Lilies are a stunning addition to any summer garden with their brightly colored and star-shaped blooms. As perennial flowers, they require extra care during the fall in areas with harsh winters. Our guide to growing lilies provides all the information you need to ensure beautiful blooms in your garden.
Lilies are known for their graceful elegance and sweet fragrance that can bloom from early summer to fall depending on the species. You can mix early, mid, and late varieties to enjoy their magnificent blooms from spring until the first frost. Lilies thrive in both formal and naturalistic settings and can grow in containers too. They also make great cut flowers!
Lilies have six simple or prominently marked tepals (‘petals’) and are usually trumpet-shaped, growing on tall, erect stalks with narrow, long lance-shaped leaves. They come in a variety of colors, including pink, gold, red, orange, and white.
There are different types of lilies such as oriental, asiatic, oriental, and species types. When planting lilies to create a series of blooms in your garden, you should remember that Asians typically blossom first, followed by orientpets and then oriental varieties.
Asiatic lilies are the shortest species of lily, growing about two to three feet tall, and bloom first in early summer right after peonies. They prefer to grow in well-drained soil and come in many colors, from pastels to tropical hues. Although they don’t have much fragrance, they bring a bright color to your garden.
Easter lilies are commonly grown indoors as a holiday plant, but they can grow outdoors in warmer regions of North America. They bloom around Easter and are best transplanted into the garden after flowering.
Oriental lilies have a famously strong scent and grow up to four feet tall. They tend to be slower growers and often bloom around the time Asiatic lily flowers are wilting.
Trumpet lilies resemble oriental lilies and produce many flowers with a beautiful fragrance. Their flowers tend to be smaller and more closed like a trumpet than those of other lily types.
Other lily types include tiger lilies, martagon lilies, as well as hybrids such as ‘Orienpet’ (Oriental + Trumpet) and ‘LA’ lilies (Easter + Asiatic). Check out your favorite online gardening supplies retailer’s catalog to find the lily type that suits your style best!
