How to grow Lilies in the UK
Big, beautiful, scented trumpets in summer. Great in pots.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Sunfull sun
- Grows to100cm
- Spacing30cm
- Time to first pickabout 16 weeks
- Typebulb
When to sow, plant and harvest lilies
| Plant | early March to late April or early October to mid November |
|---|---|
| In flower | mid June to late August |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Planting it
- Dig a hole to a depth of 15cm
- Set each one in with the pointy end (or the shoots) facing up
- Space them 30cm apart each way
- Cover with soil, press down gently and water well
- Push in a label so you don't dig them up by mistake
Top tips for growing lilies
- Lilies are very poisonous to cats - even the pollen. Don't grow them if you have a cat.
- Red lily beetles eat the leaves - pick them off.
Soil and feeding
Poor soil - really!. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil. Feed them and you get all leaves and no flowers.
Pests and problems
- Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather
- Pick red lily beetles off the leaves - they drop to the ground when touched, so hold a hand underneath
Harvesting and eating lilies
Cut for a vase and snip out the orange pollen (it stains).
Saving your own lilies seed
They come back every year.
- Leave the leaves to die back naturally - they feed next year's flowers
- Bulbs slowly multiply underground. Every few years, dig up crowded clumps after the leaves die and replant them spread out
Where to buy lilies plants
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Lilies questions
When do I plant out lilies?
Plant lilies out from early March to late April or early October to mid November.
When can I enjoy lilies?
Lilies is ready from mid June to late August. Cut for a vase and snip out the orange pollen (it stains).
How long do lilies take to grow?
Roughly 16 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are lilies easy to grow?
Lilies are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
Start growing - it's free