(8 Reasons) Why Your Lilies Are Not Flowering

I look forward to early Summer to see my lilies come up and bloom every year! I absolutely love lilies, but when I first started growing them, I had some problems with them myself when they didn’t flower as well as I was expecting.

I did my research, consulted a few experts and did my own tests to understand why some of my bulbs weren’t flowering as much as they should and experiment for myself to see what actually works!

In this article, I’ll share with you all the tips and secrets I learned to diagnose the problems and how to promote your lily blooms!

Right, short on time? Let’s get to the root of the problem…

Lilies do not flower if the bulbs are too small or not yet mature, overcrowded, planted too shallow, or located in too much shade. Some lilies do not flower if the Winter temperature is too mild, as they require a period of cold weather to bloom.

We should keep in mind that lilies require lots of sun, good consistent soil moisture, and not too much fertilizer to flower properly

I would like to just emphasize that these are real tried and tested methods for getting lilies to flower again that I have actually implemented in my own garden, as you can see from my photos.

Keep reading for an explanation of why your lilies are not flowering and for all the best practices to ensure your lilies flower well the following year…

1. Size and Quality of Bulbs Can Affect Lily Flowering

When I consulted a qualified horticulturist about this, the first thing they emphasized was that the size and quality of the bulbs were one of the biggest determining factors for lilies’ flowering.

If your lilies do not flower a year or so after planting, this may be because of the bulb’s size and maturity. This is one of the problems I ran into when I was growing my own lilies!

It takes a lot of energy for a bulb to flower, and small bulbs often lack the energy and resources required for the lily to grow and display flowers in the first year.

What I learned was that instead, they redirect their energy from displaying flowers to growing and establishing in the new soil conditions. Have you noticed this with your other bulbs? As the bulb grows and matures, what I’ve personally observed is that it is more likely to flower the following year.

Larger, more mature bulbs have a far better prospect of producing lilies with flowers as they have greater energy stored for the plant to flower in Spring.

Success Tip: When choosing bulbs for lilies or any flowering plant in garden centers, it is important to be discerning about the selection of your bulbs. Ensure that you buy the biggest, healthiest-looking bulbs possible to ensure healthy lilies and a good display of flowers after planting. I check each bulb before buying it, and I’ve found that it increases the likelihood of your lily flowering in the first year!

2. Over Crowded Bulbs Causes Fewer Flowers

So this is a classic mistake. Are you an overenthusiastic gardener like myself?! then, at some point in your horticultural journey, I’m sure you have tried to cram too many bulbs in one place! A common reason for lilies not flowering is that the bulbs are planted too close together.

If the bulbs are overcrowded, they compete with each other for space, nutrients, moisture, and sunlight when the green leaves emerge in Spring. It’s the same as planting roses or any other plant too close together in that each individual plant is going to struggle.

So what do we do? My solution that works is to dig up the bulbs and plant them at a more appropriate distance so that each lily has access to all the resources required for flowering.

Since first writing this article, I have worked at a garden center and spoken to some specialist growers who advise me to plant each bulb at least 8 inches apart to ensure the best prospect of a flowering lily.

I know this may seem a fair distance apart, but I can assure you that once the vegetation and the flowers grow 8 inches is the right amount…the lilies are close enough for a good display of flowers and have enough space to thrive.

If your lilies are not flowering and you know they are spaced too close together, I recommend digging them up (preferably in the Fall) and spacing them appropriately so they have enough time to adjust to their surroundings before growing and flowering in the Spring. I promise you that this step makes the biggest difference!

3. Shallow Planting of Lily Bulbs Reduces Flowering

So, we’ve talked about spacing your bulbs correctly, let’s talk about panting them at the right depth to promote lily flowers.

The depth at which your lily bulbs are planted can affect flowering. Could your bulbs be planted too shallow?

Bulbs planted too shallow can suffer from frost damage (which prevents lilies from flowering), whereas bulbs planted too deep can either flower later or not flower at all. So, we have to find a happy medium for our lilies.

Again, I consulted a specialist grower on this to get the best first-hand expertise, and she told me that the best practice for planting lily bulbs is to plant them to a depth four times the diameter of each bulb. She explained to me that

Planting a lily bulb 4 times the depth of each invdiual bulbs ensures it is covered with enough soil to insulate the bulb in Winter and yet is near to the surface so atht it can grow and the flowers can bloom in Summer.

