20 Types of Lilies for Your Garden

Not all plants that carry the name "lily" are botanically types of lilies. True lilies are perennial plants growing from bulbs with a characteristic scale structure and notably large flowers, many highly fragrant, blooming in spring or summer. The world of lilies can be a bit overwhelming with more than 80 species in the lily genus and countless hybrids.

Most lilies are easy to grow but a few are finicky. Based on the nine horticultural divisions of lilies by the North American Lily Society, this list of lily varieties will help you find suitable types to plant in your garden.

Warning

Many true lilies are toxic to cats, including the 'Stargazer' and Easter lilies.

01 of 20
Asiatic Lilies

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Asiatic lilies are arguably the easiest to grow for beginners and therefore one of the most popular lilies. The flowers of these hybrid lilies are mostly unscented, but this shortcoming is more than made up for by the rainbow of colors. Flowers face up, down, or outward, and they usually bloom in June or July. Popular cultivars include 'Lollipop' and the dwarf variety 'Buff Pixie' which only grows 12 inches tall and adapts well to growing in pots.
- Name: Asiatic lily (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–8
- Height: 1–5 feet
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
02 of 20
Easter Lilies

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Most people know the Easter lily as a seasonal gift plant but it has a life beyond that. You can successfully move the Easter lily to a permanent site outside. If not forced, Easter lilies produce white trumpet-shaped blooms in July or August. Choose a sheltered location where the blooms are in the sun but the roots are in the shade. Popular cultivars include 'Nellie White' and 'White Heaven'.
- Name: Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Height: 2-3 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
03 of 20
Trumpet Lilies

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With their large flowers, trumpet lilies are sure eye-catchers in the mid-summer garden. The flowers have a heavy, sweet fragrance. They are easy to grow but might require staking to protect their massive blooms (more than a dozen per stalk). Popular cultivars include 'African Queen' and 'Golden Sunburst'.
- Name: Trumpet lily (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Height: 4-8 ft.
- Light: 3–6 feet; occasionally 8 feet
- Water Needs: Average
04 of 20
Martagon Lilies

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Martagon lilies, also known as turkscap lilies, are difficult to grow, but the ethereal 5-to-6-foot wands of mature plants are worth it. Expect fragrant blooms in May or June. These are the most shade-tolerant garden lilies, so a location at the edge of a woodland garden, but away from competitive tree roots, is best. Choose your location wisely, as martagon lilies don't transplant well. 'Fairy Morning' and 'Claude Shride' are popular cultivars.
- Name: Martagon lily (Lilium martagon)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–9
- Height: 3–6 feet
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
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05 of 20
Oriental Lilies

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The sweet fragrance of the late-blooming Oriental lilies is unparalleled, which helps gardeners forgive their finicky ways. They prefer humus-rich, acidic soil, which you can achieve with the addition of organic materials like compost and leaf mold. The first blooms appear in August when many other flowers are winding down for the season. Because of their taller size, they often require staking to prevent flopping.
- Name: Oriental lily (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Height: 3-6 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
06 of 20
Stargazer Lilies

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When Stargazer, one of the most popular Oriental lilies, was introduced in the 1970s, it was a breakthrough because the flowers of Oriental lilies usually hang down but Stargazer has upward-facing flowers, The large, showy flowers in mid-to late summer are pink and white. The flowers have a strong, spicy aroma. Stargazer is considered to be one of the most fragrant flowers.
- Name: Stargazer lily (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Height: 4 ft.
- Light: Full sun
- Water Needs: Average
07 of 20
Tiger Lilies

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This Asian lily species got its name from the bright orange blooms with dark spots. It blooms in mid-to-late summer. It produces up to 10 unscented flowers per stem. The lily does not produce viable seeds but small aerial bulblets in the leaf axils along the stem, which is also a way to distinguish it from other, similar-looking lilies, such as the Michigan lily. The tiger lily is highly disease-tolerant.
- Name: Tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Height: 3–5 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
08 of 20
Orienpet Lilies

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If you cannot make up your mind whether you prefer Oriental or trumpet lilies, Orienpet lilies combine the qualities of both. They have the scent, tall stature, and color of Oriental lilies but the sturdy growth habit of trumpet lilies. Popular cultivars include 'Conca d'Or' and 'Pretty Woman'.
- Name: Orienpet lilies (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Height: 3-8 ft.
- Light: Full sun
- Water Needs: Average
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09 of 20
Golden-Rayed Lilies

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What makes this Japanese lily species stand out are its large white and gold flowers, measuring up to 10 inches across. The tips are curled and each petal has a golden center stripe. The blooms in mid- to late summer are highly fragrant. Especially in hotter climates, a location in partial shade is preferable.
- Name: Golden-rayed lily (Lilium auratum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Height: 2-4 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
10 of 20
LA Hybrid Lilies

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The name LA lily indicates the parentage of these hybrids: they are a cross between Lilium longiflorum (commonly known as the Easter lily) and Asiatic hybrid varieties. The result is a lily with a tall, sturdy stem and large, slightly trumpet-shaped flowers with a faint fragrance. They come in a wide range of colors, including pink, red, orange, yellow, and white, as well as bicolored and speckled varieties
- Name: LA lily (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–9
- Height: 3–6 feet
- Light: Full to partial sun
- Water Needs: Average
11 of 20
Leopard Lilies

