Lily
The single most common way this genus disappoints the following year is cutting down the foliage too soon after flowering — resist tidying up until it has died back naturally and fully, since the leaves are refuelling the bulb underground for next year's display.
Care
Full sun for the strongest stems and best flowering, but roots and the base of the stem prefer to stay cool and shaded — underplant with low ground cover, or site so nearby foliage shades the bulb's root run.
Regular watering through the growing and flowering season, especially in pots; avoid waterlogging, which quickly rots the bulb.
Free-draining, humus-rich soil; most types tolerate a range of pH, but check the specific cultivar, as some (e.g. many Oriental hybrids) need acidic to neutral soil and dislike lime.
Deadhead spent flowers, but leave the stem and foliage to die back naturally after flowering — the leaves refuel the bulb for next year. Cut down only once fully yellowed and withered.
A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks from the emergence of the shoots until flowering ends, especially in pots. Keep feeding briefly after the flowers fade — the bulb is restocking for next year while the stem is still green.
Detach the bulb scales from a lifted bulb in autumn and pot them up in gritty compost; each one makes a bulblet. Many lilies also produce small bulbils in the leaf axils that can simply be picked off and grown on.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchFeed with a high-potash fertiliser as shoots emerge and continue through the growing season. how ›
- JulyDeadhead spent flowers, but leave the stem and leaves in place to die back naturally. how ›
- NovemberPlant new bulbs now or in early spring; established clumps can be left undisturbed for several years.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchFeed with a high-potash fertiliser as shoots emerge and continue through the growing season. how ›
- JulyDeadhead spent flowers, but leave the stem and leaves in place to die back naturally. how ›
- NovemberPlant new bulbs now or in early spring; established clumps can be left undisturbed for several years.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryFeed with a high-potash fertiliser as shoots emerge and continue through the growing season. how ›
- JulyDeadhead spent flowers, but leave the stem and leaves in place to die back naturally. how ›
- NovemberPlant new bulbs now or in early spring; established clumps can be left undisturbed for several years.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryFeed with a high-potash fertiliser as shoots emerge and continue through the growing season. how ›
- JulyDeadhead spent flowers, but leave the stem and leaves in place to die back naturally. how ›
- DecemberPlant new bulbs now or in early spring; established clumps can be left undisturbed for several years.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Bright red beetles and their sludgy black larvae rapidly skeletonising leaves and buds.
What to do. Check plants regularly from spring and pick off adults and larvae by hand — this pest can strip a plant fast if left unchecked, and is now widespread across the UK.
How to spot it. Soft, mushy bulb, no growth or collapsing shoots.
What to do. Almost always waterlogging or poor drainage — improve drainage before replanting, and avoid planting in a spot that sits wet over winter.
How to spot it. Not a pest or disease, but a common care mistake.
What to do. Leave the stem and leaves to die back naturally and fully after flowering — cutting them down green significantly weakens next year's flowering, as the bulb relies on that foliage to recharge.
Questions
Lily: is it hardy?
H6: Hardy in the vast majority of UK gardens. It survives down to −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Does very well in a deep pot, which also makes lily beetle checks and bulb protection easier than in open ground.
Lily: when do you prune it?
Deadhead spent flowers, but leave the stem and foliage to die back naturally after flowering — the leaves refuel the bulb for next year.
Lily: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–August.
When do you feed it?
A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks from the emergence of the shoots until flowering ends, especially in pots. Keep feeding briefly after the flowers fade — the bulb is restocking for next year while the stem is still green. Feeding months, UK: April–June.