Lily
Lilium (Asiatic & Oriental)
Family Liliaceae
True lilies — not daylilies — carry summer's most luxurious flowers: huge, sometimes powerfully perfumed blooms on stems anywhere from two to six feet. The modern Orienpet hybrids stack every virtue at once: tree-lily height, Oriental fragrance, Asiatic toughness, and cut stems florists price as premium goods.
Deer-resistant, butterfly-visited, and generous about multiplying, lilies slot into a sunny border wherever their roots get some neighborly shade. One hard line: no lilies in a household with cats — even the pollen endangers them. Everyone else gets to plant a clump and act smug in midsummer.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Deer-resistant
Attracts butterflies
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing lily? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries lily — Lilium asiatic, print Nº 34, “Lily.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what lily actually needs.
Hardy inZones 3-8Lily · Common problems
Common lily problems
Pests
4 problems on file
Diseases
2 problems on file
Lily · Growing & propagation
Growing lily
- Light
- Full Sun
Roots shaded by neighbors
- Water
- Moderate
Soil- Rich, deep, PERFECTLY drained · pH 6.0 - 6.5
Fertilizer- Bulb feed at emergence and bud
Pruning- Cut spent stalk tops only; stems feed bulbs till frost
Deadhead pods; when cutting for the vase take less than half the stem or next year suffers.
Spacing- 8-12 in
How to plant & propagate lily
- Propagate
- Offsets, division, or bulbils
Lily · Seasonal care & spray guidance
The lily growing playbook
When to spray lily
Growing season. Daily red-beetle patrol May-June where it's arrived; plant bulbs in gravel-lined holes vs voles.
Lily · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Lily · Yearly calendar
The lily year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomJune, then August
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Lily · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Lilium (Asiatic & Oriental)
Lily in the garden system
- Attracts
- Butterflies, Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
- Deer
- Resistant
A safer unfenced choice
Origin- Introduced
What lily is grown for
⚠ Toxic if eatenEXTREMELY toxic to CATS — pollen alone can kill; dog-mild
Use- Fragrant borders
- Use
- Premium cut stems
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Lily · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a lily variety
Asiatics ('Tiny' series, no scent, tough); Orientals ('Stargazer', 'Casa Blanca' — perfume bombs); Orienpets ('Conca d'Or' — 6 ft, best of both)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Lily
Lilium (Asiatic & Oriental)
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Lilium (Asiatic & Oriental)
- Plant family
- Liliaceae
- Growth habit
- Bulb · Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- LILIU
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Lily
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Lily questions, answered straight.
Do deer eat lily?
Rarely — lily is considered deer-resistant, which makes it one of the safer unfenced choices in deer country. Hungry deer in a hard winter test every rule, but it's a low-risk pick.
Is lily safe for kids and pets?
No — treat it as toxic if eaten. EXTREMELY toxic to CATS — pollen alone can kill; dog-mild Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate lily?
Offsets, division, or bulbils.
Elsewhere
Where lily sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily