Do Lilies Regrow After Losing Their Petals?

Lilies are a popular group of plants that produce beautiful and sometimes very beautiful flowers. When their petals fall off, it’s a sign that things are changing. To help your plant recover, you can check the deadhead lilies and deadhead wilted flowers during the blooming season and cut back lilies in the fall.

After the petals have fallen, trim them back to just above a pair of leaves. Leave as much main stem and as many leaves as possible as these will. Deadhead lilies by cutting off the flower spike at the base, just above the stem leaves. Direct energy to the bulb by removing the entire flower head, including the swollen seed pods at the base. Some lilies grow bulbils along their stems that you can pick off in autumn and sow in a seed tray of multipurpose peat-free compost. Pot them on as they grow, and be patient, as it can take three years for them to grow.

When all the flowers have dropped their flower petals, it is a good idea to deadhead the stem by cutting of the flower spike at the base, just above the stem leaves. Keep in mind that deadheading lilies is not a good idea for lilies once a stem has finished blooming, as cutting off the spent flowers won’t make way for new buds. However, deadheading lilies is still a good idea for several reasons:

1. Promotes new growth: Removing spent blooms encourages the plant to redirect energy into rebuilding the bulb, rather than making seeds. Lilies absorb energy for next year’s blooms through the leaves, so after blooming, the leaves need to be left alone.

Keep in mind that the leaves are the most important plant component to allow the lily to come back next year and flower even more than the year before. Deadheading is a great way to ensure your plant is dedicating its energy towards beautiful blooms.