How to Care for the Bulbs From Lilies That Have Died

Lilies (Lilium spp.) come in a rainbow of colors, with some varieties featuring variegated petals or speckled blooms. The strap-like green foliage remains green throughout summer, as the tall flower stalks produce blooms in succession over a long period. Lilies grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on the variety. Although they spend winter dormant, they return in early summer. Proper fall care after the foliage dies ensures the bulbs have room to grow and the ability to survive winter cold.

Shears
Spading fork
10-10-10 compost
Bone meal
Spade or hoe
Mulch

Instructions

- 1
  Cut back the lily foliage to within 1 inch of the ground after it yellows and dies back naturally in fall. Remove the spent foliage from the bed and compost or dispose of it.
- 2
  Loosen the soil around the lily bulbs with a spading fork every three years after the foliage dies. Lift the bulbs from the loose soil. Break apart the main bulbs from the outer scales or smaller bulblets to divide them. Division prevents the lily bed from becoming overcrowded, which improves flowering.
- 3
  Sprinkle 5 tablespoons of 10-10-10 fertilizer over every 10 square feet of lily bed. Spread 2 cups of bone meal over the same area. Incorporate the fertilizer and bone meal into the top 8 inches of soil, turning it in with a spade or hoe.
- 4
  Plant the lily bulbs and divisions with the pointed tip 4 to 6 inches beneath the soil surface. Space the bulbs 8 to 12 inches apart in groups of five to seven bulbs. Leave 36 inches between each cluster of lily bulbs.
- 5
  Water the soil so it's moistened throughout the depth of the bulbs to help it settle. Spread a 2-inch layer of mulch over the bed to provide winter protection. If your bulbs don't require dividing, spread the mulch after the first hard frost.

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