LILIACEAE
Lilium spp., Lily
lil – ee – um
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Description: Perennial bulbous
plants with whorls of narrow
leaves on a tall stem topped in
spring or summer with beautiful
large, open and spreading
flowers.
Origin: Lilies originated in three
locations: the Middle East and
Asia, North America, and
Europe. Many of today’s garden
lilies are hybrids.
Height x width: 1 to 7 feet tall
and 6 to 8 inches wide.
Growth habit: Upright.
Foliage: Crowded, narrow,
lance-shaped, 4 to 6 inches long
and ½ to ¾ inch wide.
Flowers: Each plant produces
one to many large flowers that
are usually nodding, open and
spreading, in a wide variety of
colors and patterns.
Culture: Full sun or partial shade
and very well-drained soil. Mulch
to keep the root zone cool.
Taller varieties may need to be
staked.
Pests and problems: Bulb rot in wet soils, botrytis or gray mold on leaves and
stems after prolonged rains, lily mosaic virus vectored by aphids.
Uses: Border, single or massed specimen, cut flowers.
Propagation: Division, seed, bulbils.
Lilium varieties:
o Asiatic—Derived from a species that originated in Asia.
 Usually flower for over a month.
 Leaves are smaller than those of the Oriental lilies.
 Non-scented flowers are 4 to 6 inches across.
 Usually face up, but may face out or down.
 The plant is 1 to 3 feet tall.
 Shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, lavender and white.
 Frequently ‘freckled’ with dark spots.
Four to 8 calyxes (buds) per stem.
Compact growth, 2 to 5 feet high.
Multiply quickly.
Produce roots at the base of the bulb and at the stem just above the
bulb, so should be planted 8 to 10 inches deep to allow them to root
along the stems.
 As a general rule, Asian lilies do well in areas east of the Rocky
Mountains.
Oriental—Mostly derived from a wild species (L. auratum) and L. speciosum
 Highly-perfumed flowers bloom in late summer (later in the season
than most lilies; after Asian lilies) and are up to 1 foot across, 4 or
ore calyxes per stem.
 Flowers are usually larger than those of the Asian lilies and leaves are
wider and more succulent.
 Bowl-shaped with recurving petals—outward and down-facing
flowers.
 Tolerate more soil types than other types of lilies, as long as the soil
is well-drained.
 Splashy shades of white, pinks, deep reds and bicolors.
 Spotted, brushed or edged with contrasting colors.
 Grow 2 to 8 feet tall—may need staking due to their size.
Trumpet—Derived from L. longiflorum (Easter Lily).
 Bloom in mid- to late-summer, about the same time as Oriental lilies
but can be forced to bloom indoors for Easter.
Martagons—L. Martagon (Martagon Lily or Turk's-Cap Lily).
 Produce 2- to 4-inch, pendulous flowers with rolled back (reflexed)
petals in early summer.
 About 3 feet tall.
 Prefer alkaline soils (pH 6.5 to 7.5).
North American Species.
 They grow from 4 to 8 feet in height.
 Produce their 4- to 6-inch flowers in late spring and early summer.
 Not stem rooted; often have stoloniferous or rhizomatous bulbs.
 Examples are L. canadense, L. philadelphicum and L. superbum.
 Includes species that still grow in the wild and which haven't yet
been affected by hybridization.
 Many hybrids have been developed from these native species.
 Grow better when the soil is amended with leaf litter and peat moss.
European Species.
 Examples are L. candidum, L. bulbiferum, L. martagon and their
hybrids.
 Require rich soils well amended with organic matter.
 As a general rule, these species perform well on the U.S. west coast.
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