Taking care of lilies in autumn and preparing them for winter is frequently asked question, which occurs in those gardeners who are just starting to breed these flowers. In order to decorate your site, there are many different cultures, but most often they use tulips, lilies, asters, roses, etc.
If you choose the right plants that will have different flowering periods, then they will be able to produce buds and delight the summer resident, starting from early spring and ending in late autumn, you just need to properly care for them. When autumn comes, flower growers have additional troubles, since preparations for winter must be properly carried out. Only this condition will guarantee the successful growth of plants on next year.
When asked whether it is necessary to prepare lilies for winter or not, the answers are different. Some flower growers believe that these events are very important. Others argue that most bulbs will survive anyway. This opinion can be understood, since nature made sure that lilies survived in the cold season. But if you also help them do this, then the maximum number of bulbs will remain, and next year The flower grower will again be pleased with his favorite lilies.
It is clear that even in the absence of preparation for winter, most of the bulbs can survive, but do not be surprised when the lilies are stunted and only a few weak stems appear instead of a bush. How to prepare a plant for winter, so it will overwinter. Therefore, if there is a desire to see next year a magnificent and healthy bush, it is necessary to properly prepare the lilies for the cold.
Even if the cottage is located in an area where there are no severe frosts, care must be taken to protect the bulbs from flooding and damage by rodents. If you dream of creating a blooming flower bed, but do not make any effort, it is better to abandon lilies and give preference to more hardy, but less beautiful flowers.
An experienced florist begins to prepare lilies for winter after they are planted. To do this, it is necessary to determine the level of groundwater occurrence. If it is high, then the bulbs may be heated, so it is better to plant them on specially prepared high beds, otherwise you will have to make drainage.
If the grower lives in a moderate climate zone, then most types of lilies for the winter can not be dug out of the ground. Varieties such as Daurskaya, Royal Lily, Martagon and others survive frosts normally, and if they are additionally covered, they will winter well.
In the presence of rare varieties that a person values, it is better not to risk it and keep the bulbs in winter period in room. If we talk about Tubular, Oriental or American hybrids, then they do not tolerate frost well and can die even if they are properly warmed for the winter. Therefore, it is better to grow expensive and valuable varieties in a greenhouse, and if this is not possible, then for the winter they must be removed from the ground and stored in a cool place.
It must be borne in mind that it is necessary to dig out some varieties not only to protect against the effects of negative temperatures, but also to improve the health of plants. For example, Asian hybrids have many babies in the summer, and if they are left in the ground for the winter, they will grow tightly to the main bulb, after which it will be impossible to separate them.
In the spring, when the lilies begin to develop, the children will take on a lot of nutrients and moisture, so the main plant will become weak, develop poorly and bloom. In autumn, it is recommended to dig up the rhizomes, remove the children from them, and then you can leave them to spend the winter in the ground or remove them for storage in the room.
Necessary autumn activities
It is required to consider what to do with lilies in the fall and how to properly prepare them for winter. First of all, the stems are cut off, leaving about 10 cm above the ground. Some novice gardeners believe that you can remove the stems after the plant has faded, but this is not the case.
Nature knows what to do. If the plant after flowering did not need it above-ground part, then it would die off immediately, but this does not happen.
After the lily has faded, its bulb begins to harvest nutrients for the next year, and the process of photosynthesis takes place in the greenery remaining above the ground. It will be possible to cut the stems only after the natural process of drying the plant begins.
After flowering, the lily forms a bulb. During this period of its development, it needs a large amount of nutrients, so it is necessary to feed it. After the plant has faded, it needs potash and phosphate fertilizers, but nitrogen is not needed during this period.
If it is decided to leave the plants in the ground for the winter, then in order to protect the bulbs from the negative effects of negative temperatures, it is necessary to insulate them, for which you can use sawdust, straw, peat or leaves.
