Inspiring Lily Garden Ideas for Your Landscape

Lilies bring fragrance, color, and dramatic form to nearly any landscape. Their versatility allows them to serve as focal points or blend seamlessly into mixed plantings. The diversity within the lily family in color, height, and bloom time provides the tools to realize a unique garden vision.

Designing with Lily Varieties

A thoughtful selection of lily types can ensure a continuous display of color from early summer until the first frost. The sequence can begin with early-blooming Asiatic hybrids, like ‘Lollipop’ or ‘Grand Cru’. As these fade, fragrant Trumpet lilies, such as ‘Golden Splendour’, take center stage in mid-summer. Following them, Oriental lilies like ‘Stargazer’ or ‘Casa Blanca’ carry the season into its later stages.

The varied heights of lilies allow for creating visual depth and layered designs. Shorter Asiatic varieties, which grow between one and three feet, are well-suited for the front of a border. Taller types, including Orienpet (OT) hybrids, can reach heights of six feet or more and serve as a dramatic backdrop. Placing these taller specimens, such as ‘Anastasia’, behind lower-growing plants creates a tiered effect.

This diversity also lends itself to crafting specific color stories. A warm palette can be achieved by massing yellow, orange, and red varieties together. For example, combining the deep red ‘Black Out’ Asiatic with the orange ‘Enchantment’ can create a fiery display. A tranquil garden can be designed using a cool palette of pinks and whites, such as pairing ‘Stargazer’ with ‘Casa Blanca’.

Companion Planting for Lilies

Strategic companion planting enhances the beauty of lilies and addresses practical needs, such as concealing their foliage after blooming. As lily stems and leaves yellow, low-growing perennials can hide the base of the plants. Hostas or the mounding foliage of Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) are good choices that also help keep the soil cool around the lily bulbs’ roots.

Introducing plants with different forms and textures creates a richer garden composition. The airy texture of ornamental grasses, such as Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra), provides a soft counterpoint to the bold stems of lilies. The broad leaves of Heuchera (Coral Bells) offer a strong contrast, while gray foliage like Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina) can accent lily blooms.

Pairing lilies with flowers that bloom at the same time results in a fuller, cohesive look. The spiky flowers of Delphiniums or Salvia provide a vertical element that complements the shape of lilies. For a softer effect, Phlox can fill in the spaces between lily stems. Choose companions with similar needs for sun and well-drained soil to ensure all plants thrive together.

Lily Garden Design Themes

For a cottage garden, the goal is a romantic and informal feel. Fragrant Oriental lilies can be interplanted with partners like roses, lavender, and daisies. The unstructured arrangement, with plants spilling over paths, captures a sense of abundance. The mix of fragrances from lilies and lavender enhances the sensory experience of the garden.

A modern design takes a structured approach, often relying on mass plantings for impact. Planting a single lily variety, such as an all-white Asiatic or the deep red ‘Black Out’, in a large grouping creates a bold statement. This look is often paired with architectural plants like boxwood hedges or uniform rows of a single ornamental grass.

For gardens with mature trees, a woodland theme is a natural fit. This style uses shade-tolerant lilies, such as the downward-facing Martagon or Turk’s Cap lilies. These are planted in natural-looking drifts among other shade-loving plants like ferns, hostas, and astilbe to mimic a forest floor.

Creating a Lily Container Garden

Lilies can be grown in containers, making them accessible for a patio or balcony. Select a pot at least 10 to 15 inches deep to accommodate the bulbs and their roots. The container must have drainage holes, as lily bulbs are prone to rot in waterlogged soil. Use a high-quality, well-draining potting mix, and consider amending it with perlite to improve drainage.

Shorter, compact varieties are often a better fit for pots and require less support. The ‘Pixie’ series of Asiatic lilies, for example, were bred for smaller spaces and stay under two feet tall. Some shorter Oriental varieties also perform well in containers, offering their fragrance in a manageable size. Planting three to four smaller bulbs in a 10-inch pot can create a full display.

Plants in pots dry out more quickly than those in the ground, so they will require more frequent watering, especially during warm weather. Check the soil regularly, and water thoroughly whenever the top few inches feel dry to the touch.