How to Care for Tiger Lilies in Cold Weather

Lilies are perennial bulb flowers, and grow into large plants with strap-shaped leaves and bright starburst blossoms. Tiger lilies bear blossoms in shades of orange, red and pink, but always flaunt their characteristic black spots. These are tender tropical plants that suffer in cold weather. They are hardy down to U.S. Department of Agriculture growing zone 3, but survive best with deep protection or storage. Protect your own tiger lily bulbs based on your growing zone.

Mulch
Garden fork/hand fork
Spade
Box
Topsoil/peat moss

Instructions

- 1
  Use mulch to protect tiger lily bulbs down to Zone 7. Spread 4 to 5 inches of organic mulch over the bulbs after several hard frosts, when the plants go dormant. Maintain the mulch layer until spring.
- 2
  Dig bulbs for storage in colder zones. Wait for several hard frosts to pass, to kill off foliage and encourage plant dormancy. In cold areas, tiger lilies will die down to the ground with the second or third frost. Dig down into the soil and gently lift each bulb out. Be careful not to damage the roots during this process.
- 3
  Brush the dirt off the roots sand bulbs, and leave them in a sheltered, dry place for three days to dry out for storage.
- 4
  Fill a box or bin halfway up with topsoil or peat moss and replant the bulbs to store them for winter. Make sure that none of the bulbs touch, as that will encourage rot. If you have bulbs left after this process, lay another 4 to 5 inches of potting material on top of your first layer to plant them.
- 5
  Store the box in a cool, dry and dark space for winter. Replant the bulbs in spring when the ground thaws.

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Bulbs