Needles are a good option, as slugs do not settle in it, which destroy young shoots. Mice and other rodents do not like prickly needles. It should be noted that the thickness of the mulch layer should be about 10 cm, so it must be poured to the height of the cut stems.
Don't forget that snow is good insulation. If there is a lot of it above the plants, then the mulch layer can be made small, and vice versa. This work must be done after the ground begins to freeze slightly.
Protection against excessive moisture
In a region with a warm climate, Oriental, American and other hybrids can be left in the ground for the winter, but the characteristics of the varieties must be taken into account.
There are cases when the bulbs were well insulated, there were no severe frosts, but they still died. The reason in this case will not be the effect of low temperature, but the excess moisture that occurs due to melting snow or rain.
If there is such a possibility, then it is better to plant plants on high beds. Sand is first laid under the bulbs and the tubers are sprinkled on top of it, this allows you to quickly remove excess moisture.
If it is decided to leave Eastern hybrids or similar varieties for wintering in the ground, then before the onset of frost, the bed should be covered with peat. When the ground freezes a little, the bulbs are covered with a layer of needles or sawdust, and in order to protect them from flooding melt waters, also with film. In the spring, the shelter is removed, and peat, sawdust and needles serve as fertilizer.
It is important not only to properly cover, but also to free the bulbs from the film in time. This must be done after the snow has melted. If the bulbs are opened early, this can provoke their rapid development and the sprouts can be damaged at low temperatures. If it is too late to remove the mulch, then the plant will not have enough light.
How to store bulbs indoors?
When the aerial part of the lilies begins to die off, it is cut off, and the bulbs are carefully dug up, shaking off the adhering earth from them. The tubers are checked, the sick are removed, and the healthy ones are cut off dry scales and roots that were damaged during their extraction from the ground.
The rhizomes must be washed, while the water temperature should be at room temperature. To sanitize planting material, you need to hold them in a weak solution of karbofos, potassium permanganate or Fundazol.
Dry the bulbs indoors, but they should not be exposed to sunlight. The process should be natural, do not wipe the rhizomes or douse them with heat, as this can damage the roots and sprouts.
When the preparation of lilies is completed, it is necessary to save them until spring. To do this, you need to follow 2 basic rules:
- 1 The place for storage should be cool, with a temperature of the order of +1...+5°С.
- 2 The room should be normal humidity, if it cannot be provided, then it is better that it be low than high. To prevent the bulbs from drying out, they are covered with moss or cloth, but not with polyethylene.
At home, you can store rhizomes of lilies in different places, but most often used for this:
- 1 Refrigerator. The bulbs are stored on the bottom shelf, for this they are placed in a bag and sprinkled with wet peat. It should be noted that if fruits are kept in the refrigerator, they emit ethylene, and it is harmful to lilies.
- 2 Thermally insulated room - it can be a basement, garage, cellar or other, the main thing is that in severe frosts the temperature in it should not be below zero. They are stored in a box, on the bottom of which peat or sand is poured, onions are laid out on it and sprinkled on top of it.
- 3 loggia. The bulbs are placed in a heat-insulated box. It can be insulated with foam or use an old, non-working refrigerator. To better protect the box from the cold, it must be placed under the wall of the building.
If necessary, a thermometer and a light bulb can be installed in such a box. When the temperature approaches zero, you will need to turn on the electricity, and this will allow you to raise the temperature to a safe level.
What to do when buying lilies in winter?
Sometimes you can buy bulbs needed in winter. If this happens, then you can not keep them warm. It is best to store the tubers along with those dug up in the fall.
If the lily bulbs are resistant varieties, then they can be buried in the ground and covered with snow, but you need to remember that in winter this is a rather laborious process. Better in autumn prepare a small hole and cover it with a lid. After buying the bulbs, they should be put in a prepared hole and covered with peat or pieces of cardboard. To protect against rodents, you can use poison, after which you need to cover the hole with a lid and cover it with snow.
