Lilies are some of the best known and most popular flowers for your home garden. You can learn how to plant lily bulbs by following a few guidelines in this article. Lilies are grown all over the world and fit most any style of gardening. Cottage gardens, formal gardens, Contemporary Gardens all have a place for the bold color and shape of various lilies.  

You obviously want your lilies to have a great chance to grow and flourish in your garden, so let us take a minute and read on about the best time to plant lily bulbs in your garden. 

Is it Too Late to Plant Lily Bulbs? 

If you plan to plant your lily bulbs in the ground, Lilies tend to do best in Planting Zones 4-9. Although, one popular use of lilies is in a planter, which can be brought indoors if you live in a colder region. 

Lilies can be planted in the ground in early Spring or Fall. Buy your bulbs close to planting time so you can get them right into the ground. They will stay “fresh” for weeks but do not buy in the Fall for Spring planting.  

Best Time to Plant Lily Bulbs

Planting your lily bulbs in the Fall will ensure that you have well established roots come time for the blooming season. Also, a winter chill, even if slight, will benefit the bulbs to produce big blooms! 

If your lilies will be container grown, you can plant them late Spring or delay far out as early Summer (June to July).  

Where Should Lily Bulbs Be Planted? 

There are lilies to suit most any environment. It is just finding the right one for your area. Oriental lilies grow well in acidic soil. Asiatic lilies tend to like alkaline soil. 

 Lily Bulbs will do best and flower the most if planted in a full sun area. Ideally with the roots in rich, well-draining loamy or sandy soil. You do not want them sitting in wet soil at all, so you should avoid planting them in heavy clay soil. It can cause most varieties to rot quickly. For every plant there is an exception though, there are some lilies that grow best in very damp areas. 

Some varieties of lilies will do well in part sun to part shade areas, especially in hotter climates like the Deep South where I live. Planting lily bulbs among ground cover or other low-lying perennials will help to keep the bulb cool and retain moisture.  

Planting lilies in a semi sheltered area protected from high winds is a clever idea because most will bloom atop a tall thin stem and are prone to blow over if not staked well. 

If you’d like to learn how to Divide Daylilies you can follow the link HERE

How Many Lily Bulbs Should You Plant Together? 

Lilies look best if planted in groups of 3 to 5 bulbs. A good standard for planting lily bulbs is to dig a hole about 3 times the height of the bulb.  

Plant them pointy side up! with roots down. 

How Long Does It Take for a Lily Bulb to Grow Once Planted? 

40 to 90 days (about 3 months) from planting is an average length of time to look for your bulb’s sprout to shoot out of the earth and make its appearance.  

Choose several different varieties to get blooms throughout Summer and even well into Fall. Be aware that some lilies may not even bloom the first year they are in the ground and some bulbs may never bloom if not given the right conditions. Overall, bulbs are fool proof, and will put on a marvelous show come Spring and Summer!