How often to water tiger lily in California
In July on the north-central coast, established tiger lily needs about 1.1 gallons a week for a plant 2 feet across. Tiger lily is a tough, clump-forming lily from eastern Asia with tall, dark stems lined with narrow leaves. Each stem can carry up to 40 nodding orange flowers spotted with dark purple, their petals curled back in late summer. Small dark bulbils form where the leaves meet the stem, then drop and sprout, so it spreads readily. It wants full sun and moist, rich soil that drains.
How often to water tiger lily, month by month
Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.
How this is worked out: the plant’s WUCOLS rating times your city’s climate for the month, over the area the plant covers. Skip a watering after a good soaking rain.
How to tell it needs water
- Soil dry an inch or two down around the stems while buds form means the bulbs need a deep watering
- Stems yellowing and bulbs rotting in soggy, poorly drained soil point to too much water
- Gray, fuzzy spots on leaves and buds in damp weather point to gray mold, not thirst
- Chewed leaves and slime trails point to slugs and snails rather than a watering problem
- Few flowers in a shady spot reflect too little sun, not too little water
How to water it
- Water at the base of the stems, wetting the soil about 8 inches deep where the bulbs sit
- Keep the soil evenly moist from spring growth through bloom
- Plant in full sun in moist, acid soil enriched with leaf mold or compost
- Collect the bulbils before they drop if you want to limit spread
- Mulch the bed to keep the soil cool and damp
Through the seasons
Shoots emerge in spring and grow quickly, and the flowers open in late summer. Water steadily from emergence through bloom. After flowering the stems eventually die back, and the bulbs rest through winter. On the north-central coast, winter rain usually covers the resting bulbs. WUCOLS rates tiger lily moderate water on the north-central coast and in South Inland. The high desert and the low desert also rate moderate water. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley or the south coast.
In pots
Tiger lily grows well in a deep container, which also keeps its bulbils from seeding the whole border. Use a rich, well-drained potting mix and a pot with drainage holes, in full sun. From spring growth through bloom, water when the top inch of mix dries, checking more often in summer heat. Let excess drain, then empty the saucer. Once the stems die back, keep the mix barely damp until spring.
- A year
- no figure
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
WUCOLS lists Tiger Lily as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.
Monthly water need by climate zone
Tiger Lily: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.37 | – | – | 0.78 | 0.74 | 0.78 |
| Feb | 0.53 | – | – | 0.87 | 0.93 | 0.93 |
| Mar | 0.87 | – | – | 1.3 | 1.46 | 1.52 |
| Apr | 1.18 | – | – | 1.61 | 1.89 | 1.95 |
| May | 1.46 | – | – | 1.95 | 2.39 | 2.45 |
| Jun | 1.61 | – | – | 2.29 | 2.85 | 2.79 |
| Jul | 1.61 | – | – | 2.51 | 3.04 | 2.85 |
| Aug | 1.49 | – | – | 2.33 | 2.79 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 1.24 | – | – | 1.86 | 2.14 | 2.08 |
| Oct | 0.87 | – | – | 1.33 | 1.46 | 1.49 |
| Nov | 0.47 | – | – | 0.9 | 0.93 | 0.96 |
| Dec | 0.31 | – | – | 0.68 | 0.65 | 0.68 |
| Year | 12 | – | – | 18.41 | 21.27 | 21.08 |
How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.
Plants with the same water needs 3
Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like tiger lily. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
Turn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes tiger lily, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.
Questions people ask
How much water does tiger lily need per day?
In July on the north-central coast, established tiger lily needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.
Does watering for tiger lily change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates tiger lily separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.
Is tiger lily toxic to cats?
Yes. Tiger lily is toxic to cats if eaten. Keep it out of gardens and rooms where cats roam, and do not bring the cut flowers indoors if you have cats.
Why is my tiger lily spreading?
Small bulbils form in the leaf axils, drop to the ground and grow into new plants. Pick them off before they fall to keep the clump in place.
Are tiger lilies fragrant?
No. The flowers are colorful but not fragrant. Choose other lilies if scent matters to you.
Can tiger lily grow in a pot?
Yes. A deep container works well and limits spread. Watch potted plants for vine weevil, which attacks lilies in containers.
Can you overwater tiger lily?
Yes. It likes moist soil, but the bulbs need drainage and can rot in soggy ground. Let the top inch dry before watering again.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Lilium tigrinum, the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf