🤍 Lily
Lilium spp.
Trumpets of perfume that make the whole yard smell like a wedding.
Sun
Full sun to part shade (roots cool, heads in sun)
Days to harvest
Perennial; blooms early to late summer by type
Spacing
8-12 inches apart
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
How to grow
Plant bulbs in fall or spring, 6 inches deep in well-drained soil — lilies rot in wet ground faster than almost any bulb. Mulch to keep roots cool; they like their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade. Asiatic lilies are the easiest starters; Orientals bring the famous fragrance. Most need winter chill, so Florida gardeners should stick to low-chill types or treat as annuals.
Water & feeding
Water deeply during growth and bloom; ease off after foliage yellows — wet dormant bulbs rot.
Common problems
- Lily beetles — bright red, handpick immediately.
- Botrytis blight in wet weather — remove spotted leaves.
- Bulb rot in poorly drained soil.
Harvest
Cut stems when the first bud shows color; remove the pollen-heavy anthers to prevent orange stains on everything you own.
Nerdy fact: A lily bulb is a compressed underground stem wrapped in fleshy leaves — and some lilies grow tiny bulbils in their leaf axils that drop off and grow into new plants. It's cloning, but make it botanical.