How to Grow Asiatic Lilies

Choose Asiatic lily varieties suited for your location.

True lilies from the genus Lilium, Asiatic lilies are a favorite among gardeners for many reasons. These beauties emerge in the season before other lily types, including oriental lilies, trumpet lilies and Turk's cap lilies. Asiatic lilies come in nearly every color, in heights ranging from 1 to 5 feet and are the hardiest of the lilies. Choose Asiatic varieties as either bulbs or container transplants suited for your location for best results.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Organic matter
• Fertilizer
• Mulch

Instructions

1. Select a planting location with full sunlight and well draining soil. Asiatic lilies grow in most soil types, but adding organic matter is recommended for sandy or clay soils to improve the drainage.

2. Clear the area of all foliage and cultivate the soil to a depth of 6 inches or more. Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic matter (compost, aged manure, peat or similar) and then mix this well into the soil.

3. Bury Asiatic lily bulbs at a depth three times the size of the bulb, or about 2 to 4 inches for small bulbs and from 6 to 8 inches for larger bulbs. Dig a hole the same depth as the container to plant container-grown lilies.

4. Arrange the Asiatic lilies in odd-number groupings and space the plants eight to 12 inches apart. Space the groupings at least three feet apart.

5. Water the bulbs well and soak the container plants to settle them in place after planting. Supply an inch of water weekly to the lilies from spring to fall any time rainfall is less.

6. Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch around the Asiatic lilies to prevent weeds. The mulch also holds moisture in the soil and keeps the temperature down.

7. Apply a fertilizer, such as 5-10-10, every spring as directed. Reapply as needed throughout the growing season or use time-released formulas that last for several months.

8. Trim off spent flowers as needed but allow the foliage to die back naturally. Prune the Asiatic lilies back to the ground in late fall or early spring.

9. Increase the mulch layer to 6 inches before winter for fall planted bulbs and after the first freeze in the subsequent years. Remove the mulch the following spring after the last chance of frost has passed.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant bulbs in the spring or fall and plant container-grown Asiatic lilies any time during the growing season.

• Dig up and divide the Asiatic lily bulbs every three to five years.

• Do not cut the stems after flowering is over. Let them die back naturally. This will help the bulb grow stronger and bigger.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension; Selecting Lilies for Your Garden; Anne M. Hanchek, et al.; November 2004
• Iowa State University; Growing Garden Lilies; May 2006

Resources

• North American Lily Society