How to Grow and Care for Canada Lily (Lilium Canadense)

The Canada lily, also commonly known as a meadow lily or wild yellow lily, is an herbaceous perennial that is best known for its nodding, trumpet-like blooms. It grows best in full sunlight, rich, loamy soil, and with moderate temperature conditions. Like other members of the Lilium genus, all parts of this plant are toxic to cats. 

Canada Lily Care

Here’s what to know about caring for the Canada lily: 

• Plant in moist, well-draining soil that is nutrient-rich.
• Pick a spot with bright, full sun conditions if possible. It will also grow in partial shade conditions. 
• Water deeply at least once per week during the growing season.

Light

Like other common lily species, the Canada lily grows best in full sun. It will also tolerate partial shade, just be sure to choose a location that receives four hours of sunlight each day, at a minimum. 

Soil

Canada lilies need moist soil conditions but shouldn’t be overly waterlogged. They prefer rich, loamy soil and acidic to neutral soil pH levels. 

Water

This lily will benefit from deep, weekly watering during the growing season. During periods of very hot weather, you may need to water more than once per week to keep the plant perky and avoid wilting. If you notice wilting or the soil feels dry to the touch, it’s time to water. 

Temperature and Humidity

The Canada lily is native to North America and prefers moderate-to-warm temperatures. It can tolerate considerable humidity but isn’t favorable to tropical climates and requires a cold weather spell in order to reemerge in the spring. 

Fertilizer

Canada lilies grown in rich, humusy soil generally do not need fertilizer. If you think that your soil is nutrient-deficient, you can add compost to improve available nutrients to the plant.

Propagating Canada Lily

The best way to propagate a mature Canada lily is by division of the bulb. You can accomplish this in two ways: either by replanting smaller offshoot bulbs (also known as bulblets or bulbils) or breaking off the small scales covering the parent bulb. In either case, keep in mind that it can take several years for a propagated lily to mature and bloom. 

The best time for propagation is after the Canada lily has finished flowering and entered dormancy, usually by late summer or early fall. Here’s how to do it:

Propagating Using Bulblets

1. Using a small garden trowel, dig up the parent plant and remove it from the ground.
2. To propagate using bulblets, gently tug the bulblets free from the root system or use a pair of garden snips. 
3. For each bulblet, plant a hole that is about as deep as the hole of the parent plant. Place one bulblet in each hole, ensuring that the pointed side is facing up.
4. Fill the hole with soil. After the cold dormancy period, the new plant will begin to grow the following spring.

Propagating Using Scales From the Bulb

1. Using a small garden trowel, dig up the parent plant and remove it from the ground.
2. Gently pry individual scales loose from the bulb, as close to the base of the plant as possible.
3. Place the scales in a container or bag with a 1:1 mixture of peat moss and perlite. Keep in a warm, dark location for about six weeks. 
4. After six weeks, check the scales to see if they’ve produced bulblets. If not, you may need to wait several more weeks for bulblets to appear.
5. Once bulblets have been produced, plant each one (with scale attached) in a small container filled with growing medium. Then, plant the bulb in the garden in spring. 

How to Get Canada Lily to Bloom

As a wildflower, the Canada lily provides a burst of color across its native region. But you can enjoy the show in your own backyard when you cultivate this lily variety. 

The flowers of the Canada lily have no fragrance, but the slender, downward-facing blooms are a decorative addition to your landscaping nonetheless. The yellow, orange, and red flowers have six long tepals dotted with brown speckles. The tepals slightly curve back towards the stem, exposing the stamen inside the flower. This is one way you can distinguish a Canada lily from a Michigan lily, whose tepals curve more substantially towards the base of the flower. 

Bloom Months

The Canada lily typically blooms in the summer months. Specifically, you can expect to see flowers appear during June, July, and August. 

How Long Do Canada Lilies Bloom?

Canada lilies will bloom for a period of about three weeks. The individual flowers will last for up to a week before beginning to wilt. As a perennial, you can expect the plant to put on a show each summer, provided that the bulb has a period of dormancy with cold temperatures during the winter months. 

How to Encourage More Blooms

Full sun conditions are the best way to encourage the Canada lily to produce more blooms. Although the plant can grow in partial shade conditions, bloom production may be stunted.

Deadheading Canada Lily Flowers

Since lilies only bloom once per season, deadheading will not induce a second flush of flowers. However, you can remove the spent blooms and the stalks (down to the leaves, leaving the foliage intact) as a matter of housekeeping. 

Common Problems With Canada Lily

Canada lilies are hardy and easy to care for, which is good news for gardeners. But like any plant, unbalanced conditions or the introduction of pests and diseases can cause problems for this lily. 

Leaves Turning Yellow

Too much moisture is usually the culprit of yellowing leaves on a Canada lily plant. While lilies do thrive in moist soil conditions, the soil shouldn’t be waterlogged. If it is, you may need to amend the soil to improve drainage or modify your watering schedule to allow the soil to dry out more. 

Curling Leaves

If you notice the leaves of the Canada lily curling, twisting, or showing signs of stunted growth, the plant may be infected by the lily mosaic virus. Other signs of the virus are a mottled green color for the leaves. The virus is spread by aphids and isn’t curable. Although it doesn’t usually kill the lily plant, it’s highly contagious and it’s best to destroy the plant and its bulb to prevent the spread of the virus.