Fall and early winter planting produce stems that

flower at the "expected" time; planting late in the

spring will produce later flowering stems, which may be

a little shorter than usual if hot weather comes quickly.

The following winter will reset the lilies' "clocks" and

put them on "standard blooming time" again.

 

The sooner you plant your bulbs, the better they will

grow and perform. If you cannot plant them right away,

store them where they will stay COOL but not frozen--

above 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Your garage or refrigerator

will be fine for temporary storage. Keep the bulbs in the

dark if you can, for exposure to light will make them sprout

quickly, and once they begin to show sprouts, they need

to be planted.

 

Lily bulbs are extremely hardy, but as the shoots

elongate, their softer and more watery tips can be

harmed by sudden freezes.

Lilies with very long sprouts will grow beautiful stems,

as long as the whole sprout is planted deep enough...

the stem will still come up nice and straight, even if the

bulb and sprout are planted upside down.

 

If you want to make up for a late start and winter

seems slow to finish, you can pot your bulbs and

leave them in a "root cellar" environment until

sprouts appear.

They will begin to form roots at very cool temperatures,

as long as moisture is adequate. When it is warmer,

you can move the pots outside or transplant the rooted

mass (with its emerging shoot) like a big "seedling plug"

right into the garden.

 

Choose a well-drained spot with at least half a day

of sun. If it's too shady, the stems will lean a little toward

the light. Full sun is fine, too, and is preferred for mass

plantings. Try to choose a spot that is quick to dry out

after a wet day, since lilies can be bothered by botrytis,

a fungus that spots the leaves in prolonged cool, wet

weather. In the home garden, this is rarely a problem,

since most gardeners do not plant their lilies close

together, so the leaves usually dry out quickly. If you

do see "bull's eye" spots on the leaves, use a

copper-based spray or any fungicide recommended

for roses. Botrytis does not hurt the bulbs, but it

reduces the leaf area that should be manufacturing

sugar to grow a bigger bulb for next year.

 

Plant the bulbs 4" to 6" deep; they are not fussy

about this, but they do like to stay cool in the

summer, so deeper planting is fine.

The stem that pops out of the ground will grow roots

above the bulb, before it emerges from the soil, so

deeper-planted bulbs will be really well anchored,

with roots above and below the bulb. Another way to

accomplish deeper planting is to make a raised bed,

with the lily bulbs at ground level and the soil planted

4" to 6" or deeper on top of them. This also assures

superb drainage, which is important for lilies. Give

them enough elbow room, too--a radius of at least

6" per bulb gives each stem its own spot in the sun.

Loosen the soil a bit below the bulb level, pat down

the soil over the bulb, and wait for warm weather to

do its magic.

 

If you expect a great deal of frigid weather after

planting, do give the lilies a mulch. Remember,

it is the emerging shoot that must be protected from

late frosts; the trumpet lilies are the most vulnerable.

If you do mulch, watch that the mulch isn't a haven

for slugs just about the time the lilies begin to pop up,

looking like asparagus shoots!

 

If you want to fertilize, put on a little well-balanced

fertilizer at emergence time and about a month

later. Slow-release fertilizers are also good. It isn't

necessary to feed the lilies, though, unless your

soil is poor and you want to raise super show-lilies.

The sort of fertilizer that gardener’s use in your area to

grow potatoes will be fine. Too much nitrogen can

produce lush leaves but weak stems, so don't overdo it.

Heavy nitrogen in hot, wet areas can also set the stage

for bulb rot. If you want to cut the gorgeous flowering

stems, remember that the green parts are the food

factories that are building up next year's bulb. if you

leave the bottom two-thirds of the stem, it will easily

make a nice bulb for the following year.

 

Lilies only rarely need more water after flowering.

The Asiatics, Trumpets, and Orienpets are well adapted

to dry summer areas, if they have enough water until

flowering time. The Orientals, however, will need watering

during hot, dry summers, since they don't flower until

August. Summer mulches will help keep the bulbs cool

and watering requirements at a minimum. Companion

plants (such as annuals or low-growing perennials) are

also compatible, but be sure they do not harbor slugs.

 

Lilies will gradually increase by division of the

large main bulbs and by growth of small bulbs

along the old below-ground stem.

 If the clumps that form become too thick to make large

stems, lift and divide them in September or October.