Do you want a breathtaking plant in your home? People often gift lily bouquets due to their striking elegance, so imagine how much beauty you will be surrounded by when you plant them? Lilies are the epitome of grace, with each petal artistically falling outward.
The simple thing to learn about lilies is that they are beautiful flowers that rapidly grow when given the correct care. With hues like pink, white, red, yellow and orange insight, who can resist not planting them in their backyard.
Those keen to get the full download on how to plant, grow and care for lily flowers and plants need only scroll down.
Types of Lilies
There are several species of lilies, and each is just as stunning as the other. We have covered some of the commonly known and available flowers for you to make the perfect lily bouquet.
1. Asiatic Lilies
2. Easter Lilies
3. Oriental Lilies
4. Trumpet Lilies
5. Tiger Lilies
6. Turk's Cap Lilies
About the True Lilies
Many plants have 'lily' in their names, but they are not the original ones. There is a species that we call 'true lilies' that grow from onion-shaped bulbs.
Flowers like Calla Lilies, Water Lilies, Canna Lilies, Daylilies, Lily of the Valley and Peace lilies, despite their name and appearances, are not true lilies.
When do they Bloom?
The best season for lilies (depending on the species) to bloom is from early summer to late fall. However, if you plant a mix of early, mid-season and late lilies in the garden, you will get to enjoy blooming colours from spring itself. However, this perennial is available for lily bouquets as gifts or for your home all time of the year.
Planting Guide
Now, let's get down to business! First, check out the 'About Lilies Guide' to when, where and how to plant them in your home garden or in containers.
When to Plant Lilies?
• In most regions, people plant lily bulbs during the fall, at least for weeks before it begins to get cold.
• However, if you plant them in Autumn, you will witness a growth of healthy roots in Spring itself.
• If you want to care for lily flowers and plants in the comfort of the four walls of your home- begin to grow them in containers during the Summer.
Tip: Make sure to buy the bulbs only a few days before you plant them. Lily bulbs are known to deteriorate over time, which only makes the entire planting process a waste. That is; don't buy bulbs in winters to soil them in summers,
How to Choose & Prepare Planting Site?
• The selected site must have well-drained soil. The best way to judge is by finding a spot in the ground that drains first after a good rain. If the soil does not dry out, there can be root rot.
• Choose a spot that provides your lily with sufficient sun. She needs 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. So, whether your plant is in the garden or a container, the sun is her best friend for those hours of the day.
• Different lilies require different types of soil. Most of the varieties prefer acidic to neutral, but some (like Madonna Lilies) are more inclined to alkaline soils.
• Before planting your buddy, loosen the soil 12 to 15 inches deep. This is needed to encourage the stem to extend roots to bring stabilisation to the plant. It also eradicates the need to put up stakes for support. The process of deep planting keeps lily bulbs cool when the temperature rises.
• For better drainage, fertile the soil with some well-rotted organic matter or leaf mould.
How to Plant Lilies?
Here is the step by step process to planting lilies the right way:
Step 1: Plant a bulb in the soil 3 times as deep as its height with the pointy side up in the hole
Step 2: Fill the hole with the rest of the soil and press down gently
Step 3: Equally space each bulb at the distance that is three times its diameter (normally 8 to 18 inches apart)
Step 4: If you want a stunning visual appeal, plant them in a group of 3 to 5 lily bulbs
Step 5: Ensure that you water the plant thoroughly and regularly, especially after the rainy season.
Step 6: If the lily plant does not seem to be able to support itself, add stakes. Make sure to put one stake per lily and only after the foliage is 1 foot tall. Push the stake into the ground, next to the bulb and tie it loosely with garden twine to the stem.
Pest & Diseases
• Gray Mold: This is a common problem when the spring or summer is cool. Avoid it by giving your lilies space for plenty of air circulation.
• Viruses: These are spread by aphids and can be quite troublesome.
• Pests: Slugs, Red lily beetles and snails can be a common occurrence
• Small Animals: Rabbits, Groundhogs, and Voles can eat entire plants grown in gardens. Avoid damage by wiring the garden or the area around the plant.
Care Guide
Here is the much-awaited guide on how to care for lily flowers and plants:
• Have a free hand to water the plant during the active growth period, especially when the rainfalls reduce.
• Add some mulch to the top of the soil to keep the roots cool, maintain soil moisture and reduce weed growth.
• For better soil, apply a high in potassium liquid fertiliser every 2 weeks from the planting day. Carry it on till 6 weeks after the plant flowers.
• Every spring, add a thin layer of compost, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch.
