I think this is called an Asiatic Lily. Do I need to repot it?

This is one of my favorite plants and I know it's summer when it blooms. Each year it gets bigger. Can anybody give me care instructions, i.e. when do I need to repot it? Is there any way to extend its short blooming time? What's the best way to "put it to bed" during winter? (I live in Eastern Washington - it gets coooold in the winter!)
  18 answers
  • Donna Shipley Donna Shipley on Jun 25, 2013
    I have to keep my lilies in containers because the gophers eat the bulbs, and in Northern California it's okay for them to be out year round. If you think it's becoming root bound you could divide it and try part in the ground or have a couple pots. I don't think you can extend the season, but you could add some other kinds of lilies to your collection looking for those that bloom earlier and later than this one. Good luck! :)
  • White Oak Studio Designs White Oak Studio Designs on Jun 25, 2013
    Would you like to put the bulb in the ground? that way they become a "perennial" and comeback every year, effortlessly. That's what I do. http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com
  • Donna Shipley-Richie - that's a great idea to add lilies with different blooming times. I've had just daylilies in the past in the ground, but they seemed to just be blah. Any suggestions for others that are as vibrant as this type?
  • Donnaallgaierlamberti@gmail, our house is built on a hill with the main living area having our "backyard" the deck, so I love having a lot of my colorful plants in pots. This potted plant has apparently learned to be a pernennial having returned for the last three years with very little effort on my part. I just want to maintain it correctly to ensure it's continued health!
  • White Oak Studio Designs White Oak Studio Designs on Jun 25, 2013
    Very interesting. I have never seen such a vibrant lily plant in a pot. You must be doing something right!!
  • Lumen Castaneda Lumen Castaneda on Jun 26, 2013
    Although my Asiatic lilies are all on the ground, I have a few in pots and they are doing well for years.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jun 26, 2013
    I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to make your lilies bloom longer, but by planting other types of lilies you can enjoy lilies over a much longer season. The North American Lily Society has a guide to the various types here: http://www.lilies.org/mainhtml/04c_types.php
  • Jeannine Maranchuk Jeannine Maranchuk on Jun 26, 2013
    You may want to dig up the bulbs & separate them this fall when the plant goes dormant. There is a wealth of info on Lily's on a Canadian website as well. Neepawa Lily festival is wonderful to attend in Manitoba. They are pretty hardy plants as lilies need the cold to grow. Each one of those little bulbs (kind of like cloves of garlic) will give you another plant. You can also repot the little bulbs early in the spring when they first appear. Different lilies bloom at different times as they are getting quite hybridized. Have fun with them. Cheerio
  • Oh my gosh, Jeannine, thank you for all this information. So helpful, and you offered me a great visual (I'm a hugely visual person). Now I know what's going on underneath that beautiful plant! Thank you again. ~Patti
  • Carol Dingwell Carol Dingwell on Jun 27, 2013
    I live in Spokane, Wa. too and I do absolutely nothing to mine and they bloom faithfully every year. I have some in the ground and some in pots.
  • Margaret Welker Margaret Welker on Jun 27, 2013
    When you plant in the ground add other plants that deer don't like in the same bed.
  • Lori J Lori J on Jun 27, 2013
    Mine are planted with catnip, roses and other lilies. Something is always blooming and I love the colorful mess. My catnip is planted in big plastic tubes, and I get after them to prevent invasion.
  • Glenna Kennedy Glenna Kennedy on Jun 27, 2013
    my Stella d'oro lilies started blooming about 2 weeks ago and if you dead head the pods they will continue to bloom till frost. Some lilies are single bloom so once they have flowered that's it till next year. I prefer the lilies that give me color for several months. Always read the tags. Mine are perennials and survive very cold Ontario, Canada winters with no care at all! In spring just remove the dead leaves and up they come again. While yours looks very healthy is it large for that pot. If you can lift it a little and see if the roots are crowded right to the edge of the pot then yes it needs transplanting to a bigger pot or put in the ground.
  • Renee Renee on Jun 27, 2013
    I also have different types of lilies. They come back every year..I bought and planted some easter lilies in spring (love the fragrance) and planted them in the ground. Much to my surprise, I have new ones coming up around them now..Just cut them back before winter and heavily mulch. I dig mine up every other year.
  • Judy Judy on Jun 27, 2013
    You can plant the lilies in a larger container if you want them to spread. I live on Long Island New York. We have cold winters .In the Fall I mulch my lilies well. In the Spring, they multiply.
  • Peg Peg on Jun 28, 2013
    Hi Judy, I used to live on L.I, my family is still there. I miss the longer growing season just 2 hrs south of me. Seasons are shorter up here. Back on topic, did you know that besides using the baby bulbs that grow along the stems or the scales that come off the mother bulb, you can also propagate the lily using the leaves! Pull leaves off, dip the into a root hormone, put them in sand, a new tiny bulb will form!
  • Joy York Joy York on Jun 28, 2013
    I have those and yes, they are Asiatic Lilies. Love mine and they come in a very wide variety of colors. Ordered my bulbs originally from Spring Hill plant catalog and have had very good results. I was amazed at how big mine were the first summer they bloomed for me. The deep red ones are my faves of the Asiatic variety, but I also have Star Gazers, Toads, and multiple varieties and colors of Daylilies too.
  • Angela Sheptock Angela Sheptock on May 28, 2020

    I nerd help