When to Plant Lilies for Vibrant Blooms Next Summer

With their large, flamboyant flowers, lilies are a favorite of florists and gardeners. They represent a wide and storied symbolism, from love and purity to divine presence and new beginnings. Lilies make excellent gifts and bring personality to the landscape. 

There are many different types of this plant, and they bloom at various times throughout the year. Some show off in late spring and early summer, while others hold off until the end of the season, carrying their flowers from late summer into fall. 

If you’re thinking about adding these flashy, blooming beauties this year, it’s good to know when and how to plant them. They’re not difficult to care for if you understand the basics. Follow along as we delve into stunning lilies and the best time to get those bulbs in the ground. 

Lily Overview

The Lilium genus is wide-ranging and diverse. While just over 100 species exist, the number quickly jumps into the thousands if we start talking about varieties. Many plants that have lily in the name are not true lilies, though, so for our purposes, we are only discussing those members of the genus Lilium.

Among the 100+ species, these plants fall into nine different divisions, most of which are hybrids. The nine divisions include:

1. Asiatic Hybrids—Often hybrids of hybrids, early blooming, wide color range, little to no fragrance.
2. Martagon or Euro-Caucasian Hybrids—Downward facing, Turk’s cap flowers, abundant blooms, a wide range of colors, sometimes fragrant.
3. Candidum Hybrids—The Madonna lily, pure white with yellow throats, highly fragrant.
4. American Hybrids – Large, fragrant, colorful flowers, excellent for cutting and floristry.
5. Longiflorum Hybrids—Large, fragrant, trumpet-shaped blooms. Popular for weddings.
6. Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids—These very large flowers may be pendant, bowl-shaped, or upward-facing, with a sweet, strong fragrance.
7. Oriental Hybrids—These plants have large, colorful, heavily fragrant flowers and lance-shaped foliage. They are popular in floristry.
8. Garden or Interdivisional Hybrids—Similar to Asiatic hybrids, these have the form and fragrance of an Easter lily but a wider variety of colors.
9. Wild or Native Lilies—Non-hybrid lilies native to Asia, North America, and Europe.

These plants are originally native to the Northern Hemisphere on the European, Asian, and North American continents. Their longevity, diversity, and successful hybridization are a result of their unique and effective reproductive strategy.

When to Plant Lily Bulbs

Depending on your region and the variety, you should plant lily bulbs in the fall or early spring. Most are hardy in Zones 3-8, with some exceptions in either direction. The bloom time and your climate are both factors to consider when it comes to timing. 

In very cold climates, early spring is the ideal time to plant. Typically, you’ll want to get started as soon as the ground is workable but not muddy from a snow thaw. Cool, moist soil is ideal, but wet soil can lead to bulb rot. 

In mild and warmer climates, you should plant depending on the bloom time of the individual cultivar. Early bloomers should nearly always go in the ground in the fall, at least four weeks before your first anticipated frost date. This allows them to establish some roots before cold temperatures push them into dormancy. 

The reason for fall planting is simple. If your bulbs get the extra time to set down roots, they will be stronger when they begin to grow in the spring. This leads to larger plants and bigger, stronger flowers. They also benefit from a cold period. It will enhance their growth and bloom size. 

Spring planting is perfectly acceptable for late-season bloomers, or those that flower in late summer and early fall. These don’t need to hurry up about growing and developing buds in early spring. You can plant these as soon as the ground thaws in cool climates or in late winter to early spring in warmer climates.

Prepare the Site

No matter the region, lilies need a lot of sunlight to form and support their substantial flowers. Choose a spot in the garden that receives at least six to eight hours of direct sun daily. If they don’t get enough light, they will grow leggy and lean toward the light rather than growing upright with denser foliage. 

Because they grow from bulbs, lilies also require good drainage. They favor slightly acidic, nutrient-rich soil that holds some moisture but won’t become soggy in times of increased rainfall. 

To prepare your site, turn the soil over down about one foot. This will loosen the soil, making it easier for the bulbs to establish roots. Enrich your soil with leaf mold, compost, or manure to increase drainage and offer a boost of important nutrients. Lilies also grow well in containers with similar soil. 