Periodically it is required to check the condition of the bulbs, if the roots begin to dry out, then they must be moistened. When mold appears, it is necessary to dip the rhizomes in a solution of potassium permanganate.
In the spring, a second rejection is carried out, diseased rhizomes are removed, and on healthy bulbs, the roots are cut to a length of about 5 cm.
Each grower should take these tips as a basis, and over time it will be possible to develop their own technology that will ensure the reliable storage of rhizomes of lilies, and next year they will again decorate the site, giving a good mood.
Lily can't be named unpretentious flower which will delight you year after year abundant flowering without requiring special care. This elegant plant has an unpredictable character: for some flower growers, lilies are strewn with fragrant flowers every season, for others, lilies get sick, refuse to bloom, freeze out. This problem is especially true for luxurious Oriental, American and Tubular hybrids, which do not tolerate the Russian winter.
When to prune lilies, and is it necessary?
In order for these types of lilies to feel great, you need to take good care of them: you must learn to understand well which lilies to dig up when, and how to store the bulbs until spring.
And since lily bulbs are sent to storage without a ground part, beginners may have a logical question: “When to prune lilies for the winter - immediately after flowering or immediately before preparing plants for wintering?”
Lilies throughout the season continue to store nutrients for the winter
As soon as the last flowers fade on the lilies, some flower growers have an unquenchable desire to quickly remove unnecessary stems under the root. The green “Christmas trees” sticking out in the middle of the flower bed are very hurtful, especially if they are not obscured by the next shift. flowering perennials. Yes, and among experienced flower growers sometimes there is an opinion that lilies should be cut off for the winter. It is not surprising that beginners begin to be overcome by doubts: should I prune lilies after flowering, or can this harm the plants?
Lily transplant video
Unlike tulips, the ground part of which quickly dies off after flowering, lilies throughout the season continue to store nutrients for the winter. Lily stalks are necessary for the process of photosynthesis: imagine what a bulb will grow in onion, if at it or her constantly to pinch off growing? The same thing happens with lilies - pruning deprives the plant of the opportunity to grow the bulb to the required size and prepare for the next season.
What then to do with faded lilies? Minimal intervention is required from you: the flower petals will fly around themselves, all that remains is to cut off the seed pods, and the stems with leaves will die naturally in September, then they can be completely removed or cut at a height of 15 cm above the ground.
Pruning deprives the plant of the opportunity to grow the bulb to the required size and prepare for the next season.
In the case when you have to cut lilies for a bouquet (after all, lilies are cut flowers), you should choose those plants that have at least five buds - the bulb of such lilies has already reached large sizes. Just do not cut the stem at the root, let the bulb recover.
Do I need to dig up lilies, how and when to dig out?
If this is your first time growing garden lilies, closer to autumn, you will have to think about whether it is necessary to dig up lilies so that they do not freeze in winter? As mentioned above, not all types of lilies are able to tolerate Russian frosts, so ask your familiar flower growers if they dig up lilies for the winter in your region? In mild, not too frosty winters, shelter from fallen leaves may well be enough for flowers. But if you are afraid of losing your beautiful lilies, it is better to play it safe and place the dug bulbs for storage in a dry basement, or in a refrigerator. It is worth noting that Trumpet lilies are dug up for the winter without fail, since they freeze out even under good cover.
The timing for digging up lily bulbs is different for each species: Asian and LA hybrids should be dug in the second decade of August, at the end of August, OT hybrids are dug out, and bulbs Eastern hybrids dig in early September.
Lily storage video
Digging lilies is as follows:
- nests of bulbs with pre-cut stems are dug out of the ground;
- the soil is gently shaken off the bulbs;
- each bulb is carefully examined for the presence of damaged or rotten roots, dry scales;
- all bulbs are washed with running water;
- for disinfection, the bulbs are placed in a solution of potassium permanganate or karbofos;
- after drying in the shade, the bulbs are ready for storage.
