Tiger Lily Post-Bloom Care: Bulbil Harvest and Multiplication

Tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium) finish blooming in early summer. The black "seeds" in leaf axils are bulbils—clonal offsets for easy propagation.

Bulbil Harvest and Growing

1. Collect bulbils when they detach easily (late summer/fall).
2. Plant 1" deep in pots or nursery bed.
3. Keep moist; overwinter outdoors (cold required).
4. Year 1: Root development only.
5. Year 2: Grass-like foliage emerges.
6. Year 3: First blooms possible.

Stalk Management

• Leave stalk until fully brown—it feeds the main bulb.
• Then cut to ground.

Naturalizing

Allow some bulbils to drop; they'll form colonies over time. Tiger lilies are vigorous and long-lived in Alabama gardens.