How Much Sun Do Lilies Need? – An Overview

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Last Updated on March 22, 2022 by Fabiola L.

How much sun do lilies need as they grow and how many times should I water them to ensure the sun does not dry them out and kill them.

Lilies (Lilium spp) are loved by florists and gardeners everywhere!  They are delightfully flamboyant with beautiful flowers and heady perfume.

Known for their big, bold blooms in scrumptious colors, these hardy bulbs are low maintenance, dependable, and multiply easily. Oh, and they have an unforgettable and intensely sweet fragrance.

They have such a splendid and classy display; you might think these exotic bulbs are difficult or fussy to grow.

But that’s not the case – these popular hybrids are easy to cultivate and adapt to most conditions.

Why Grow Lilies?

  • Easy To Grow – Lily care is easy for anyone willing to grow them. These are some of the easiest sun perennials to grow, as long as they have well-draining soils and lots of suns.
  • Beautiful, Showy, Summer Color – Lily flowers are large and beautiful with some growing up to 8 inches across, so they easily get noticed in the summer garden. They come in a variety of colors including orange, white, pink, red, yellow, and more.
  • Outstanding Cut Flower – The lily flower is cherished and best for wedding bouquets, centerpieces, and cut-flower arrangements. One lily flower is enough for an arrangement to stand out.

  • Incredible Fragrance – An example is the oriental lilies that are best for their outstanding fragrance that floats on the summer breeze. As cut flowers, they can perfume a room.
  • Versatility – Lilies come in many colors and sizes.  They are easy to fit into garden settings and even pots.
  • Bloom Time – When lilies bloom, there is just a beauty you cannot hide.  When do they bloom? This depends on the variety of lily you are growing. With a little planning, you can plant different varieties and have blooms spread out throughout the summertime.

How Much Sun Do Lilies Need?

Lilies need sun a good amount of sun to thrive.  A single mature lily plant can produce dozens of flowers during the summer. The flowers need to open in direct sunlight or in partial shade.

While flowering it is optimum that the lilies receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight.  Once they bloom, they stay fresh longer if partially shaded during the hottest part of the day.

How Much Sun Do Lilies Need

Grow your lilies in a site that receives full sun and some partial shade to balance out the two when need be.

Successfully Growing Your Lillies Under Sun

No matter what type you choose to grow, the care and cultivation of all varieties are similar.  Here are a few tips to follow.

  • Sow your bulbs in fall or spring immediately after planting.  These bulbs lack a moisture retentive ability and dry out quickly spoiling them.
  • Use organically-rich soil with a neutral to slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5.  make sure your soil is cool and moist at all times.
  • Lilies do best in full to partial sun, but some prefer light shade – like the Martagon hybrids and some North American species.

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Planting

Plant your bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep. Still, even if you miss it, they have contractile roots that pull bulbs down to their proper depth. Therefore, you would rather plant them too shallow than too deep.

To grow successfully, use well-draining soil. Do not allow any bulbs to stand in water or else they will rot.  Add a good amount of organic matter such as compost or aged manure to enrich your soil.

To help with moisture retention, add 1/3 shredded coconut coir, peat moss, perlite, or vermiculite. To improve drainage, mix in some coarse sand if needed.

Put some bone meal into the planting holes and plant bulbs with the flat (root) end down. The bulbs should be approximately 3 inches below the soil surface.

Plant bulbs 10 inches apart to ensure proper air circulation and prevent fungal disease.

Planting Lilies

Water immediately to settle the bulbs and add a 1-inch layer of leaf mulch or to help retain moisture.

After stems emerge from the soil, feed it with a good fertilizer like the 10-10-10 (NPK).  Add a second, supplemental feeding when buds begin to form and water in thoroughly.

You can now begin to enjoy the flowers with the Asiatics lilies being the earliest to bloom starting late spring. Oriental and Trumpets flower in midsummer, with the other hybrids following in mid-to-late summer.

After flowering, remove all the spent blooms, but leave 2/3 of the stem and leaves in place for photosynthesis.

Allow stems to die back on their own, then cut back to the ground and clean around the plants for winter.

Find more information about Why Are My Calla Lilies Drooping?

Lily Flowers Conclusion

As much as lilies require plenty of suns when growing, they also need a period of cold winter dormancy and do not grow well in areas with warm winters.

FAQs

Does lilies need direct sunlight?

Lily bulbs (Lilium species) are very popular and easy to grow. Lilies are hardy, low maintenance plants that can tolerate a lot of abuse, but they do best with good drainage. Lilies prefer to grow in rich, moist soil, so the ideal location is a sunny spot that stays wet all day long.

They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some lily varieties do not tolerate wet conditions, while others do. Lilies are often grown indoors in greenhouses or in sunny windows. Most will not tolerate frost. However, some varieties of lily, such as the white orchid lily, will survive temperatures down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

What's most important when taking are of lilies?

Lilies are one of the most popular plants for container gardening. As long as you provide enough light and heat, your lilies will thrive. Lilies can be grown in pots or containers, but if you want them to thrive, you should water them often. As long as you provide enough light and heat, your lilies will thrive. In the summer, you should water lilies daily and apply fertilizer once a month.

Can I plant a potted lily outside?

Lilies are fairly easy to grow as long as they're given plenty of water.

I'm not sure what the exact species you have, but I'm pretty sure that they won't mind being in the garden. There are several different types of lilies that can be grown outdoors and even some that will tolerate temperatures down to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, they're fairly hardy plants that will survive most anything that your average gardener can throw at them.

Do potted lilies grow back?

Yes, they will grow back. If you have a few, don't be afraid to cut them back a bit. If you want to grow more, you can put the pot in a warm, dark place and it should come back. If you only have one, you can try giving it a good drink of water, and then move it to a bright spot for a few days, and see if that does anything.

What can I do to save mine if they seems to be fine during the day, but at night it go into a deep sleep?

These plants usually require more water than a plant that goes outside. If you have noticed the plant drooping, it means that the plant is probably not getting enough water. In this case, it needs water every couple of days.

What time of year do lilies bloom?

The answer to this question is very important for a lot of gardeners. It's hard to get lilies in the fall because of the cold weather, and they don't come back the following spring. If you want to have a flower show in the fall, you're going to need to buy them in the summer. Lilies are the perfect plant for fall gardening because they can be harvested throughout the entire season.

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