Her floral beauty is on par with roses. With good reason, lilies are considered the aristocrats of bulb flowers, because their summer blooms take our breath away. Find out here which horticultural measures enable these legendary flowers to thrive lushly.
Plant lilies properly
Although lily species differ significantly in habit, the planting of these flowers follows a similar pattern. Follow these steps:
- Create a planting pit with twice the volume of the bulb
- Create drainage at the bottom and a small mound of earth above it
- Insert the lily bulb with the tip upwards and water
The flowers really come into their own in small groups. In this case, choose a planting distance of 30 centimetres.
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care tips
The opulent blossom festival of lilies is based on these fundamental aspects of care:
- Never let the flowers dry out
- Organic every 8-14 days from March to July fertilize with compost, horn shavings or guano
- mulching with lawn clippings and peat or an underplanting
- Clean lilies regularly
- Cut down to the ground before the first frost and cover with needle brushwood
Which location is suitable?
The choice of location contributes significantly to the successful course of growth and abundance of flowers. These criteria should be met:
- Sunny to semi-shady
- Protected from pounding rain and strong winds
- Humus soil, fresh and moist, well-drained and loose
The noble flowers develop their optimum with a cool foot and a sunny, warm head. Ideally, the chosen location allows the lilies to be provided with an underplanting of low-growing cushion perennials.
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What is the best planting time?
The best time to plant lilies is the autumn months of September and October. If you miss this date, choose spring during the months of April and May as the planting time for the flowers and bulbs. The only exception is to plant Madonna Lilies in August.
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When is flowering time?
The genus of lilies includes more than 100 species that vary in terms of flowering time. Cleverly combined, the colorful flowers adorn the garden throughout the summer. The Madonna lily is in the limelight from May to June, followed by the King's lily in June and July. The finale is the Orient lily, which blooms from August to September.
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Pruning lilies properly
There are different occasions to cut lilies. Once the first two blossoms have opened, the flowers serve as charming vase decorations. If you regularly cut out the withered flower heads on lilies in beds and tubs, this prudence will help to preserve vitality. For the last time of the year, before the first frost, you grab the scissors to cut the flowers and leaves close to the ground.
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Fertilize lilies properly
Fertilize lilies regularly from March to July. In the bed, compost and horn shavings provide all the important nutrients. In the pot, a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants comes into consideration or a long-term fertilizer in stick form.
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Diseases
If lilies are attacked by a disease, it is often the Fusarium wilt, which leaf spot disease or gray mold.
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pests
If pests attack the lilies, it is usually the lily beetle. The red-winged beetle and its larvae eat the flowers bare in no time. Collect the pests immediately and carefully rinse off an infested lily.
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hibernate
To keep lilies in the garden safe over the winter, cut the flowers back to the ground as soon as winter knocks at the door. A cover made of fir brushwood, straw or reed serves as protection against moisture.
multiply lilies
Lilies provide you with the material for propagation in several ways. A large number of species develop bulbs at the base for uncomplicated breeding. Bulbs sometimes thrive in the leaf axils of older flowers. Last but not least, the capsule fruits contain numerous seeds for the sowing.
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The propagation methods
If you can't get enough of the royal flower frenzy, you can propagate your lily using these methods:
- sowing the seeds
- Cut the bulbs from the base
- Cut out the axils from the leaf axils
Lilies in the pot
Always plant lilies in pots with drainage over the water outlet. Good potting soil serves as a substrate, enriched with ericaceous soil, sand and perlite. Placed in a sunny, sheltered spot, the flowers should neither thirst nor starve.
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Are lilies poisonous?
Lilies should not be cultivated within the reach of children. The onions contain toxic substances that lead to serious health problems if eaten.
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Is the lily poisonous to cats?
If you count one or more cats among your family members, we advise against lilies in beds and pots. The flowers pose a deadly danger, especially for kitties, because they like to nibble on plants.
