Features

• The size of Lilium plants can range from a tiny 30 centimeters to 1.8 meters. Lilies typically have long, stiff, upright stems, at the tips of which flowers develop. These flowers are large and showy and can be in the shape of trumpets, bowls or bells with reflexed petals. Lilium plants' flowers come in a wide range of colors and can grow upward, downward or outward. In addition, the plants' leaves are lance-shaped.
  
  

Planting

• You can grow Lilium plants either from bulbs or seeds, but growing them from bulbs is usually easier. Plant large bulbs 30 centimeters deep, but put small bulbs no more than 6 centimeters deep in the soil. Generally, you should bury a Lilium plant bulb at a depth that equals three times the bulb's diameter. In addition, plant large bulbs about 50 centimeters apart, and situate small bulbs about 25 centimeters apart.
  
  When using seeds to grow Lilium plants, bury the seeds about 6 millimeters deep. Note that Lilium plants grown from seeds likely will not flower for at least two years. Also, divide and replant clusters of Lilium plant bulbs about once every three years.
  
  

Conditions

• Lilium plants grow best in an area that is sunny but also offers light shade. Slightly acidic soil also is best for lilies. Collecting a soil sample from the planting site and taking it to your county extension office for testing will tell you your soil's pH level, or level of acidity. The soil must also be well-draining. Add organic matter to sandy or clay soil to provide your plants with needed nutrients and to keep the soil at a suitable moisture level.
  
  

Care

• Apply mulch around your Lilium plants in the spring to help the soil retain moisture. In addition, water your Lilium plants whenever the soil is no longer moist, and give the plants fertilizer at the beginning of the spring using a phosphorus-rich product such as a 5-10-10 fertilizer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
  
  When watering your plants, water early in the day and at the base of the plants to keep the plants' foliage from getting wet, which can lead to a fungal disease called Botrytis blight. Also, take off dead flowers, and cut the plants' stems to the level of the ground when winter's first frost arrives.