4. Lilies Prefer Full Sun for Blooms

Are your lilies in the shade? For most lily varieties, 6 or more hours of sun per day is preferred for flower display.

So we need to replicate this in our gardens. Show your lilies the sun! With a good 6 hours of sun, your lilies have the energy required for flowering, whereas lilies planted in partial shade or full shade often grow but do not flower, so you get lots of lovely lush foliage without the gorgeous flowers!

Look up to the skies and assess your garden. Is it too shady? If your lily is in a shaded area of your garden, then I’d consider cutting back any overhanging tree limbs or foliage surrounding your lilies to allow for more light. I can assure you that the flood of natural light does wonders for your lilies.

If it is not possible to create more light by cutting back other plants and trees, then what I would do is wait until Fall when the lily’s foliage has died back and dig up the bulbs to relocate them to a sunnier part of the garden.

Expert Tip: Need to move your lilies? Gently tease them out with a digging fork rather than using a spade to keep your bulbs in top condition (I learned this lesson the hard way!)

I must caution you not to try to transplant the lilies in the Spring or Summer while growing, as this causes transplant shock in my experience, lilies can be quite sensitive to this.

Once you have moved your lily bulbs to a sunnier location, your lilies will have more energy, which should result in a good display of flowers.

Don’t have room in your garden to transplant your lily bulbs to?

What I have personally done is to replant my lily bulbs in a nice big pot. Why big? Remember we talked about spacing our lily bulbs 8 inches apart for flowering? It worked a treat in my garden!

Do consider that in full sun, there is a greater risk of drought, so it is a good idea to mulch the ground around the lilies with compost to help conserve water. I personally love to use leaf mold for this because it holds an extraordinary amount of moisture, but I have used regular garden compost, which works great, too!

5. Lilies Require a Cold Winter to Display Flowers

So this one required a little research as it’s quite technical! I learned more about this when I studied for my botany diploma, so I have a good understanding of this, but if you find anything unclear, you should always feel free to ask a question in the comments below!…

One of the most common species of lily is the Asiatic lily which actually requires a cold period in the Winter to flower in the Spring (a process known as vernalization)

This is because the bulb has adapted to a seasonal cycle of temperature change so the bulb knows when to initiate growth and produce flowers at the correct time in the Spring. The way I love to think of it is to imagine the cold triggers your lily’s internal clock so it knows when to go dormant and when to grow!

Asiatic lilies are adapted to the temperature pattern of temperate climates, so if you grow them in a warm climate rather than a temperate climate, what I’ve learned is that the Winter may not be cold enough for them to undergo the vernalization process, and the plant may not grow well and not flower.

There is not much you can do (if you live in a hot climate) to promote flowers from Asiatic lily bulbs if the Winter is mild rather than cold, so my best advice is to select the appropriate lily species that suits your climate.

I did some digging into this myself (pun intended) and found that if you live in a hot climate, then the Easter lily species is a more reliable lily for flowering as it does not require the process of vernalization.

6. Too Much Nitrogen Causes Foliage with Fewer Flowers

Have you been heavy on lawn fertilizer? Lilies tend to grow best in rich soil with lots of nutrients and often do not require added fertilizer to flower.

Some beginner gardeners that I talk to have a ‘more is more’ approach to gardening and end up with too many bulbs in one area and fertilizing them thinking they are going to get a flower display that is going to put the rest of the neighborhood to shame!

What you’ll find is that too much fertilizer (especially if high in Nitrogen) can often promote lots of green foliage but with few flowers, particularly if it is applied before flowering in the early Spring.

Once you have applied fertilizer to a developing lily, then I’m afraid there is not much you can do to promote flowering apart from scaling back the use of any fertilizer and waiting for the following year.

But don’t worry too much. I also work as a part-time landscape gardener, and I’ve observed when a client did exactly this. The leaves were enormous and lush, but there were no flowers.

However, these enormous leaves did a lot of photosynthesis and put a lot of nutrition back into the bulb for the next year, and the lilies flowered much better because of it! Always a silver lining!

For lilies that are in poor soil or perhaps in potting soil where they may have exhausted the nutrients a fertilizer applied after flowering can be useful.

