Lilies, when they begin to bloom, must be one of the most glorious sights in your garden. These beautiful flowers, accompanied by that delightful fragrance, are essential for any summer garden in the UK - bringing with them an abundance of pollinators to add a real sense of vibrancy to your home. Just like garden roses.
The great thing about these lovely little plants, on top of everything else, is just how easy it is to grow lilies. I think because they are so beautiful, and they make such stylish and sophisticated cut flowers, we just assume that they are difficult to grow - but that couldn't be further from the truth.
We're going to demonstrate exactly how easy it is to plant lily bulbs in this blog - we'll cover when to plant lilies, as well as where and how. We'll let you know about the ideal soil type, as well as how much water they'll need so you can be enjoying beautiful blooms next summer.
A quick note at this stage: the following applies to both Oriental lilies and Asiatic lilies, and we'll highlight any instructions that don't apply to both kinds. Everything below will apply to most lilies.
When to plant Lily Bulbs
Before we get onto how to plant Lily Bulbs, it's a good idea to know when the best time of year is to get them in the ground - this will make it easier to plan your gardening.
Lily bulbs are quite flexible when it comes to planting, more so than many other spring flowering bulbs, which will only give you a relatively small window in which to plant them. You can plant lily bulbs, however, in either the Autumn or the Spring. You can also plant them over winter, but some varieties may struggle in the colder areas of the country.
Lilies, for such a beautiful and delicate flower, are hardy, so they can withstand a cold winter. It's always better to plant them when there is little chance of frost, which is why Autumn and Spring is preferable. They can also be planted indoors all year round - but you may struggle to buy bulbs when they are out of season.
As a general rule, the earlier that you are planting lilies, the earlier you can expect them to bloom.
Where to plant Lily Bulbs
Lilies love the sun, and therefore they thrive in a nice spot in your garden that gets full sun - around 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day. If they aren't getting enough, they may grow to have weak stems that look like they might topple over at any minute. The more sun they get, the stronger they will grow.
In terms of soil, this is where the two kinds of lilies differ. Oriental lilies prefer acidic soil - ericaceous compost is recommended if your soil type isn't correct. Just mix it in and create the perfect soil type. On the other hand, Asiatic lilies prefer neutral or alkaline soil - for this you can use any peat-free multi purpose compost with a little horticultural grit.
How to plant Lily Bulbs
Okay, so now you know where and when to plant Lily Bulbs, it's time to move to the 'how'. It really is quite straightforward, and very similar to how you would plant many bulbs, but we'll cover it step-by-step:
Step 1: Dig a hole
Once you know that you have the right spot for your lily bulbs, you should use a trowel or a bulb planter to dig a small hole for each bulb. You'll want a hole depth of around three times the depth of the bulb, and around twice the width. Smaller bulbs don't need to be as deep as larger bulbs.
Step 2: Place the bulb in the hole
Once you are happy with the hole, place your bulb in position, making sure that the 'nose' of the bulb (the bit where you can see the shoot will appear from), is pointing up towards the soil surface.
Step 3: Fill in the hole
Next, you should rep[lace the soil back into the hole, with plenty of the preferred type of compost (either multi purpose compost or pure ericaceous compost). Don't pack the soil in too tightly, otherwise when the roots start to emerge from the bulb, they may struggle to reach out very far. You want them to grow a decent distance away to give your plant more support.
Spacing if you are planting many bulbs
If you want clusters of lilies, which we think is when they look at their best, it's best to space them out around 15 cm between bulbs. Combine different colours and varieties to create stunning displays!
Step 4: Watering and Feeding
If your soil is a bit dry when you plant your lilies, make sure you give them a big drink straight away. To give them an extra little boost, give them a little bit of tomato feed every couple of weeks. Not only will this help to enhance the bloom, but it will also keep the bulbs healthy for them to come back again next year. Lily bulbs are the gift that keep on giving!
Ongoing care
There isn't much to keep on top of when your are growing lilies, but keep an eye out for lily beetles, which you may find on the underside of leaves. If you do find a lily beetle just remove them as soon as possible as you don't want them laying eggs.
Other than that, deadhead the plants after the flowers have died back, and this will help the bulbs conserve energy for the next blooms. Lilies make great cut flowers, but if you do cut them, make sure you aim a well above soil level - around two-thirds up. If you are growing in containers, move them to a shaded spot, or an unheated greenhouse, after they have flowered to prevent waterlogging.
Lily Bulbs - Conclusion
Lilies are wonderful, and straightforward, plants to grow in your garden. You can plant them alongside Spring and Autumn flowering bulbs to create dazzling displays that will last for most of the year - fresh blooms popping us as the seasons change.
Have a look through our other popular garden plants, as well as our flower bulbs and tubers - the best time to start planning your beautiful garden is right now!