• Don't forget to stake the tall lily plants
• Since lilies don't bloom more than once per season, remove the faded flowers to avoid extra efforts on making seeds.
• The leaves of the plant are very important as they provide nourishment to the bulb for next season's blooms. So, don't cut them out unless or until they have died or have turned brown.
• Make sure the soil remains moist most of the time as lilies hate to grow in drought soil.
• Remove the mulch gradually when you see the lily shoots grow through them.
So, you no longer need to satisfy yourself with just a bunch of lily bouquets when you have a garden bed filled with them.
Implement all the knowledge gained from this About Lilies Guide and make your neighbours green with envy.
Gurnika Talwar is FNP’s marketing and creative content writer and has been with the firm since 2020. She is based in Delhi, India and has been in this field for 2+ years.
She started her journey as a freshman but since then has created content on several mediums. With blogging on gift ideas, food, gardening tips and whatnot as her primary goal, she has also curated content for social media and brand films. As a storyteller, she creates original, genuine, and relatable content to connect with the mass. Besides work, you’ll find her chit-chatting about movies or making sarcastic jokes.
• In most regions, people plant lily bulbs during the fall, at least for weeks before it begins to get cold.
• However, if you plant them in Autumn, you will witness a growth of healthy roots in Spring itself.
• If you want to care for lily flowers and plants in the comfort of the four walls of your home- begin to grow them in containers during the Summer.
Tip: Make sure to buy the bulbs only a few days before you plant them. Lily bulbs are known to deteriorate over time, which only makes the entire planting process a waste. That is; don't buy bulbs in winters to soil them in summers,
• The selected site must have well-drained soil. The best way to judge is by finding a spot in the ground that drains first after a good rain. If the soil does not dry out, there can be root rot.
• Choose a spot that provides your lily with sufficient sun. She needs 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. So, whether your plant is in the garden or a container, the sun is her best friend for those hours of the day.
• Different lilies require different types of soil. Most of the varieties prefer acidic to neutral, but some (like Madonna Lilies) are more inclined to alkaline soils.
• Before planting your buddy, loosen the soil 12 to 15 inches deep. This is needed to encourage the stem to extend roots to bring stabilisation to the plant. It also eradicates the need to put up stakes for support. The process of deep planting keeps lily bulbs cool when the temperature rises.
• For better drainage, fertile the soil with some well-rotted organic matter or leaf mould.
Here is the step by step process to planting lilies the right way:
Step 1: Plant a bulb in the soil 3 times as deep as its height with the pointy side up in the hole
Step 2: Fill the hole with the rest of the soil and press down gently
Step 3: Equally space each bulb at the distance that is three times its diameter (normally 8 to 18 inches apart)
Step 4: If you want a stunning visual appeal, plant them in a group of 3 to 5 lily bulbs
Step 5: Ensure that you water the plant thoroughly and regularly, especially after the rainy season.
Step 6: If the lily plant does not seem to be able to support itself, add stakes. Make sure to put one stake per lily and only after the foliage is 1 foot tall. Push the stake into the ground, next to the bulb and tie it loosely with garden twine to the stem.
• Gray Mold: This is a common problem when the spring or summer is cool. Avoid it by giving your lilies space for plenty of air circulation.
• Viruses: These are spread by aphids and can be quite troublesome.
• Pests: Slugs, Red lily beetles and snails can be a common occurrence
• Small Animals: Rabbits, Groundhogs, and Voles can eat entire plants grown in gardens. Avoid damage by wiring the garden or the area around the plant.
Here is the much-awaited guide on how to care for lily flowers and plants:
• Have a free hand to water the plant during the active growth period, especially when the rainfalls reduce.
• Add some mulch to the top of the soil to keep the roots cool, maintain soil moisture and reduce weed growth.
• For better soil, apply a high in potassium liquid fertiliser every 2 weeks from the planting day. Carry it on till 6 weeks after the plant flowers.
• Every spring, add a thin layer of compost, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch.
• Don't forget to stake the tall lily plants
• Since lilies don't bloom more than once per season, remove the faded flowers to avoid extra efforts on making seeds.
• The leaves of the plant are very important as they provide nourishment to the bulb for next season's blooms. So, don't cut them out unless or until they have died or have turned brown.
• Make sure the soil remains moist most of the time as lilies hate to grow in drought soil.
• Remove the mulch gradually when you see the lily shoots grow through them.
So, you no longer need to satisfy yourself with just a bunch of lily bouquets when you have a garden bed filled with them.
Implement all the knowledge gained from this About Lilies Guide and make your neighbours green with envy. 
