Bright, exotic orange flowers make tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium or Lilium tigrinum) prized flowers in many landscapes throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. However, these flowers are also notorious for carrying foliage-distorting lily mosaic virus, which actually does little harm to tiger lilies themselves. Unfortunately, they can spread the disease to other plants in the garden, including other members of the lily family. If you are worried that your tiger lilies carry lily mosaic virus, you might decide that eliminating them altogether is your best option.
Cut the tiger lily foliage close to the ground with a pair of pruning shears, leaving just enough so that you can find the clump.
Use a spade or garden fork to dig 6-to-8 inches deep around each tiger lily clump. Cut under the plants and lift to remove the bulbs from the soil.
Shake off the dirt and discard the bulbs and the foliage by bagging them and setting them out for trash collection. Leaving cut foliage in the garden or composting any parts of disease-infested lilies can spread the disease to other plants.
Sterilize the pruning shears and digging tool before using them in other areas of the landscape to ensure you do not spread disease. A disinfectant spray or rubbing alcohol works well.
Things You Will Need
- Pruning shears
- Trash bag
- Disinfectant spray or rubbing alcohol
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