Despite the name, the peace lily isn’t actually a true lily. Nevertheless, it’s an attractive plant that grows beautiful white and yellow blooms. This plant is known to be a popular houseplant, so can peace lily be planted outside?
A peace lily can grow outside in hardiness zones 11 and 12. This plant will bloom twice a year in the right growing conditions, but it’s toxic to humans and pets. So, you should be careful about where you’re growing it in your garden.
In this article, we’ll discuss in detail how to grow peace lilies outside. So, keep reading to learn more about how to keep this plant in perfect shape.
Can Peace Lily Be Planted Outside?
The peace lily is a popular houseplant because it’s a slow grower. Moreover, unlike other flowering plants, the flowers will bloom indoors as long as you keep the plant in a warm spot with partial sun exposure.
You can also plant your peace lilies outside in hardiness zones 11 and 12. However, if you don’t live in these zones, you should grow this plant inside because it’s highly sensitive to changes in its growing environment.
Overview
The peace lily isn’t actually a lily, but the blooms look like lilies. This plant is associated with purity, hope, care, sympathy, healing, and peace. So, it’s usually gifted to someone who has lost a loved one or is recovering from surgery.
This plant is native to Central America and Asia and thrives in warm climates. It’s primarily grown in the US as an indoor plant because the weather isn’t hot enough for peace lilies. However, it will definitely work for you if you live in a warm climate.
It grows as a bush with shiny green foliage and tiny flowers. There are several cultivars of peace lilies, and some of them are easier to take care of than others, but they all share some of the basic requirements.
Although this plant is quite hardy and not prone to many diseases, it’s quite sensitive to changes. As a result, you might consider growing it in a container or flower box instead of your garden, where it can still add beauty to your outdoor space.
In a pot, peace lilies are easier to maintain and monitor. You can easily adjust their growing conditions to make sure that your plants are safe and healthy. Moreover, you can easily bring your peace lily inside when the temperature drops.
In addition, you can grow it in a raised container, where kids and pets won’t have access to the plant. Despite its beauty, the peace lily plant is highly toxic.
Light Requirements
Peace lilies thrive in the shade of taller plants in their natural habitat. They need access to filtered or partial sunlight, so it’s a good idea to plant your peace lilies next to a tall tree or in the shade of a shed or any other structure in your garden.
Changes in sun exposure can significantly impact blooming. This is why you need to make sure that the plant is receiving bright partial sunlight all the time to stay in perfect shape. The leaves will burn and turn brown with too much sunlight, while too little light sunlight can prevent blooming.
Watering
Growing peace lilies outside make them lose too much moisture through evaporation, so you need to water them several times a week during summer. Deep watering is also necessary to keep the soil moist. Less water is needed in colder months.
Peace lilies are highly sensitive to overwatering. As a matter of fact, they can tolerate underwatering better, so they’re slightly forgiving if you don’t water your garden regularly.
They’re also sensitive to the type of water you’re using. Filtered water is better, but if you’re using tap water, you should let it sit for at least a day before watering your peace lilies. This plant is also sensitive to cold water.
Soil
The peace lily plant can survive in various soil conditions, but it thrives when the soil is moist, fertile, and slightly acidic. Since this plant grows under the canopy of taller trees, where there are lots of nutrients from organic matter, it won’t survive if your soil is poor.
Temperature and Humidity
Whether you’re growing your peace lilies outside or inside, you need to mimic the growing conditions of their natural habitat. Since this is a tropical plant, it thrives in moist warm conditions, so it shouldn’t be left in the cold or kept in a dry area.
Ideally, your peace lily will stay healthy when the temperature is between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Your plant will be in danger if the temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Continuous exposure to low temperatures will kill your peace lilies, so you must bring your plant inside.
You should keep this plant away from drafts. So if you’re growing it outside, make sure that there’s a structure like a fence or taller tree that provides some protection.
Misting your peace lilies is a big plus because this plant loves humidity. In their natural habitat, peace lilies receive extra moisture from the dew on taller trees. Spraying the leaves with distilled water every week, especially in summer, will keep your plant healthy.
Fertilizing
Peace lilies need to grow in fertile soil, so you will have to use a weekly 10-10-10 fertilizer during the growing season to encourage growth and blooming. You should also use a slow-release fertilizer at the beginning of the season to make sure that all the plant’s needs are met. Fertilizing your peace lilies in winter isn’t necessary.
Common Problems
Despite being a sensitive plant, peace lily is somehow resistant to most pests. It’s actually more prone to problems caused by small changes in its growing conditions. Here are some issues you might have to deal with if you’re growing peace lilies in your garden.
- If the leaves of your peace lily start curling, this is a sign that they’re receiving too much light. Brown spots will appear on the leaves to indicate that they’re burnt unless you move your peace lilies to a spot where they can receive more shade.
- Your peace lilies can develop brown leaf tips because of the water quality. Tap water that contains chlorine or hard water can make the leaves turn brown.
- Over or underwatering can also make the leaves turn brown.
- Since you need to fertilize your peace lilies regularly, you need to flush the excess salts. If you don’t, the leaf tips will turn brown.
- If the leaves of your peace lily start to wilt, there’s probably a problem with underwatering your plant. This can also happen because of root rot that suffocates the root system and kills the leaves.
- The leaves might turn black because of sunburn or extreme cold. Overwatering can also cause black spots with yellow margins.
- Your peace lily leaves might turn yellow because of a lack of nutrients.
- Peace lily flowers are known for their beautiful cream color, but if they start turning green, this can be a sign of overfertilizing. Your plant might be receiving a lot of sunlight.
- The peace lily plant might attract some pests like mealy bugs, mites, and scale insects. You can use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to keep these pests under control.
Wrap Up: Can Peace Lily Be Planted Outside?
Growing a peace lily outside is possible as long as you pay attention to its growing conditions. This plant is rather sensitive and won’t survive in cold climates. So, even if you’re growing it outside, it’s best to keep it in a container that you can bring inside when the temperature drops.
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