Lilies (Lilium) can be readily propagated at home using several techniques. Whether dividing established clumps or using specialized methods like scaling, bulblets, or seed, each approach offers a way to expand plantings over time. Understanding these propagation options helps gardeners choose the method that best fits their plants, timeline, and growing conditions.
Division | Bulblets | Scaling | Bulbils | Seed | More Information
Division
Division is the most straightforward way for a home gardener to propagate garden lilies. In early fall, carefully dig up the clump, separate the bulbs, and cut off the stems just above the bulbs. Replant the bulbs immediately. Bulbs dry out easily, so if planting must be delayed, place the bulbs in a plastic bag filled with lightly moistened potting soil or sphagnum peat moss, then store the bag in the garage or a refrigerator.
Plant bulbs at a depth equal to three times their diameter. This places large bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep and small bulbs 1 to 2 inches deep. Large bulbs may bloom the following summer. However, small bulbs may not bloom for two or three years.
Bulblets
On several lily species, small bulblets form underground at the base of the bulb or along the base of the stem. These bulblets can be carefully pulled off and potted individually about an inch deep. Plants reach flowering size after 2 to 4 years.
Stem cuttings can also be taken; instead of roots and shoots forming, bulblets form along the underground portion of the cutting, which can then be pulled off and potted as described above.
Scaling
Scaling uses pieces of the bulb to develop bulblets. After flowering, dig the bulb and pull the individual scales apart, much like you would when eating an artichoke. Place the scales in a plastic bag with moist vermiculite. After several weeks, a small bulblet will form at the base of the scale piece. Once bulblets are about the size of a pea, the original scale will have shriveled, and the bulblet can be planted as described above.
Fungal diseases are common when in a plastic bag. Dip the scales in a fungicide or hydrogen peroxide to reduce problems.
Bulbils
Some species, most notably tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium syn. L. tigrinum), produce small bulbils above ground in the leaf axils. They form in late spring and fall to the ground shortly after flowering, where they easily root in. Bulbils can be collected just before they naturally fall off and sown in the same manner as bulblets.
Seed
While not as common, lilies can be started from seed. As soon as the pod begins to split (typically mid to late summer), remove the flat seeds from inside and sow them in a nursery bed.
Some species will produce a leaf and a small bulb within a few weeks in late summer. Once they emerge, protect the seedlings from animals and transplant them from the nursery bed the following spring when they are a good size.
Other species have a two-step germination process. Once the seed is sown in summer, a small root and bulbil form underground. This small, immature plant then goes through a winter dormancy before its first leaf emerges the following spring.
More Information
- Growing Lilies in Iowa
- Growing Garden Lilies (PDF)
- Types and Divisions of Garden Lilies
- Selection and Care of the Easter Lily
Photo credits: 1: Olga Seyfutdinova AdobeStock; 2: tamu AdobeStock