How to Trim Lilies

True lilies bloom from late spring through summer. Bloom color and time vary, depending on the variety, but most garden varieties produce blooms for four weeks or longer. The plants grow from a hardy bulb that contains the nutrients and energy necessary for the plant to leaf out and flower. The foliage persists long after flowering ends so it can replenish the nutrients in the lily bulb. Trimming improves the appearance of the lily while allowing the bulb to replenish itself fully for next year.

Shears or sharp knife

Instructions

- 1
  Grasp spent lily flowers between your thumb and forefinger where the old bud joins the stem. Bend the bud to the side, snapping it from the stem. Leave the stem attached to the plant. Lilies typically produce multiple buds per stem, so snap off only those buds that have finished blooming.
- 2
  Cut off dead foliage where it joins the base of the plant. Cut through the old leaves cleanly, using shears or a sharp knife. Leave green foliage on the plant.
- 3
  Trim out torn and damaged leaves to improve the appearance of the plant and prevent disease from infecting the damaged leaves. Cut these out at the base as you would a dead leaf.
- 4
  Prune back the entire lily after the foliage yellows and dies back naturally in fall. Cut the foliage at soil level, removing both the old leaves and the flower stalks.

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Bulbs