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Toad Lily
Tricyrtis
Toad Lily blooms from September through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Toad Lily
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 1.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (checked).
What was checked
Fifteen fields were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it, with every unsettled point written down and decided: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, soil, diseases, pests, toxicity, the plant's own names, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Toad Lily
Plant Toad Lily in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from September to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Toad Lily get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1.5 ftwideSee Toad Lily in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Toad Lily
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Toad Lily about 1.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Toad Lily to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Toad Lily's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 8 published sources on August 15, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Evaluation Notes, Issue 16, 2001height, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderspread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil and diseases
- Chicago Botanic Gardenplant profile: Toad Lilies, Tricyrtis spp.sun, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil and pests
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticulturehardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, diseases and pests
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxspread, hardiness zones, years to mature size, soil, diseases and toxicity
- Plant Delights Nurseryretail nursery genus guide to Tricyrtisheight, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color and pests
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxspread, sun, bloom months and color and pests
- Plants For A Futuredatabasespread, bloom months and color, years to mature size and toxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Toad Lily
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
A rare autumn flower for shade, blooming late summer into fall, September into October, when little else in a shady garden flowers. That late timing is its signature value. per Clemson and Chicago Botanic Garden
Will it spread?
Sources split on whether it creeps by rhizomes or forms a strict clump, but all agree it spreads slowly and will not overrun a bed. per NC State and Missouri Botanical Garden
Slugs are the main pest
Slugs and snails are the main pest, chewing young growth in the moist shade the plant needs. Reduce debris and handpick; few other insects trouble it. per NC State
Not a true lily
Despite the name, it is Tricyrtis, not a true lily, and is not on the ASPCA toxic-plant list. It has not been formally cleared, though. per ASPCA and NC State
Deer resistant, rabbits browse
Deer generally leave it alone, but rabbits browse the leaves and flower buds, especially tender new growth. per NC State
Never chop mid-season
Do not shear the stems while growing: the autumn flowers form along the upper stems and tips, so a mid-season cut removes the bloom. per NC State
What pairs well with Toad Lily
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Summersweet
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.
Flowering Dogwood
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its white flowers settle the purple.
Ligularia
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, extending the bed's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Foxglove
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Japanese Stewartia
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; stands well above at 16 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in midsummer and overlaps into this one's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.