Lily is grown for its root. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, even though the root is the prize.
Lily — the short answer
Lily: grown in zones 4–8.
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 3a–8b
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Lily on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether lily actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score lily against your land's real conditions.
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What Lily is
Lily reaches around four feet at maturity. It blooms in summer.
How to grow Lily
Lily grows in USDA zones 4 through 8.
USDA Zones
4-8
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Data pending
Sun
Data pending
Drainage
Data pending
Mature Height
4 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Sow directly
Sow lily seed straight into the bed — root crops germinate fast and resent transplanting. Give them full sun.
Match the soil
Pull a soil test from your local Extension lab to confirm pH and drainage match lily's needs before planting.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at maturity
Pull while roots are young and tender — sweeter than oversized ones. Local Cooperative Extension guides publish timing tables.
Where Lily thrives
Lily is hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 4–8 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 26 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–8·Where Lily growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Lily stands, state by state
Lily is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 26 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–8
25 states
3 of 25 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Lily
Growing guides for lily
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — lily is toxic to cats (lethal severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Lily offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Your land is one point inside Lily's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Lily will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether lily actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Lily
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Lily in my zone?
Lily grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Lily?
Time lily to your own season rather than the calendar. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
What soil does Lily need?
Specific pH data for lily is pending. A soil test from your local Extension lab confirms what your site needs.
Does Lily attract pollinators?
Yes — lily's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Lily safe for pets?
Lily is toxic to cats with lethal severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Lily
Lily state by state
Every state lily's zone reaches — 1 link straight to that state's lily growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.