Planting Asiatic Lily Bulbs

Adding organic matter will help improve the soil.

Planting asiatic lily bulbs.

Asiatic lilies are some of the most beautiful flowers that you can grow. The asiatic lily with its wide variety of heights and colors is the earliest to bloom. To achieve the effect plant bulbs in groups of 3 or more. Plant your lily bulbs in spring or fall.

Plant bulbs as soon after purchasing as possible. 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. Asiatic lily bulbs will dry out quickly since they lack a paper like covering called a tunic. To accommodate their huge flowers you need to provide plenty of space and plant them at least 15 in.

Planting in the fall will keep plants in a normal blooming cycle. I love to walk in the garden and see the new blooms and my garden just wouldn t be complete without them. With their upward facing flowers they bloom early to midsummer. However the bulbs of asiatic lilies will happily grow in neutral or slightly alkaline soils.

Knowing when the hybrid types bloom provides a key to optimum planting times. Plant asiatic lily bulbs in early spring or fall before frost in well drained fertile soil. 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. Bulbs left for a period may dry out.

As a general rule lily bulbs may be planted in the fall or early spring. These are my favorite flowers next to daylilies which aren t really lilies at all. Large or specimen bulbs can be purchased from lily growers or bags of bulbs from garden centers can be used for massing. With some careful planning you can enjoy lilies all summer long by planting bulbs from different varieties.

This allows the plants to develop a good root system. Apply organic material several inches over the planting zone to insulate the bulbs for winter. Bulbs of the asiatic lily must have the winter chill to produce big blooms. Plant bulbs in the fall and avoid storing them.

Once the soil is prepared you can begin planting the bulbs of the asiatic lilies. Asiatic lily plants prefer an acidic soil. When planting bulbs place them 12 to 18 inches 30 to 45 cm apart and 4 to 6 inches 10 to 15 cm deep in full or partial sun. Trumpet lilies with large bulbs such as lilium regale or lilium pink perfection need to be planted more deeply 6 8 in.

This allows a good root system to develop. Asiatic lilies are the earliest to bloom and the easiest to grow. Plant these bulbs in fall a few weeks before the winter brings freezing temperatures. Lilies look best in clumps.