut lilies back to the ground so that they overwinter safely. To be on the safe side, cover the planting site with straw or coniferous twigs.read more
Overwintering lily bulbs
In harsh locations, we recommend not overwintering the lily bulbs in the garden soil. Dig up the flower bulbs in autumn, cut off the remaining leaves and clean the bulbs thoroughly. Covered with sand or soil in a container, the bulbs overwinter in a frost-free place to be replanted in March.read more
Caring for garden lilies
Garden lilies create colorful islands of opulence when the flowers are given this care:
- Watering regularly with collected rainwater or pond water
- Fertilize organically every 2 weeks from spring until after flowering
- Cut off wilted flowers immediately
- Pruning close to the ground before the first frost
Throughout the winter, a layer of pine fronds protects the garden lilies from moisture damage.
The lily as a houseplant
Graceful lily varieties look elegant as houseplants. On the sunny windowsill with shade in the blazing midday sun, the flowers thrive in structurally stable potting soil, optimized with expanded clay and sand. Keep the substrate constantly moist and fertilize every 4 weeks from March to July with a liquid preparation.read more
How to care for the lily in the apartment
The lily is just as easy to care for indoors as it is outdoors. That's what matters:
- Watering as soon as the substrate dries
- Fertilize every 4 weeks from March to July
- Clean up any faded flowers immediately
- Cut back the flowers in autumn and keep them cool over the winter
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The blossom of the lily
There are three creative flower shapes that the lily genus boasts. There are species to discover with cup-shaped or trumpet-shaped flowers. The Turk's Bund flowers are uniquely beautiful, with petals that curve all the way down to the stem.read more
The lily blooms in these colors
Dominating colors within the lily genus are white, red, pink, orange and yellow in every conceivable shade and with eye-catching markings.read more
That's what the lily smells like
The smell of lilies polarizes the large community of flower lovers. The sometimes heavy, exotic-sweet scent poses a risk of floral addiction for some enthusiasts, while others turn up their noses and look away. Just visit one of the lily festivals or a breeder to get a taste of your favorites.read more
What to do when the lily has faded?
Cut off the flower heads as soon as a lily has finished blooming. In this way, the flowers do not invest their energy in the growth of seeds, which benefits the abundance of flowers next year.read more
Collecting and sowing lily seeds
After flowering, several types of lilies form capsule fruits in which the seeds ripen. Since this is a cold germination plant, successful sowing requires stratification. The seeds are exposed to temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees for 4-6 weeks.read more
Growing lilies
One of the fascinating challenges of hobby gardening is growing your own variety of lilies. Within each autumnal capsule fruit of these flowers lie seeds with the potential for a new, outstanding lily. Subject the seeds to stratification and sow the seeds from February.read more
Cut flowers
As cut flowers, lilies create a magical scenario in living rooms. To ensure the flowers last a long time, cut the stems early in the morning and remove the foliage at the bottom. If you change the water every day and place the vase in a light-flooded place, the flower spectacle will continue for 14 days.read more
The most beautiful varieties
- Stargazer: famous lily that looks great in herbaceous beds; height 75 cm; intense scent
- Royal lily: magnificent specimen for beds and containers with white flowers, edged with brown-red; Growth height 90-130 cm; Cut flower
- Tiger lily: ornamental flowers up to 200 cm high, orange-red, black dotted flowers
- Album: the Turk's Bund lily impresses with pure white petals that curve elegantly outwards; Growth height 100 cm
- Claude Shride: impressive variety with purple velvet flowers from May and a height of 90-120 cm
- Black Beauty: the legendary oriental lily, which was inducted into the Hall of Fame, with up to 20 raspberry-red flowers