After flowering, the green foliage of the lily stores nutrients and gathers energy from the sun to store in the bulb for next year’s flowers. I have had really good results with a well-balanced all-purpose 10:10:10 NPK is suitable, or perhaps a tomato feed that is high in potassium, which can support blooms and root development.

Pro tip: Are your lilies in a pot like mine? I tried implementing the famous British gardener Monty Don’s advice, which is to fertilize with a liquid seaweed feed. It kept the foliage healthy, and my lilies looked fabulous the following year! I actually now prefer this method as liquid seaweed is organic and I love organic gardening in my own garden!

7. Removing Leaves From Lilies Too Early Reduces Next Years Flowers

Are you one of those gardeners who loves a neat and tidy garden with not a weed or errant leaf in sight?! I’m afraid a change in perspective is needed if you want your lilies to flower!

In neat and tidy formal gardens, some gardeners may cut away the foliage of the lily after it has flowered. The secret is to wait for the leaves to turn yellow and brown in the Fall.

However, if you cut away the leaves of lilies after flowering, then they cannot store energy in the bulb for the following Spring, so they may not display flowers.

We need to think of it this way: the leaves of the lily are still alive after flowering and use the rest of the Summer and Fall to draw up nutrients and attain energy from the sun, which is used for the following year’s growth and flower display.

So what do we do for more flowers? I’ve found that it is best practice to wait until the leaves have turned yellow or brown at the end of Fall before cutting away the foliage to promote the lilies’ flowering. I cannot emphasize how important this step is, so make sure you leave the leaves alone—they have a job to do!

8. Drought Can Affect Lilies Blooming

For our Lilies to thrive (and, of course, flower), we need to strike the perfect balance where the soil is consistently moist but not damp or boggy.

Is your soil slow draining? If the soil is slow draining (because of clay soil or boggy areas) then this can cause the bulbs of your lilies to rot in the ground, especially over Winter, which is a huge disappointment.

But what if the soil is too dry? If the soil is too dry, then the bulbs do not have the moisture required to grow and flower properly.

Here are the most common culprits for dry soil that I typically see:

• Sandy well-draining soil that drains very quickly and does not hold any moisture.
• Too much sun directly on the soil dries the soil out.
• Tree roots are competing with the bulbs for moisture.

But what can we do about this? Well, from first-hand experience, to achieve the optimal balance of moisture for successfully flowering lilies, you should plant them in soil that has been amended with compost or leaf mold.

I have experimented with several different potting mediums for my lilies, and I have personally seen the best results with a 50:50 mix of garden compost and leaf mold (which are just composted leaves).

Why does this work so well? Compost and leaf mold can hold moisture but still have a porous structure that allows excess water to drain away from the bulbs. Thus, the bulbs are not sitting in saturated ground, which is the ideal growing condition for lilies. This is the perfect balance of moisture that we’re looking for.

I love to use compost mulch, which I apply in the Spring around my lilies, which can help to retain moisture and continue to improve the soil’s nutrient profile and structure so that the lilies do not suffer from drought.

Of course, I’d advise giving the soil a good soak if there has been a lack of rainfall, and check the soil to a finger’s depth to see if you can detect moisture.

If the soil is starting to dry, then water the ground, but if it is still moist and the mulch is conserving moisture effectively, then you do not have to do extra watering.

With good consistent soil moisture (yet well-draining soil to avoid the lily’s bulbs rotting) the lilies should flower well the following year.

Do you have any more questions about flowering lilies or any interesting insights? Please comment below! I love to hear different perspectives!

Key Takeaways:

• Lilies often do not bloom because the bulbs are too small, overcrowded, or planted too shallow. Not enough sunlight, drought, too much fertilizer, and mild Winter temperatures can also prevent flowering.
• Cutting away the leaves after flowering can prevent lilies from flowering the following year. The foliage should be in a sunny location to help store energy in the bulb for the following years of flowering.
• Plant lilies in full sun, with good compost (to help avoid drought), and space the bulbs appropriately. Asiatic lilies prefer a cold Winter to flower, whereas Easter lilies are better for growing and flowering in climates with mild Winter temperatures.
• Lilies do not necessarily flower in the first year, particularly if the bulbs are not mature or suffer transplant shock. They often flower better the following year.