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Regal Lily (Lilium regale), whole plant
  • Regal Lily — close-up of leaves and flowers
  • Regal Lily — seasonal appearance
  • Regal Lily in a garden setting

Regal Lily

Lilium regale

Easy · Beginner friendly

About Regal Lily

Regal Lily is one of the most beloved garden lilies, bearing huge fragrant trumpet-shaped white flowers with golden-yellow throats and rosy-purple exteriors. Growing 4-6 feet tall on sturdy stems that need no staking, it blooms in midsummer and perfumes entire gardens. Discovered by legendary plant hunter E.H. Wilson in 1903 in remote western China. A cornerstone of American summer borders in USDA zones 3-9.

  • Fragrant
  • Cut-flower
  • Cold-hardy
  • Pollinator-friendly
WATER
Regular
Top inch dry
LIGHT
Full sun
6+ hrs direct
HARDY
Hardy to -40°F (-40°C)
USDA hardiness zones 3–8

How to care for Regal Lily

Watering

  • Springevery 5 days
  • Summerevery 4 days
  • Fallevery 7 days
  • Winterpause watering

Soil · Well-draining

  • Main mixLoam + coarse sand 3:175%
  • DrainageGravel25%

Sharp drainage matters most — bulbs rot in wet soil while dormant.

FERTILIZER

Balanced Feed 14-14-14

An even feed covers all three needs at once, keeping leaves, roots and blooms moving together with nothing pushed out of balance.

N33%P33%K33%
  • Nitrogen · Leaves
  • Phosphorus · Roots + Blooms
  • Potassium · Strength
  • Springevery 30 days
  • Summerevery 30 days
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At a Glance

  • NativeEast Asia
  • Height4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m)
  • Spread1–1.5 ft (0.3–0.5 m)
  • Flower colorWhite, Pink, Yellow
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • SoilWell-drained, Loamy
  • LocationsYard

Bloom time

BLOOM CYCLE

Peak bloom

Jul–Aug

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Huge white-and-purple trumpets July to August

Fragrance

STRONG FRAGRANCE

The flowers have a sweet, spicy, vanilla-like scent.

Toxicity

Humans Slight · Pets Toxic

unidentified nephrotoxin

Slight

  • All
  • Ingestion

EXPOSURE Eating any part of the plant.

EFFECT Mild GI.

NOTE Documented concern for humans: Mild GI.

Slight

  • All
  • Ingestion

EXPOSURE Eating any part of the plant.

EFFECT Mild vomiting.

NOTE ASPCA: severely nephrotoxic to cats.

Toxic

  • All
  • Ingestion

EXPOSURE Eating any part of the plant.

EFFECT Acute kidney failure, vomiting, and death.

NOTE ASPCA: severely nephrotoxic to cats.

Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

DISTRIBUTION

Regal Lily · Native
  • Native
  • Introduced
  • East Asia

History

Illustrated historical scene for Regal Lily

Lilium regale is native to a narrow zone along the Min River in Sichuan Province, China, growing on steep dry canyon slopes. English plant hunter Ernest Henry Wilson first encountered it in 1903 while exploring for Veitch Nurseries. Returning in 1910 for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard, Wilson gathered 6,000 bulbs but was struck by a landslide that shattered his leg—he ever after walked with a limp called his lily limp.

The bulbs reached Boston successfully and were distributed widely. Regal lily proved unusually garden-worthy with intensely fragrant white trumpet flowers flushed pink and yellow, robust constitution, and relative disease resistance.

It became foundational to 20th-century Trumpet and Aurelian hybrid lily breeding and remains among the most beloved of all garden lilies. Discovered by Ernest Henry Wilson in 1903 in the remote Min River valley of Sichuan, China—he broke his leg being struck by a rockslide while collecting the bulbs and called it his 'lily limp'. Introduced to Western gardens in 1905, it revolutionized lily cultivation with its hardiness, ease, and beauty, and remains one of the great horticultural stories.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

The Regal Lily lives up to majesty: enormous trumpet flowers, white with golden throats and wine-streaked backs, hang from tall stems with unmistakable bearing. Its heritage is one of the great plant-hunting stories — Ernest Wilson collected it from a remote Sichuan valley in 1903, and it transformed Western gardens forever. To grow one is to inherit both its imperial scent and that long voyage from a Chinese cliff face.

  • Majesty — regal bearing and dramatic scale
  • Heritage — iconic plant hunter discovery

Where the Name Comes From

'Regale' means 'royal' or 'regal' in Latin.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Trumpet flowers release intense sweet evening perfume
  • Tall stems of white trumpets prized in formal arrangements
  • Fragrant trumpets attract hawkmoths and large butterflies

Related plants

More Lilium plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Regal Lily?

Water about every 5 days during the growing season, and always let excess water drain away.

How much light does Regal Lily need?

Full sun: 6+ hrs direct. Watch the leaves — scorching or stretching means the light needs adjusting.

Is Regal Lily toxic to cats or dogs?

Pets Toxic (Dogs Slight · Cats Toxic) Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

Is Regal Lily easy to grow?

Yes — it is considered an easy, beginner-friendly plant.

When does Regal Lily bloom?

It typically blooms Jul–Aug in the Northern Hemisphere.

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