Bulb nests are dug out of the ground with pre-cut stems
From experienced flower growers, you can hear different points of view on whether to prune lilies, when to dig up bulbs, and whether to even prepare plants for wintering. Be skeptical about advice, use common sense, and be sure to check the information you hear. Then you will make much fewer mistakes when growing lilies.
Every gardener from beginner to professional wants to grow beautiful lilies in his garden. Flowers that will delight with their flowering for many years.
For abundant and long flowering, healthy and large bulbs and favorable wintering of plants, you need to know the rules for caring for, pruning and winterizing these flowers. To improve growth, special care will be required for them.
Do I need pruning after flowering
Many flower growers are sure that these flowers endure the winter perfectly without any preparation, and you do not need to take care of them. Maybe it is so. But such lilies are distinguished by fragile stems, small leaves and poor, short-lived flowering. Not the best option for the flower lover
Unfortunately, every garden has a colorful flowering period. The petals fall off, leaving only the seed pod and stem with leaves. The presence of such trunks, which are not distinguished by beauty, makes many take up the secateurs. Faded lilies stand out especially if other plants (for example, Turkish carnation) do not bloom nearby. Summer residents and gardeners have several opinions about whether pruning is necessary and what to do next when the lilies have faded.
For this perennial, summer and even the beginning of autumn is the time to gain as much strength as possible. All summer this plant strengthens and builds up the bulb, so as not to freeze in winter. If you cut the stems of the flower after flowering at the root, then the bulb will not gain enough strength for the winter.
The fact is that green stems and leaves perform the process of photosynthesis both during the flowering period and after it. This chemical process, which is produced by green plants, oxygenates the bulbs and roots of the perennial. It is photosynthesis that allows you to long and successfully wait out the winter. perennials and delight caring gardeners with beautiful flowers all next summer. Therefore, pruning after flowering will not help the grower to care for the plant..
A variety of colors encourage you to replenish your collection with new varieties every year. In order for them to develop well and correctly, and please the eye for as long as possible, it is necessary to provide lilies proper care, an important component of which is autumn preparation for winter.
Features of autumn care
First of all, they need to be well, for example, humus or. These will feed the plant, and also create a protective pillow, which will serve as a protective shelter from the cold in the future. they are introduced into the soil with a layer of 10-15 cm. 
Dig or not?
Let's see if you still need to dig up lilies for the winter. In this matter, it all depends on the variety, because they dig out not only because of severe frosts, but also for the purpose of reproduction.
On the bulbs of Asian hybrid varieties, many children are formed during the growing season, which must be separated, because in the spring they will take away strength from the plant, and it will grow and develop poorly, and then it may stop blooming altogether.Eastern hybrids are transplanted every 3-4 years. As for the frost resistance of lilies, those varieties that are adapted to your area will tolerate the winter well, they can be left in the ground for the winter. 
Did you know? AT Ancient Rome Lilies were considered a symbol of luxury and wealth.
And all the rest is still better to dig or cover. It is believed that the more decorative, the more tender it is, and, accordingly, tolerates low temperatures worse.
Is cover needed?
Shelter is definitely necessary if it grows in open areas that are not protected from strong winds, and if groundwater is located close enough.
It is also recommended to cover the lilies from heavy rainfall, which can begin in the fall in the form of rains, and then continue with snowfalls. Like everything, these flowers do not tolerate excess moisture, it can provoke premature vegetation, as well as cause decay.
How to dig right?
In order to carry out the procedure qualitatively and painlessly, you must follow simple rules.
Pruning can and should be started only when the leaves turn yellow and finally dry.
Important!In no case should green leaves be cut immediately after flowering, early pruning is fraught with the death of the plant.
At the end of the growing season, when the leaves have dried up, the plant is cut in such a way that the stem remains at least 6 cm long. 
Unfortunately, it is impossible to give an exact date when this must be done, but based on practice, the period favorable for pruning and digging is at the end of September.
