Tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium or Lilium tigrinum) originated in the Orient where they became a food crop in China, Japan and Korea. In the west, tiger lilies are planted in perennial gardens where they establish sturdy clumps of 3- to 4-feet tall stalks producing up to ten blossoms per stem. Orange with dark-purple or black spots is the predominant color of tiger lilies, but yellow, white and red varieties are available, as well. Propagate these disease resistant lilies by division or by planting the bulbils that develop in leaf axils.
Hybrid Tiger Lilies
Lilium lancifolium crossed with Asiatic lilies produce hybrid tigers of various colors, which include white, yellow, red and improved orange. All hybrid tiger lilies have spotted, curved petals and prominent stamens. Hybrid tiger lilies bear the characteristic bulbils in leaf axils. Bulbils turn shiny black when mature enough to release from the parent plant. A tap root sometimes emerges from the bulbil before it falls to the ground. Red hybrid tiger lilies have red stamens. The yellow hybrid tiger lily, sometimes called "Citronella," has black spots and stamens, and white hybrid tiger lilies have rich brown spots and stamens.
Double orange tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium flora-pleno) bear 24 to 36 tepals and no stamens. Stems grow 30- to 48-inches tall. Clumps spread of 9 to 12 inches wide. Grow in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. The double orange tiger lily makes a good cut flower with long-lasting qualities. Because the flowers lack stamens, there is no pollen drop or staining from these cut flowers.
Growing wild along roadsides and in ditches, the orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is sometimes called a tiger lily. However, the daylily and oriental tiger lily have very different growth habits. Daylilies grow from tuberous roots and produce fountains of heavy grass-like foliage from the base of the plant. Multiple flower stalks bear blossoms open for one day only, thus the name "daylily." In contrast, oriental tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium or tigrinum) grow from bulbs with scales, produced by offsets of an original bulb, or bulbils formed at leaf axils. Flowers of tiger lilies last for many days and are spotted.
Most tiger lilies grow in United States Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zones 3 through 9 in a sunny or part-shade location. Tiger lilies thrive best in full sun when interplanted with other perennials or annuals that shade the ground. Incorporate organic matter, such as compost or peat moss, into the soil before planting tiger lilies. Plant bulbs in acid to neutral pH soil to a depth of three times their diameter. Mulch with bark or pine straw. Tiger lilies are resistant to disease, but can be carriers of viruses that attack other types of lilies. Although the bulb and flowers of tiger lilies are edible, the pollen is toxic. All parts of the tiger lily are toxic to cats.
- Colorado State University: Gardening in Larimer County: Lilies: Different Bulbs to Plant in the Fall
- Texas AgriLife Extension Service: Smith County Master Gardeners: Plants from Around the World
- Stephen A. Foster State University: Lilium Lancifolium
- Clemson Cooperative Extension: Summer- and Fall-Flowering Bulbs
- The American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants; Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk
- Purdue University Extension: Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory: Lily Bulbils
- American Meadows: Tiger Lily Bulbs Yellow
- Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images