Asiatic lily

Questions about Asiatic lily

Does Asiatic lily need sun or shade?

Asiatic lily grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.

What zones does Asiatic lily grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does Asiatic lily flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should Asiatic lily be planted?

12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many Asiatic lily plants do I need?

At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, repeated along the bed at intervals; a slender one reads better as a clump of three.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is Asiatic lily poisonous to cats?

Yes: severe toxicity to cats. Extremely poisonous to cats: every part, including the pollen and the water from a vase, can cause kidney failure. Not considered poisonous to dogs or people.

It is not recorded as toxic to dogs.

Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like Asiatic lily?

These come closest to doing what Asiatic lily does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Peach-leaved bellflower: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in shorter, blue or white, not orange.
• Blazing star: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid July to mid August, purple, not orange.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

What can I plant to hide Asiatic lily's leaves after it flowers?

A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:

• Daylily: 2½ ft tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower late June to early August.
• Peony: 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide, in flower late May to late June.
• Blue false indigo: 4 ft tall and 4 ft wide, in flower late May to mid June.

What does Asiatic lily look like in winter?

Asiatic lily is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.