Lilies may look like exotic garden plants, but they are actually quite easy to care for. Lilies grow in zones 5-9, according to the standard classification of the US Department of Agriculture, and usually prefer full sun and moist soil. While pruning lilies is not strictly necessary, some prefer to do it for aesthetic reasons or to remove diseased or damaged parts of the plant. This article will show you the correct procedure for pruning the best known varieties of lilies - read below to learn how.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Prune Most Lily Varieties
Step 1. Decide if you need to prune your lilies
The main reason for pruning any variety of lily is aesthetics and the need to remove diseased or damaged parts in the hope of saving the rest of the plant.
- Unlike shrubs, it is not possible to limit the height of the lily plant with pruning. If you feel that lilies are growing too tall for their location, the only solution is to replace them with a lower-growing (dwarf) lily variety.
- Don't feel compelled to prune lilies - it's actually best not to do it at all. Remember that once the foliage is cut off, you will not be able to locate where the lilies are planted, as there will be no visible signs of the plant on the ground.
Step 2. Cut the flower heads off your lilies throughout the growing season
It is a good idea to remove any faded flowers from the lilies throughout the growing season. Once the flowers wither, the plant begins to produce seeds; removing faded flowers will stop seed production.
- This prevents the plant from directing its energies into seed production when you want to focus on more flower production. Once the flowers have begun to wilt, cut them off with a sharp, clean blade or tear them off.
- Cutting the flowers to arrange them in pots also prevents the plant from forming seed heads. Cut the flowers with a sharp, clean blade, leaving about a third of the plant stem. This leaves something to help the bulb store energy.
Step 3. Wait until the foliage is dead and wilted before pruning
Like all bulb plants, the lily uses foliage to store energy through sunlight. This nourishes the bulb and helps it survive the dormancy period to bloom again and grow back the following year.
- This will also encourage division of the bulbs, helping you to propagate later from your lilies if you wish to. For this reason, it is important not to prune the foliage too early, because it is storing the necessary energy.
- After flowering has stopped, leave the foliage on the plant until it begins to wilt and die. This is a sign that the bulb has stored what it needs. The foliage usually reaches this stage in late autumn.
Step 4. Replant your lilies in a container (optional)
If you find wilted foliage unattractive in this part of the cycle, you may want to plant the lilies in containers as they can be moved to a less visible location while the plant is unattractive to look at.
- Remember that the lily plant always needs full sun (or partial shade, in very hot areas).
- Some gardeners disguise lilies by planting other flowers around them. Sage or bridal veil are common choices.
Step 5. Prune the foliage to ground level
After the foliage has turned yellow and withered (usually in the fall) it can be cut to ground level. Use a sharp, clean pair of scissors, garden shears, or shears.
- Better yet, wait until the foliage is truly dead, brown in color and completely wilted. A strong tug should remove what's left - rather be careful not to pull on the bulb when doing this!
- You can compost the removed foliage if it looks healthy. Foliage showing signs of disease should be burned or disposed of with household trash to prevent the spread of infection to other plants in the garden.
Step 6. Trim all damaged or diseased foliage throughout the year
It is a good idea to cut all damaged or diseased foliage at any time during the year. When trimming damaged parts of the plant, try to preserve as much green, healthy foliage as possible.
- If the leaves of the lilies are mottled or blotchy it could be the mosaic virus. Unfortunately, the only solution in this case is to remove the entire plant and burn it to prevent the infection from spreading to your garden.
- If the bulb or the roots are rotting, again the whole plant should be destroyed because it will not recover.
Step 7. After pruning, mulch the soil to help the bulbs survive through the winter
If you are pruning just in the period in which the plant enters dormancy, it is advisable to apply a layer of mulch over the pruned lilies to help the bulbs survive the winter.
- A 7.5 to 10 centimeter thick layer of mulch material such as leaf compost, well-rotted manure or sawdust will help the bulb survive through the winter.
- Remember to do this before the ground gets too cold.
Method 2 of 2: Prune the Ginger Lilies
Step 1. Realize that ginger lilies tend to spread far more than other lily varieties
Ginger lilies withstand the conditions of zones 7-10 and need to be pruned differently than other lilies. These plants spread very quickly, so pruning them and cutting off the flower heads is important to control the spread of this plant in your garden.
Cut back the older growth and dig out any new growth that emerges from the ground in the spring if you want to contain its spread
Step 2. Trim old or damaged stems at the base every spring
In spring, cut off the damaged stems, along with the rest of the stems that bloomed the previous year. Remove any yellow or brown growths.
- The flower heads of ginger lilies can be cut off to prevent the plant from self-sowing, however this does not affect the promotion of continued flower production.
- If you wish to prevent the spread of new growth, you will need to dig up the plant with the bulb every spring.
Step 3. If you plan on pruning foliage, protect the bulbs throughout the winter
Ginger lilies use their foliage to protect themselves during the winter months. If you prefer to remove it for aesthetic reasons, it is good to cut the foliage in the fall a few centimeters above the ground.
However, it is particularly important to mulch the soil above the plant in abundance before winter arrives, in order to replace the protection of the foliage with mulch
Advice
- It might sound picky, but soaking your pruning tool in a light solution of bleach or scrubbing it with a disinfectant is good practice because it helps prevent the spread of disease to the plant and other plants.
- In gardening, a "zone" refers to the minimum average temperatures in winter in a given zone. There are 11 zones in North America, each colder or warmer than the adjacent one by about 5 - 6 degrees. To find out what the conditions are for gardening in an area in the US, go to the National Gardening Association website.
