Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Planting lilies
• Part 2 of 2: Caring for lilies
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Lilies are beautiful flowers with delicious scents, loved by gardeners, florists, and anyone who appreciates their fragrance and beauty. Lilies are amazingly strong, easy to cultivate and easy to maintain. This article will show you how to plant them and how to keep them thriving for years to come.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Planting lilies

1. Find the correct location. The best spot for lilies is one with good drainage and plenty of sunlight.
   • To find a place with good drainage, look for the place that dries first after a heavy rain shower. If there is no obvious spot, plant your lilies on a slope and let gravity take care of the drainage.
   • Find a location that is in the sun for at least half a day. If lilies are in the shade for too long, they will grow towards the sun and become noticeably skewed. A whole day in the sun is ideal.
   • Lily leaves can become infected with botrytis or leaf spot, a fungal infection, if their location is less favorable. While botrytis is good for some types of wine grapes, it reduces the leaf area required for the production of sugars to develop healthy new bulbs.
2. Plant the bulbs as soon as you have them in the house. Lily bulbs are ready to plant immediately and do not have a brown, membranous exterior that prevents the bulb from drying out.
   • The sooner you plant the bulbs after bringing them home, the better they will do. If you can't plant them right away, keep them in a cool, dark place (like your refrigerator - as long as it stays above freezing). You do this to prevent them from spreading. As soon as they sprout, you have to plant them.
   • Plant them in the fall or early winter to allow them to bloom in the spring. You can also plant them in the spring, then they will flower later in the year. The following year they "just" bloom in the spring.
3. Dig a hole. Lilies like the sun, but their bulbs prefer to stay cool during the summer. Dig a hole 10 to 15 cm deep. Remember that deeper is better - the bulbs are not only protected from the heat in the summer, it also ensures that the stems are firmer.
   • You can also place them in a raised bed: plant them at ground level and scoop 10 to 15cm of soil on top. This also ensures good drainage.
   • Set them far enough apart. If you plant several lilies, leave a space of 15 cm around each lily, so that they have all the space in the sun.
   • Loosen the soil at the bottom of the planting hole and sprinkle some bone meal on the bottom, then place the lily bulb in the hole and cover it with soil.
   • Water immediately. This ensures that the moist soil comes into contact with the roots and promotes growth.
4. Add mulch. When the weather turns colder, put a layer of mulch over the plantings to protect the offshoots.
   • Trumpet lilies are most susceptible to frost damage.
   • Make sure your mulch does not contain or attract slugs! They would love to feast on your emerging lilies.

Part 2 of 2: Caring for lilies

1. Fertilize your lilies. As soon as the first green comes out of the ground, give them a bit of well-balanced fertilizer. Lilies are quite strong and don't need a lot of fertilizer. In fact, too much nitrogen weakens the stems and, in warm, humid conditions, causes the bulb to rot.
   • For optimal results, choose a fertilizer that stimulates the development and growth of potatoes.
   • Fertilize as soon as they emerge and again about a month later.
2. Water the lilies only when necessary. In general, lilies do not need a lot of water, so only water them when they are dry.
   • Asiatic Lilies, Trumpet Lilies, and Orientpets feel best in a warm, dry climate, as long as they get enough water until they bloom.
   • Oriental lilies need water all summer long, as they don't bloom until August.
   • Sprinkling mulch around the lilies in the summer will help keep the bulbs cool and reduce watering.
3. Protect them from frost. During the winter months, cover the lilies with straw or evergreen branches to protect the bulbs from freezing.
4. Trim your lilies. During the flowering season, you need to cut off dead flowers. Leave at least 2/3 of the stem to keep your lilies strong and healthy for years to come. Leaving the stem standing allows the plant to make and absorb nutrients, so that the bulb can bloom beautifully again the following year.

Tips

• If your lilies get brown spots on their leaves, they likely have botrytis (or leaf spot), a fungal infection that mainly manifests in cold or wet weather. Spray the leaves with a rose fungicide that you can find at garden centers or hardware stores.
• Lilies can be planted all year round, as long as the ground is not frozen. They may flower a little later in the first year, but in the years that follow they will bloom around June.
• For optimal drainage, make a raised flower bed with potting soil. The bed should be at least 13 cm high and large enough to plant the bulbs as described. This works very well in a place that does not dry quickly after rain.

Warnings

• Always inspect young shoots for caterpillars as they grow. The nutrient-rich young shoots are very attractive to caterpillars. If infested, the lilies are dead before they bloom.

Necessities

• Lily bulbs
• Garden trowel
• Mulch
• Manure
• Potting soil (optional)