Bulb · Liliaceae
Oriental Lily
Lilium
Tall, richly scented summer blooms that perfume a whole garden, with one kind rule to remember: keep them away from cats.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 3–9
1–6 ft · 0.3–1.8 m
Overview
Oriental lilies are the big, fragrant lilies that make high summer feel like an event, and their scent tends to reach you before you reach them. They grow from bulbs in the genus Lilium and go back to species from Japan, which breeders crossed into the showy hybrids gardeners love today. Stargazer is the face most people know, yet the whole group shares those upright stems and large, sweetly perfumed flowers, so you are in good company whichever one you choose.
These are hardy perennials, and that is reassuring, because they return year after year from the same bulb and settle slowly into fuller clumps. In a happy spot the stems can reach 6 feet (183 cm), lifting their blooms high above the border through mid to late summer. Give them a couple of seasons to find their feet and they will reward your patience with their finest show once the clump is well established.
There is a single thing every cat owner needs to know before planting, and it is worth saying plainly. Oriental lilies are deadly to cats, far more than to any other animal, and that danger is real enough to keep them out of some homes altogether. Planted with that in mind, though, they are otherwise a forgiving, generous plant that asks little of you beyond sun and soil that drains well.
Care
The short version: give them full sun with maybe a little afternoon shade, plant them deep in rich soil that drains freely, keep them evenly moist with the roots mulched and cool, and offer a light feed in early spring.
Light
Give Oriental lilies full sun for the best flowering, though they will happily take a little partial shade during the hottest part of the day. The old and reliable idea is sun on the flowers and shade on the roots, and that is exactly where a good layer of mulch earns its keep.
Water
Aim to keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged, since bulbs left in standing water will rot. Water every 3 to 7 days depending on the weather, and lay down mulch to hold that moisture and keep the roots cool right through summer.
Soil
Plant in fertile, humus-rich soil that drains freely, on the acidic to neutral side at a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. They really will not put up with alkaline ground, so test first if you are unsure and work in plenty of organic matter to give them a good start.
Temperature
Oriental lilies take a wide range in their stride, from about 30°F to 84°F (-1°C to 29°C), and the bulbs are hardy enough to overwinter right in the ground across their zones. They cope with summer heat just fine as long as the roots stay cool and moist.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity suits them nicely, so there is no figure you need to chase. Airflow matters more than moisture in the air, because crowded, damp foliage is what gives botrytis its chance to get going.
Feeding
Feed with a light hand and they will thank you. A balanced fertilizer in early spring, as the new growth pushes up, is all they need for the whole season, and piling on more brings no reward.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent flowers, and on cut stems snip the anthers off to keep the pollen from staining everything it touches. Let the foliage die back on its own, because it is feeding the bulb for next year, then cut the stems down in fall.
Repotting
Divide a clump every 3 to 4 years in fall once it has gone dormant, and that alone keeps the blooms from shrinking. Bulbs in containers do well with a refresh every few years, and thin flowering, crowded clumps, or bulbs heaving to the surface are your friendly signs that it is time.
Size & spacing
Stems range from 1 to 6 feet (30 to 183 cm) tall depending on the cultivar, with a spread of 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm). Give each one a little room so air can move freely and the tallest stems have something to lean on if they need it.
When to plant
Lilies keep their own bulb's calendar, and it is a forgiving one. Set the bulbs in the ground in fall or early spring, about 6 inches deep, let them root and send up stems through spring, and the flowers arrive from mid to late summer, with some cultivars carrying happily on into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bulbs in fall or early spring, about 6 inches deep
- Harvest: Mid to late summer, some cultivars into fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Most lily worries begin underground or turn up during a wet spell, so there is no need to panic when something looks off. Keep a friendly eye on the bulbs and the lower leaves, since rot and disease take hold there first. Match what you are seeing below, step in early, and you will usually stop trouble before it climbs the plant.
Bulbs turning soft and stems that never push through
If a bulb has gone mushy and nothing came up, take heart, because this is bulb rot and it is fixable going forward. Wet ground is nearly always the reason, since a bulb left sitting in soggy soil gives fungus its opening. Toss any soft bulb without guilt, dig some compost through the bed so water can move again, and settle the firm, healthy bulbs into a spot that drains.
Fix:
- Improve drainage by amending soil with organic matter
- Remove and discard rotted bulbs
- Replant healthy bulbs in raised or better-drained sites
Brown or gray spotting and soft mold in a rainy stretch
When leaves crowd together and stay damp, botrytis can move in, leaving gray mold and spots that soften the stems through a wet week. Do not worry, since snipping off every marked leaf and stem and getting rid of it stops the spread. Open the plants up so air moves between them, and water down at the soil rather than over the leaves, and you will keep the spores from finding a foothold.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected foliage
- Improve air circulation and spacing
- Avoid overhead watering
Chewed leaves and buds with bright red beetles about
Those little lily leaf beetles are bright red and hard to miss, and their larvae can strip leaves and buds in no time, but they are easy to stay ahead of. Just pluck the adults and grubs off by hand each time you pass by. Aphids gather on the buds as well, so a firm spray from the hose or a little insecticidal soap sorts them out, and a habit of checking through spring and early summer keeps you in charge before they build up.