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Plant lily bulbs
To plant lily bulbs professionally, choose a sunny to partially shaded location in spring or autumn. A fresh, moist, humus-rich soil with excellent water drainage creates the best conditions. Plant the bulbs with the top pointing towards the sky, cover them with soil and water them. Mulching with leaves, lawn clippings or bark mulch keeps the soil moist and warm for longer.
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Plant the lily
To plant lilies properly, dig planting holes 30 centimeters apart and 20-25 centimeters deep. A drainage or a hill at the bottom of the pit prevents waterlogging. Plant the flower bulbs so that the top is just covered with soil. Plant flowers that have been brought forward just as deep as before.
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Are lilies perennial?
You can enjoy the floral glamor of lilies for many years. Since the bulbs hibernate in the ground as a perennial organ, the flowers act as perennial decorative perennials in beds and tubs.
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Are lilies hardy?
Most lilies are hardy as the flowers retreat into their bulbs. If you cut back the ornamental perennials close to the ground in autumn and cover them with needle brushwood, the winter wetness cannot damage them. Lilies in pots, on the other hand, require more extensive protective measures due to the exposed position of the flower bulbs.
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Cut back lilies for winter
Before the first frost, cut lilies back to the ground to ensure they overwinter safely. To be on the safe side, cover the planting site with straw or needle sticks.
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Overwintering lily bulbs
In harsh locations, we recommend not overwintering the lily bulbs in the garden soil. Dig up the flower bulbs in autumn, cut off the remaining foliage and clean the bulbs thoroughly. Covered with sand or soil in a container, the bulbs overwinter in a frost-free place, to be planted again in March.
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Caring for garden lilies
Garden lilies create colorful islands of opulence when the flowers are given this care:
- Water regularly with collected rainwater or pond water
- Fertilize organically every 2 weeks from spring until after flowering
- Cut off wilted flowers immediately
- Cut back close to the ground before the first frost
A layer of fir fronds protects the garden lilies from moisture damage throughout the winter.
The lily as a houseplant
Graceful lily varieties elegantly present themselves as houseplants. On the sunny window sill with shade in the blazing midday sun, the flowers thrive in a structurally stable potting soil, optimized with expanded clay and sand. Keep the substrate constantly moist and fertilize with a liquid preparation every 4 weeks from March to July.
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How to care for the lily in the apartment
The lily is just as easy to care for indoors as it is outdoors. That's what matters:
- Water as soon as the substrate dries
- Fertilize every 4 weeks from March to July
- Clean up faded spots immediately
- Cut back the flowers in autumn and overwinter in a cool place
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The flower of the lily
There are three creative flower forms that the lily genus comes up with. There are species to discover with cupped or trumpet shaped flowers. The Turk's cap flowers are of unique beauty, the petals of which bend up to the stem.
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The lily blooms in these colors
Dominant colors within the lily genus are white, red, pink, orange and yellow in all imaginable shades and with eye-catching markings.
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That's what the lily smells like
The smell of lilies polarizes the large community of flower lovers. The sometimes heavy, exotic-sweet fragrance harbors a risk of floral addiction for some enthusiasts, while others sniff and run away. Just visit one of the lily festivals or a grower to sniff out your favourites.
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What to do when the lily has faded?
Cut off the flower heads as soon as a lily has faded. That way, the flowers don't invest their energy in growing seed pods, which will benefit next year's florescence.
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Collect and sow lily seeds
After flowering, several types of lilies form capsule fruits in which the seeds ripen. Since this is in the cold germ, successful sowing requires stratification. The seed is exposed to temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees for 4-6 weeks.
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grow lilies
One of the fascinating challenges of hobby gardening is growing your own variety of lilies. Within each autumn capsule of these flowers lie seeds with the potential for a new standout lily. Stratify the seeds and sow the seeds from February.
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cut flowers
As cut flowers, lilies create a magical scenario in living spaces. To keep the flowers long-lasting, cut the stems early in the morning and remove the lower foliage. If you change the water daily and place the vase in a light-flooded place, the flower spectacle will continue for 14 days.
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