Bulb · Liliaceae
Oriental Lily
Lilium
Tall, richly scented summer blooms that perfume a whole garden, with one hard rule: keep them away from cats.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 3–9
1–6 ft · 0.3–1.8 m
Overview
Oriental lilies are the big, fragrant lilies of high summer, the kind whose scent reaches you before you reach them. They grow from bulbs in the genus Lilium and trace back to species from Japan, where breeders crossed them into the showy hybrids gardeners plant today. Stargazer is the one most people picture, but the whole group shares the same upright stems and large, heavily perfumed flowers.
These are hardy perennials that come back year after year from the same bulb, spreading slowly into clumps. Stems can reach 6 feet (183 cm) in a good spot, carrying their blooms well above the rest of the border in mid to late summer. They take a couple of seasons to hit full stride, then put on their best show once the clump is settled.
There is one thing every cat owner has to know before planting them. Oriental lilies are deadly to cats, far more so than to any other animal, and the danger is real enough to rule them out of some homes entirely. Grown with that in mind, they are otherwise an easy, generous plant that asks for little beyond sun and soil that drains.
Care
The short version: full sun to a little afternoon shade, planted deep in rich soil that drains freely, kept evenly moist with the roots mulched and cool, and a light feed in early spring.
Light
Give Oriental lilies full sun for the best flowering, though they'll take a little partial shade through the hottest part of the day. The classic approach is sun on the flowers and shade on the roots, which is where mulch earns its keep.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged, since standing water rots the bulbs. Water every 3 to 7 days depending on the weather, and lay down mulch to hold moisture and keep the roots cool through summer.
Soil
Plant in fertile, humus-rich soil that drains freely, on the acidic to neutral side at a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. They will not put up with alkaline ground, so test first if you're unsure and work in plenty of organic matter.
Temperature
Oriental lilies handle a wide range, from about 30°F to 84°F (-1°C to 29°C), and the bulbs are hardy enough to overwinter in the ground across their zones. They cope with summer heat as long as the roots stay cool and moist.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity suits them, so there's no figure to aim for. Airflow matters more than moisture in the air, because crowded, damp foliage is what lets botrytis get going.
Feeding
Feed lightly. A balanced fertilizer in early spring, as the new growth pushes up, is all they need for the season, and there's no benefit to piling on more.
Pruning
Deadhead spent flowers, and on cut stems snip the anthers off to stop the pollen staining everything it touches. Let the foliage die back on its own so it can feed the bulb for next year, then cut the stems down in fall.
Repotting
Divide a clump every 3 to 4 years in fall once it goes dormant, which keeps the blooms from shrinking. Bulbs in containers do well with a refresh every few years; thin flowering, crowded clumps, or bulbs heaving to the surface are the signs it's time.
Size & spacing
Stems range from 1 to 6 feet (30 to 183 cm) tall depending on the cultivar, with a spread of 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm). Give each one room so air can move freely and the tallest stems have support if they need it.
When to plant
Lilies run on a bulb's clock. Plant the bulbs in fall or early spring, about 6 inches deep, let them root and send up stems through spring, and the flowers arrive from mid to late summer, with some cultivars carrying on into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bulbs in fall or early spring, about 6 inches deep
- Harvest: Mid to late summer, some cultivars into fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Most lily trouble starts underground or shows up in a wet spell. Watch the bulbs and the lower foliage, since that's where rot and disease take hold first. Match what you're seeing below and step in before it spreads up the plant.
Soft, rotting bulbs and stems that never come up
This is bulb rot, and it almost always traces back to soil that stays too wet. Lily bulbs sit and sulk in heavy or waterlogged ground, and a fungus finishes the job. Dig out and bin any mushy bulb, work compost into the bed to open up the drainage, and replant the healthy ones somewhere that water never pools.
Fix:
- Improve drainage by amending soil with organic matter
- Remove and discard rotted bulbs
- Replant healthy bulbs in raised or better-drained sites
Brown or gray spots and fuzzy mold after a wet spell
Damp, crowded foliage invites botrytis, a gray mold that spots the leaves and rots the stems through a rainy stretch. Cut off and destroy anything marked, then give the plants more room and more moving air. Watering at the base instead of over the top keeps the leaves dry and the spores from spreading.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected foliage
- Improve air circulation and spacing
- Avoid overhead watering
Chewed leaves and buds with bright red beetles on them
The culprit is usually the lily leaf beetle, a vivid red pest whose larvae strip foliage and buds fast. Pick the adults and grubs off by hand whenever you spot them. Aphids pile onto the buds too, so blast them off with a hose or hit them with insecticidal soap, and keep checking through spring and early summer before the numbers climb.
