Bulb · Liliaceae
Asiatic Lily
Lilium
Set the bulbs in the ground just once, and Asiatic lilies reward you with the first big blooms of summer, year after year.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 4–8
2–5 ft · 0.6–1.5 m
Overview
Of all the true lilies, Asiatic lilies are the gentlest to grow and tend to be the first to flower each summer, so they are a lovely place to begin. They rise from a bulb that comes back a touch stronger every year, lifting flowers 4 to 6 inches across that face up or outward in nearly every shade except true blue. Most carry little or no scent, which is welcome news if the heavy perfume of other lilies has ever been too much for you.
These bulbs ask for very little once they are settled in. Full sun, soil that drains freely, and a cool root zone make up nearly the whole list, and they are hardy enough to sail through winters as cold as -20°F (-29°C). Give them a sunny spot and they happily multiply on their own, building into fuller clumps you can lift and split every few years.
One point deserves to be said clearly and gently: these are true lilies, and they are deadly to cats. Every part, right down to the pollen and the water left in a vase, can bring on fatal kidney failure in a cat. If a cat lives with you, grow these only somewhere the cat can never reach, or feel free to choose a different plant with a clear conscience.
Care
The short version: full sun and sharp drainage are the two things Asiatic lilies truly care about. Keep the soil evenly damp without letting it turn soggy, mulch to hold the roots cool, and split crowded clumps every few years so the flowers keep coming. You really can do this.
Light
Asiatic lilies bloom their best in full sun, soaking up six or more hours a day. A little afternoon shade is fine where summers run hot and can even help the flowers last longer, but deep shade leaves them stretched out and stingy with blooms.
Water
Aim to keep the soil evenly moist all through the growing season, and try not to let it dry out completely while the plants are putting on growth. Water every 5 to 10 days, more often in heat, but ease off the moment the ground feels soggy, since soaked roots are what rot the bulbs. A layer of mulch helps hold that moisture and keeps the roots pleasantly cool.
Soil
Good drainage is the heart of it. Plant in well-drained loam, silt, or sand mixed with compost, settling on a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Heavy, waterlogged ground is the quickest way to lose the bulbs, so this is the one thing worth fussing over.
Temperature
These are sturdy, cold-loving bulbs that take a wide range from -20°F to 90°F (-29°C to 32°C) in stride. They actually need a winter chill to bloom well, so they feel right at home in cold-winter gardens where plenty of other bulbs give up.
Humidity
Plain outdoor air suits them just fine, so there is no number you need to chase. Airflow matters far more than moisture in the air, because crowded, still spots are what coax botrytis blight onto the leaves.
Feeding
Mix a balanced or low-nitrogen bulb fertilizer into the soil as the shoots break ground in spring, then offer a second feeding when the buds appear. Keep a light hand with nitrogen, which encourages soft leafy growth at the cost of flowers.
Pruning
Pinch off the spent blooms so the plant pours its energy into the bulb rather than into making seed. Let the remaining foliage stand until it yellows and dies back on its own in fall, and then you can cut the stems right to the ground.
Repotting
Lilies are happiest left undisturbed, but a clump that has sat in one spot for 3 to 4 years begins to crowd itself and the flowers shrink. Lift and divide it in fall once you notice smaller blooms or a cluster of little bulblets gathered around the parent.
Size & spacing
Stems climb 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) tall in a fairly slim clump. Set the bulbs 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) deep and roughly 12 inches (30 cm) apart so air can move freely and the roots stay cool.
When to plant
Asiatic lilies follow an easy seasonal rhythm you can lean on. Tuck the bulbs in during spring or fall, planted deep and a hand's width apart, and they rise in spring to open the very first lilies of the year in early to midsummer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bulbs in spring or fall, 6 to 8 inches deep and about 12 inches apart
- Harvest: Early to mid summer; Asiatic hybrids are usually the first lilies to bloom
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Almost every lily worry comes back to a single cause: soil holding more water than it should. Keep a kind eye on the bulbs and lower leaves for the early hints below, and a small response now usually stops rot or blight before it gets going.
Soft, squishy bulbs and shoots that stall or simply never show up
If a bulb has gone soft, you are looking at bulb rot, and the bulb did nothing wrong. The real cause is soil that stayed soaked, drowning the bulb and inviting fungus in. Gently lift anything that feels mushy or smells sour and toss it, then mix compost and grit into the bed so the next planting drains better. This is a fixable situation, not a failure.