Fix:
- Handpick beetles and larvae
- Spray aphids off with water or treat with insecticidal soap
- Monitor regularly through the growing season
Toxicity
This plant comes with a serious warning that deserves your full attention. Oriental lilies are catastrophically toxic to cats, and even a trace of pollen or a sip of the vase water can cause fatal kidney failure, so they simply have no place in a home shared with cats. They are much milder for dogs and horses and pose no real danger to people, but the cat risk is the one that decides everything.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Severe
This is the danger that truly matters, so please take it seriously. A single lick of pollen from the fur, a nibble of any part, or a sip of vase water can shut a cat's kidneys down, and the first hints are quiet and easy to overlook: some vomiting, a cat that suddenly will not eat, and a droopy, worn-out look. Within a day or two that can turn into acute kidney failure, which grows fatal quickly without emergency help, so a vet visit truly cannot wait.
Dogs Caution
Dogs have a far easier time of it than cats, which is a relief. A dog that chews on the plant may drool and be sick for a bit, yet the kidneys stay safe, and most dogs come right once it works its way through.
Horses Caution
A horse that grazes a mouthful of foliage might get a mild stomachache and a little drooling. That is more of a discomfort than a real danger, though it is still kind to keep one from browsing on the plant.
Rabbits Caution
Extension sources list lilies as unsafe for rabbits, so it is best not to offer the leaves, stems, or flowers at all. Keep pots and cut stems well out of reach of any rabbit that has the run of the house or garden.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep are happiest kept away from lily plantings, since a graze on the foliage can leave them with an upset gut. Fencing off any bed where the bulbs grow keeps everyone comfortable.
Birds Caution
It is safest not to let pet birds pick at the leaves or blooms. Treat the whole plant, pollen included, as off limits anywhere near a cage.
People Safe
You can relax on your own account, since Oriental lilies are not a poisoning risk for people and no part needs eating or avoiding for safety. The pollen does stain skin and clothes, so brush the anthers off cut stems, and wash your hands after handling if a cat lives with you.
Keep all parts of the 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. Wash hands after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Oriental lilies come in a great many named hybrids, though a handful keep turning up in gardens and catalogs. These are the ones well worth knowing by name.
Stargazer
This is the beloved one, its crimson-pink blooms turned up to the sky, rimmed in white and dusted with orange pollen, and it opens a touch earlier than most other Oriental lilies.
Rubrum (Lilium speciosum var. rubrum)
A sweetly fragrant Japanese show lily whose white-and-pink spotted petals roll gently back on themselves.
Casa Blanca
Loved for its big, pure white, outward-facing flowers and a rich scent that drifts right across a garden.
How to propagate
Lilies multiply so willingly from the bulb itself that most gardeners never bother with seed at all. Each route below simply trades a little speed for how soon the flowers come, and every one of them is within your reach.
Bulbs & cormsEasy
Fall when dormant · 1-2 growing seasons to flowering size
The gentlest way in is to lift a dormant bulb in fall, ease a few of the fleshy outer scales off it, and pot them up. Each scale quietly grows its own little bulblet, and those come to flowering size in one to two seasons, so there is no rush.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Fall · 1-2 seasons
Settled bulbs make small offset bulblets all on their own, no effort required from you. In fall, gently part them from the parent and set each one about three times its own height deep, and they fill out nicely over one to two seasons.
DivisionEasy
Fall when dormant · 1 season to reestablish
Once a clump feels crowded, lift it in fall while it rests and tease it apart into smaller pieces. Do not fret over neatness, because the divisions settle right back in and bloom again the very next season.
SeedDemanding
Fall or spring · Several years to flowering
Seed is the patient path, sown in fall or spring for anyone who enjoys the long game. Seedlings need several years to reach blooming size, so most gardeners happily stick with bulbs instead.
Myths
A cat has to eat the leaves to be poisoned, so pollen and vase water are harmless.
Sadly, every part of a true lily is dangerous to a cat, not the leaves alone. A cat can poison itself just by grooming a few grains of pollen from its coat or taking a drink from the vase, and even the smallest, indirect exposure can bring on fatal kidney failure.
Lilies are equally dangerous to cats and dogs.
The two are not remotely alike here, which is worth knowing. True lilies cause severe, often fatal kidney failure in cats specifically, while a dog that eats one usually comes away with nothing worse than a short upset stomach and no harm to the kidneys.