Fix:
- Handpick beetles and larvae
- Spray aphids off with water or treat with insecticidal soap
- Monitor regularly through the growing season
Toxicity
This plant carries a serious warning. Oriental lilies are catastrophically toxic to cats, and even a trace of pollen or a sip of the vase water can cause fatal kidney failure, so they have no place in a home with cats. They are far milder for dogs and horses, and they pose no real danger to people, but the cat risk is the one that decides everything.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Severe
This is the one that kills. Any part of the plant, a lick of pollen off the fur, or a sip of vase water can shut down a cat's kidneys, and the early signs are easy to miss: throwing up, a sudden lack of interest in food, and a droopy, tired cat. Within a day or two that slides into acute kidney failure, which turns fatal fast without emergency treatment, so a vet visit cannot wait.
Dogs Caution
Dogs get off lightly compared to cats. Chewing the plant tends to bring on some drooling and vomiting, but the kidneys are not at risk, and most dogs settle once it passes.
Horses Caution
A horse that nibbles the foliage may end up with a mild stomachache and a bit of drooling. It is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, though there's no reason to let one graze on the plant.
Rabbits Caution
Extension sources flag lilies as unsafe for rabbits, so don't offer the leaves, stems, or flowers. Keep potted plants and cut stems well clear of any rabbit that roams the house or garden.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep are best kept away from lily plantings, since grazing the foliage can leave them with digestive trouble. Fence off any bed where the bulbs are growing.
Birds Caution
Pet birds shouldn't be allowed to pick at the leaves or blooms. Treat the whole plant, pollen and all, as off limits around a cage.
People Safe
Oriental lilies aren't a poisoning risk for people, and no part needs to be eaten or avoided for safety. The pollen does stain skin and clothes, so brush the anthers off cut stems, and wash your hands after handling if a cat shares your home.
Keep all parts of the plant and any cut stems, fallen pollen, and vase water completely out of reach of cats; even brushing against pollen and grooming it off the fur can poison a cat. Wash hands after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Oriental lilies come in many named hybrids, but a few turn up again and again. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Stargazer
The famous one, with crimson-pink blooms that face the sky, edged in white and dusted with orange pollen, and it opens earlier than most other Oriental lilies.
Rubrum (Lilium speciosum var. rubrum)
A fragrant Japanese show lily whose white-and-pink spotted petals curl back on themselves.
Casa Blanca
Grown for its large, pure white, outward-facing flowers and a heady scent that carries across a garden.
How to propagate
Lilies multiply readily from the bulb itself, so most gardeners never bother with seed. Each route below trades a little speed for how soon you get flowers.
Bulbs & cormsEasy
Fall when dormant · 1-2 growing seasons to flowering size
The easiest route is to lift a dormant bulb in fall, peel a few of the fleshy outer scales away, and pot them up. Each scale grows its own small bulblet, and those reach flowering size in one to two seasons.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Fall · 1-2 seasons
Established bulbs throw off small offset bulblets of their own accord. In fall, separate them from the parent and replant each one about three times its own height deep, and they fill out over one to two seasons.
DivisionEasy
Fall when dormant · 1 season to reestablish
When a clump gets crowded, dig it up in fall while it's dormant and pull it apart into smaller pieces. The divisions settle back in and bloom again the following season.
SeedDemanding
Fall or spring · Several years to flowering
Seed is the slow road, sown in fall or spring for the patient gardener. Seedlings take several years to reach blooming size, so most people stick with bulbs instead.
Myths
A cat has to eat the leaves to be poisoned, so pollen and vase water are harmless.
Every part of a true lily is toxic to cats, not just the leaves. A cat can poison itself by grooming a few grains of pollen off its coat or drinking from the vase, and even a tiny, indirect exposure can trigger fatal kidney failure.
Lilies are equally dangerous to cats and dogs.
The danger is not even close to equal. True lilies cause severe, often fatal kidney failure in cats specifically, while a dog that eats one usually gets nothing worse than a brief upset stomach and no kidney harm at all.