Fix:
- Lift and discard rotted bulbs
- Improve drainage by amending soil with compost and coarse material
- Replant healthy bulbs in a raised or well-drained site
Fuzzy gray mold and brown blotches creeping over leaves and buds
Spells of cool, damp weather are what wake up botrytis blight, a fungus that turns water-soaked patches into a soft tan or gray fuzz. Snip the spotted leaves and flowers and put them in the bin rather than the compost. A few small habits keep it away: leave space between plants for air to pass, aim your water at the soil rather than the foliage, and tidy up dead leaves come fall so the spores have no cozy spot to overwinter.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected foliage
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering
- Apply an appropriate fungicide if severe
Curling young growth with a sticky film over it
Tiny soft-bodied bugs gathered on fresh shoots and the undersides of leaves are almost always lily aphids, and the sticky honeydew on the foliage is their calling card. A firm blast of water knocks most of them loose, and insecticidal soap takes care of the stragglers. It pays to keep checking, since aphids can pass viruses from lily to lily, but catching them early makes this an easy one to handle.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong stream of water to dislodge aphids
- Apply insecticidal soap to affected growth
- Encourage natural predators such as lady beetles
Toxicity
Here is where Asiatic lilies ask for genuine care. Being a true lily, the entire plant is severely poisonous to cats, and even a lick of pollen or a sip of vase water can trigger fatal kidney failure. Dogs come through with little more than an upset stomach, and the plant poses no serious danger to people, but no cat should ever be within reach of it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Severe
This is the warning to take to heart above every other. Just a couple of nibbles of leaf or petal, one lick of pollen off the coat, or a single sip of vase water can stop a cat's kidneys. Watch for vomiting, a turned-up nose at food, and a flat, exhausted cat within a few hours, which can give way to fatal kidney failure unless a vet steps in quickly. Head to an emergency clinic right away.
Dogs Mild
Dogs come through this much more easily. A dog that chews a leaf might drool or be sick, but true lilies do not seem to harm a dog's kidneys the way they devastate a cat's.
Horses Caution
Horses are spared the kidney failure that hits cats, but the plant still has no place in their feed. Keep bulbs, foliage, and garden trimmings out of the paddock so you avoid any mild tummy upset.
Rabbits Caution
Trials fed large amounts with no clear harm, but that is not the same as a safe margin. Keep a rabbit from grazing on the leaves or bulbs.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, sheep, and goats are not known to get seriously sick from true lilies, yet the plant gives them nothing of value. Fence off the bed and keep trimmings well away from where grazing animals roam.
Birds Caution
No solid reports of poisoning exist for birds, which leaves the situation murky. Let that gap be your cue to keep cages and aviaries far from cut stems and pollen.
People Caution
None of this plant is meant for the table, and chewing the leaves, bulbs, or flowers can leave a mouth and stomach feeling irritated. Keep little ones from sampling it, though it carries none of the deadly danger it holds for a cat.
Keep this plant and any cut stems, fallen pollen, and vase water completely out of reach of cats. Even brushing against pollen and grooming it off the fur can poison a cat.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Asiatic lilies arrive in a generous range of colors, and a couple of true lilies are well worth knowing by name.
Asiatic hybrids (general)
First to open each year, their mostly scentless blooms span 4 to 6 inches and look up or out at you in reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, lavender, and white.
Tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium)
A cousin among the true lilies, it bears orange flowers freckled with dark spots and petals that curl back, plus tiny dark bulbils tucked where the leaves meet the stem.
How to propagate
Asiatic lilies make more of themselves with hardly any help from you, which is exactly why one planting fills out into a clump so fast. Dividing the bulbs is the dependable, beginner-friendly route, while seed is slow going and best left to breeders.
DivisionEasy
Fall, every 3 to 4 years when clumps become crowded · One growing season; divisions often bloom the following summer
When a clump turns crowded, which happens roughly every 3 to 4 years, lift it in fall and ease the parent bulbs and their bulblets apart with your hands. Tuck each one back into the ground at its proper depth right then, and the divisions take hold across one season, with most blooming again come the next summer. It is forgiving work, so do not worry about getting it perfect.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Fall, when lifting and dividing bulbs · One to two growing seasons to reach blooming size
With a clump already lifted in fall, gently twist off the little bulblets ringing each parent bulb and pot them up to grow on. Give them one to two seasons to fill out before they flower, so picture them as next year's lilies in the making rather than blooms for this year.
SeedDemanding
Sow ripe seed in fall or stratify and sow in spring · Several years to reach blooming size; named hybrids do not come true from seed
Ripe seed can go in the ground in fall, or you can chill it through winter and sow in spring, but be ready to wait several years before any seedling flowers. Named hybrids will not come true this way, so think of seed as a tool for breeders rather than a way to clone a lily you already love.
Myths
A cat is only at risk if it actually eats the leaves or flowers.
The threat goes far beyond a chewed leaf or petal. A cat that grooms pollen from its fur or laps water from a vase that held lilies can absorb enough toxin to send its kidneys into failure. With true lilies, the whole plant and even the water count as poison to a cat.
Asiatic lilies are just as deadly to dogs as they are to cats.
Cats and dogs respond to this plant in completely different ways. A dog that snacks on a lily usually walks away with nothing more than a queasy stomach and shows none of the kidney damage the same plant inflicts on a cat. This lethal lily toxin is a cat problem, and dogs are largely spared.