Planting Asiatic Lily Bulbs

Knowing when the hybrid types bloom provides a key to optimum planting times.

Planting asiatic lily bulbs.

The asiatic lily with its wide variety of heights and colors is the earliest to bloom. Plant bulbs as soon after purchasing as possible. Plant bulbs as soon as you bring them home. Bulbs left for a period may dry out.

Adding organic matter will help improve the soil. Large or specimen bulbs can be purchased from lily growers or bags of bulbs from garden centers can be used for massing. However if you consider that asiatic lilies will tend to flower in early summer you may miss your window for achieving blooms the first season if you wait to plant until early spring. Once the soil is prepared you can begin planting the bulbs of the asiatic lilies.

I love to walk in the garden and see the new blooms and my garden just wouldn t be complete without them. Asiatic lilies are the earliest to bloom and the easiest to grow. With some careful planning you can enjoy lilies all summer long by planting bulbs from different varieties. Trumpet lilies with large bulbs such as lilium regale or lilium pink perfection need to be planted more deeply 6 8 in.

This allows the plants to develop a good root system. Here you will find all the information you need to grow asiatic lilies. Lilies look best in clumps. Plant bulbs in the fall and avoid storing them.

Planting in the fall will keep plants in a normal blooming cycle. To accommodate their huge flowers you need to provide plenty of space and plant them at least 15 in. Apply organic material several inches over the planting zone to insulate the bulbs for winter. To achieve the effect plant bulbs in groups of 3 or more.

Bulbs of the asiatic lily must have the winter chill to produce big blooms. Plant these bulbs in fall a few weeks before the winter brings freezing temperatures. Asiatic lily bulbs will dry out quickly since they lack a paper like covering called a tunic. As a general rule lily bulbs may be planted in the fall or early spring.

This allows a good root system to develop. However the bulbs of asiatic lilies will happily grow in neutral or slightly alkaline soils. Asiatic lily plants prefer an acidic soil. With their upward facing flowers they bloom early to midsummer.

Plant your lily bulbs in spring or fall. These are my favorite flowers next to daylilies which aren t really lilies at all. Plant the larger bulbs under 5 to 6 inches 13 15 cm of soil while the baby bulblets should be planted under just a few inches 8 cm of soil. Plant asiatic lily bulbs in early spring or fall before frost in well drained fertile soil.