How to Plant

Lily bulbs range in size but are generally relatively large. Some gardeners like to soak their bulbs before planting to help them germinate faster, but this is a matter of personal preference, and soaking them is not integral. 

When it comes time to plant, space your bulbs about one foot apart on all sides. A grouping of three to five plants will give you an attractive and balanced appearance. 

Dig your holes two to three times the bulbs’ height and slightly wider than the widest part of the bulb, the pot. Place the bulbs in the prepared holes with the root end down and the pointed end facing upward, as this is where the plant sprouts from. 

Gently backfill the holes with your amended soil and tamp down lightly to remove air pockets. Over the winter, those air pockets can hold freezing air, which may damage your bulbs. Water them in, and keep the soil moist until the ground freezes. 

Apply a thick layer of mulch on top of the ground to help regulate the soil temperature and maintain moisture. As soon as your lilies sprout in the spring, fertilize with a high-potassium formula. Repeat this every two to three weeks until after they bloom. 

Divide and Transplant

Every three to five years, you will need to divide your bulbs to keep them from overcrowding. Overcrowded plants will compete for nutrients and won’t reach their full growth and blooming potential. 

The best time to divide your lilies is either four to six weeks after they finish blooming, or in the early fall. After these plants bloom, they will draw nutrients from the stem and foliage back down into the bulb to be conserved for the following year. Wait for the leaves to begin to yellow as an indicator that it’s ok to dig them up.

Before you begin to dig, make a plan for your new bulbs. You can transplant them to a new space, increase the colony by planting them at the perimeter, or store them for up to a year. If you are doing this earlier in the year, store them for planting in spring or fall. 

Dig around the area in a circle and down about one foot. Use a gardening fork to gently loosen the soil around your bulbs. Avoid using any tool that will scrape the outside, as this leaves wounds where bacteria and fungus can get in.

Gently separate your bulbs, replacing one where each original plant existed, and transplant or store the remainder. You shouldn’t need to do any cutting. They should come apart easily. 

Post-Bloom Care

After your plants bloom, spend a bit of time tending to them to keep the garden tidy and help them to redirect their energy back into the bulbs to store for next season.

While blooming, you should deadhead any spent flowers to make way for those that haven’t opened. Once the flowering has finished, cut the flowers off to prevent them from going to seed. 

Continue to water them for one to two months while the nutrients get reabsorbed. You’ll be able to see the leaves turn yellow and then brown. Once the foliage has died back, go ahead and separate the bulbs or trim away the dead foliage and cover them with mulch to prepare for the winter.

Popular Varieties

There are thousands of different lily varieties, each one prettier than the next. Here are a few of my favorites that you can grow in your garden. 

‘Samantha’

	common name ‘Samantha’
	botanical name Lilium asiatica ‘Samantha’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 36-48”
	hardiness zones 3-9

‘Samantha’ is an Asiatic variety with gorgeous double petal form. The flowers are deep rose with pure white margins and dark pink speckles. They have extra petals in place of messy stamens, making them excellent for the cutting garden. No worries about pollen leaving a mess on the table. These are lightly fragrant. 

‘Debby’

	common name ‘Debby’
	botanical name Lilium OT-hybrid ‘Debby’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6-8′
	hardiness zones 3-8

‘Debby’ is an Oriental hybrid with incredible, large, showy flowers. Pollinators will love these blooms! They are large with yellow petals that have splashes of dark reddish-orange in the center. The blooms are both beautiful and fragrant. 

‘Casa Blanca’

	common name ‘Casa Blanca’
	botanical name Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 36”-48”
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘Casa Blanca’ is an exceptionally popular variety that is often used in floristry. Sought after for weddings, the pure white flowers are large with reflexed tips and a heady fragrance. They produce a great number of blooms on tall, strong stems that are excellent for cutting.

‘Tribal Dance’

	common name Tribal Dance
	botanical name Lilium ‘Tribal Dance’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30”-36”
	hardiness zones 3-8

Extra flashy and colorful, ‘Tribal Dance’ is a summer bloomer with tons of personality. Apricot petals have yellow accents and burgundy, speckled centers. They are unique and extra showy with their tri-colored flowers. They work excellently in the back of flower beds, and are a wonderful addition to the cutting garden.