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If you take a close look at the Turk's cap-shaped flowers of the leopard lily, you'll see the brown or maroon spots covering the yellow, orange or red flower petals, which gave the plant its name. This lily is native to California and southern Oregon where it grows along stream banks, in bogs, woodlands, and sunny areas. It blooms between May and July. Leopard's lilies form colonies over time without being invasive.
- Name: Leopard lily (Lilium pardalinum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Height: 6-8 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
12 of 20
Madonna Lilies

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Unlike many other lilies, Madonna lilies, also known as Candidum lilies, are heirlooms—open-pollinated varieties that have been cultivated through generations. These lilies with trumpet-shaped white blooms in summer are derived from lilies native to the Balkans and Middle East. They need a sheltered spot, preferably, an eastern exposure with morning sun, and neutral soil pH. Madonna lilies prefer slightly dry conditions and will succumb to grey mold in damp locations.
- Name: Madonna lily (Lilium candidum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6–9
- Height: 4–6 feet
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
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13 of 20
Japanese Lilies

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Also known as the Japanese show lily, or rubrum lily, this species of Oriental lily is famous for the extreme fragrance of its nodding flowers (it is commercially used to make essential oils). It flowers in late August and September. Popular cultivars include 'Album' with pure white flowers and white spots and 'Uchida' with pink and white recurved petals.
- Name: Japanese show lily (Lilium speciosum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Height: 4-6 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Keep soil moist at all times
14 of 20
American Hybrid Lilies

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There are many different lilies native to North America, some of which have hybridized naturally. These lilies do best how in dappled shade in woodland gardens with humus-rich soil and good drainage together with ferns and other native plants. The large floral candelabras feature blossoms with sharply recurving and downward-facing petals, If left undisturbed, the bulbs, if planted 5 inches deep in cool, light soil, naturalize readily and form clumps over time.
- Name: American hybrid lily (Lilium spp.)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–9
- Height: 5–7 feet
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
15 of 20
Wood Lilies

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Known also as prairie lily or Philadelphia lily, this is a smaller lily species. It has funnel-shaped, flamboyant red-orange petals with brown mottling near the base. It blooms in July and August. The wood lily used to be the North American native lily with the widest native range but its numbers have declined due to habitat losses—a good reason to add this hardy beauty to your native plant landscape.
- Name: Wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7
- Height: 1-2 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
16 of 20
Canada Lilies

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The nodding, trumpet-shaped flowers of the Canada lily are speckled orange, red or yellow. In early to mid-summer, each erect plant produces up to 20 blooms atop its distinctive tiered foliage. This lily species is native to Eastern North America; it prefers dappled light and moist soil.
- Name: Canada lily (Lilium canadense)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Height: 2-6 ft.
- Light: Partial shade
- Water Needs: Keep soil moist at all times
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17 of 20
Michigan Lilies

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Unlike other lilies native to North America, the flowers of the Michigan lily have petals that curve backward, which also gave it the name Turk's cap lily. The beautiful yet mostly unscented orange to red-orange flowers appear between June and August. Michigan lily withstands some drought but also prospers in wet soil so it's a good choice for plantings along ponds.
- Name: Michigan lily (Lilium michiganense)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Height: 5 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
18 of 20
Henry's Lilies

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You might not find this lily for sale at many nurseries but it is still a key player in the lily world as it is the parent to several popular hybrid lilies. Henry's lily is native to China. It has nodding, unscented, light orange flowers with maroon spots. The bloom time is in mid- to late summer. These tall lilies tend to lean and should be staked.
- Name: Henry's lily (Lilium henryi)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
- Height: 4-8 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Keep soil moist at all times
19 of 20
Washington Lilies

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Also known as the Shasta lily, the Washington lily is a lily with large white, highly fragrant flowers. The trumpet-shaped flowers of this native lily sometimes fade to pink as they age. The native habitat of this uncommon lily is in dry woodlands in Oregon and California.
- Name: Washington lily (Lilium washingtonianum)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
- Height: 2-8 ft.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average
20 of 20
Carpet Border Lilies

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Carpet border lily is a term used for low-growing cultivars of Asiatic lilies that create a carpet effect, similar to a groundcover. Due to their low height, carpet border lilies are ideal for planting near walkways and in front of borders. They bloom in early to mid-summer. Nurseries offer them as mixtures of colors such as red, pink, white, and yellow so you can create a mosaic of colors.
- Name: Carpet border lily (hybrid)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Height: 12-18 in.
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Water Needs: Average

FAQ

What types of lilies are the most common?

Of the true lilies, Asiatic, trumpet, and Oriental lilies are the most commonly grown types of lilies grown in home gardens.
What are lilies vs. daylilies?

Daylilies are not true lilies but belong to a different species (Hemerocallis ). There are several differences between lilies and daylilies, the most obvious is that daylily flowers last for one day only.
How many different colors do lilies come in?

Lilies come in a wide range of colors, including white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, and cream, many with multi-colored shading, brown or maroon mottling, and other color pattens.

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