Digging out the head
Dig up the onions very carefully so as not to deform them in the process. It is better to initially remove them with an earthen lump, which must be carefully removed later.
When the bulb is removed from the ground and is in your hands, carefully inspect it, if there is rot on it, it must be carefully cut sharp knife. After that, the planting material must be washed with water and disinfected.
For disinfection, you can cook a weak one, and leave the bulbs in it for 35-40 minutes. After water procedures bulbs need to be dried.
In no case should you leave them in the sun, direct sunlight and open light in this case will only harm. Drying should be carried out in a fairly cool place where the temperature does not rise above 18 ° C. 
Storage rules
Now the most main question: how to store dug up lilies in winter at home. To do this, we act in order. After the bulbs have dried, it is advisable to roll them in, and then place them in a cardboard box, Plastic container with lid or paper bag.
This is to protect them from the light. In order to create a favorable microclimate in the package, you can pour or place moss there.
Every year it becomes more and more popular, it can be found in virtually all personal plots. Many of its varieties take root perfectly in our latitudes. It cannot be said that the lily is an unpretentious plant. This is not the one garden flower, which can please your eyes if you do not take care of it properly.
Sadovaya is becoming more and more popular every year, it can be found in virtually all personal plots. Many of its varieties take root perfectly in our latitudes. It cannot be said that the lily is an unpretentious plant. This is not the kind of garden flower that will delight your eyes if you do not take care of it properly.
Lilies are very elegant flowers completely unpredictable. You’ll see, every new season your neighbor has beautiful stems on the site, abundantly strewn with fragrant flowers, and as luck would have it, they constantly get sick, bloom poorly, or even refuse to do it at all, and even sometimes freeze.
What is the problem, how can it be solved? And the thing is that you need to be able to take care of them and know how to properly cut lilies after flowering, when to dig them up and how to store the bulbs themselves.
Lilies in the winter are stored in bulbs, without stems, so many novice flower growers have a question: when should lilies be cut after flowering? This is very right question, since it depends on the correct pruning of the stems further fate plants. Let's try to figure out now whether it is necessary to cut the stems of lilies after flowering.
Should I prune lilies after flowering?
Many flower growers, as soon as their beautiful lilies fade, immediately have an insane desire to grab a pruner and cut off unattractive stems, as they begin to spoil their appearance the whole design of the flower garden. Do I need to prune faded lilies? If you ask experienced flower growers, the answer is unequivocally: no.
- In order for your lilies after flowering not to be an eyesore with protruding green sticks, plant long-flowering plants to them, but in no case cut the stems right away.
- The fact is that lily bulbs are stored all season with nutrients that they will need in winter, and the ground part is needed for photosynthesis. Therefore, if you cut the stems immediately after flowering, the bulb will stop growing and develop and completely weaken by winter. She will not be able to grow herself to the desired size without the stems, which, even withering, give her the necessary nutrients. And even if the plant manages to survive, take root, then for sure next season it will not be able to please you with beautiful flowers.
- After your beauties have faded, wait for the last petals to fall and cut off the seed boxes from the stems. The stems, together with the leaves, let them die naturally. This should happen before September. That's when you see that the stems are completely yellowed and dried up, then you can just go ahead and safely cut them off. It is better if you cut at a height of 10-15 cm from the ground.
- If you have been scheduled for another place or want to dig up a bulb for wintering, you need to do this only 3-4 weeks after they bloom. But even in this case, you can not cut the leaves and stems. Perfect option, of course, wait until late autumn. So you will have well-strengthened bulbs on your hands, and this is an excellent planting material. They will perfectly survive the transplant and overwinter, or survive if they are in the cellar until the next season.
And finally, a little advice. If you are going to cut your lilies for a bouquet (whatever one may say, but they are bouquet flowers), you should carefully choose for this suitable plants. Stop your choice on those that have more than five buds. In such bushes, the bulb is large, it has already reached good size. But do not cut the stems to the very root, let the bulb have the opportunity to recover.