How to Grow Foxtail Lily (Eremurus)

Foxtail lily (Eremurus), also called desert candle, succeeds on one non-negotiable condition: sharp drainage. Get that right and you are rewarded with three- to eight-foot spires of densely packed star-shaped florets in white, lemon yellow, burnt orange, or soft peach, opening from the bottom up in early to mid summer. Get it wrong and the fleshy, octopus-shaped roots rot in a single wet winter. Everything else about this plant is forgiving. The drainage is not. Plant it in full sun on gritty, fast-draining soil, handle the brittle roots like spun glass, and leave it undisturbed once it settles in.

Where Foxtail Lily Grows: Zones, Climate, and Site

Eremurus is reliably hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8, with some species pushing into zone 4 under deep mulch and the desert-candle types (E. stenophyllus, E. robustus) tolerating the warmer edge of zone 9 where summers are dry. These plants evolved on the open steppes and foothills of central and western Asia, where winters are cold and dry and summers are blazing. That heritage tells you exactly what they want: a hard, dry dormancy and a sun-baked growing season. Humid, soggy climates fight against them, so gardeners in the wet Pacific Northwest or the humid Southeast have to engineer drainage aggressively.

Choose the sunniest, driest spot you have. A south- or west-facing slope is ideal because gravity pulls water away from the crown. Avoid low pockets where rain or snowmelt collects, the base of downspouts, and any bed that stays damp into late spring. Full sun, meaning at least six and preferably eight hours of direct light, is essential. In shade the spikes lean, flower poorly, and the whole plant grows weak and rot-prone. Shelter from the worst wind helps the tall spikes stand, but do not trade wind protection for shade or poor airflow.

Soil and Drainage: The Whole Game

If you read one section, read this one. Foxtail lily wants lean, sandy or gritty soil that drains within minutes of a downpour. Heavy clay is a death sentence, especially over winter when the crown sits cold and wet and soft rot sets in. The roots are fleshy and store water, so they have no defense against waterlogged ground.

Amending Heavy or Average Soil

In clay or rich loam, dig a generous planting area at least 18 inches across and work in coarse horticultural grit, sharp sand, and fine gravel until the mix is roughly half grit by volume. Do not add water-retentive compost or peat. The goal is fast-draining and infertile, not rich. A raised bed or a built-up mound 8 to 12 inches above grade transforms a marginal site into a workable one. Many successful growers plant Eremurus on a deliberate berm so excess water can never pool around the crown.

Test Before You Plant

Dig a one-foot hole, fill it with water, and let it drain. Refill it and time the second drain. If water is still standing after a few hours, the site is too wet for foxtail lily planted in the ground. Build up, add grit, or move to a slope. A near-neutral to slightly alkaline pH suits them, but drainage matters far more than pH. If you also grow drought-loving ornamental grasses, the same lean-soil thinking applies; our guide to how to grow little bluestem covers the same preference for poor, fast-draining ground.

Planting the Fragile Roots

Eremurus roots look like a starfish or an octopus: a central crown bud with long, brittle, fleshy roots radiating outward like spokes. They snap with shocking ease, so unpack and handle them gently, supporting the whole root mass with your hand rather than dangling it by the crown. Plant in autumn, ideally September through October, so roots establish before the ground freezes; spring planting of dormant crowns also works in colder zones where fall planting risks frost heave.

The Cone-of-Sand Method

Dig a wide, shallow hole about 18 inches across. In the center, mound a cone of sharp sand a few inches high. Set the crown on top of the cone and drape the fleshy roots down and outward over the slope of the sand, spreading them flat like the spokes of a wheel so each root has its own channel and none cross or kink. This sand cone does two jobs: it cradles the brittle roots in the position they want, and it lifts the central crown slightly so water sheds away from it. Backfill carefully with gritty soil, firming gently to remove air pockets without crushing the roots.

Depth and Spacing

Plant shallow. The crown should sit only 4 to 6 inches below the soil surface; planting too deep invites rot and delays or prevents flowering. Space plants 18 to 36 inches apart depending on the species, with the towering E. robustus and big Ruiter hybrids at the wider end and smaller E. stenophyllus types closer. Water in once at planting to settle the soil, then leave it dry. After that initial watering, do not soak the bed; the roots want to feel the soil, not swim in it.

Watering, Feeding, and Seasonal Care

During active spring growth and the run-up to bloom, foxtail lily appreciates modest moisture if rain is scarce, but always err dry. Once flowering finishes and the foliage begins to yellow, stop watering entirely. The plant is heading into its natural summer dormancy and any irrigation during that dry rest period is the fastest route to crown rot. This is the opposite of how you treat most perennials, so plan the bed so sprinklers and thirsty neighbors do not soak the Eremurus in July and August.

Feeding is light. A thin scatter of low-nitrogen, balanced fertilizer or a dusting of bone meal as growth emerges in early spring is plenty. Rich feeding produces lush, floppy growth and weak spikes. In zones 5 and the cold edge of 6, apply a loose winter mulch of straw, bark, or evergreen boughs over the crowns after the ground chills to buffer hard freezes and frost heave, then pull it back in early spring so the crowns do not stay wet under it. The contrast between hardy steppe perennials and frost-sensitive ones is worth understanding; see hardy vs tender perennials for how dormancy and cold tolerance interact.

Staking the Spikes

The tallest forms reach six to eight feet and carry a heavy column of bloom, so a single thunderstorm can topple them. In exposed gardens, set a sturdy stake before the spike fully extends and tie loosely with soft ties at two or three points, keeping the stake hidden behind the spike. Grouping plants and interplanting with sturdy companions also gives the spikes some mutual support.

After Bloom: Dormancy and Tidying

Flowering moves up the spike over two to three weeks in early to midsummer. Once the last florets fade, cut the spent flower stalk down to the base; leaving it only drains energy into seed unless you specifically want to collect seed or self-sow. Do not cut the leaves. The strappy basal foliage feeds next year’s crown, so let it yellow and wither completely. By mid to late summer the foliage dies back fully and the plant disappears into dormancy, leaving a bare patch. Mark the spot with a label or a companion planting so you do not accidentally dig into the dormant crown. Good neighbors are late-emerging perennials and ornamental grasses that fill the gap after Eremurus retreats.

Resist the urge to dig and divide. Foxtail lily resents disturbance and can sulk for a year or more after being moved. Established clumps left alone simply get better, producing more and taller spikes each season. If you must move one, do it in early fall during dormancy, lift the entire root mass intact with a wide fork, and replant immediately at the same shallow depth.

Pests, Diseases, and Troubleshooting

The overwhelming threat is crown and root rot driven by wet soil, not by any pest. If a plant fails to emerge in spring, or the crown is soft and brown when you investigate, rot has taken it, and the fix is always better drainage next time: more grit, a higher mound, a drier site. Slugs and snails occasionally chew emerging shoots in spring; trap or bait around new growth. Otherwise Eremurus is remarkably pest-free, and deer and rabbits generally leave it alone.

• No flowers, only leaves: usually planted too deep, too young, in too much shade, or disturbed recently. Plants often skip bloom the first year while settling in. Be patient and correct depth and sun.
• Spikes flop or lean: insufficient sun, rich soil, or no staking in a windy site.
• Plant rotted over winter: drainage failure. Rebuild on a mound of grit and sand and keep the crown bone dry in summer dormancy.
• Late or no emergence in spring: Eremurus surfaces relatively early but can lag in cold springs. Wait before assuming the worst, but a soft crown confirms rot.

Varieties Worth Growing

For first-time growers, the Ruiter hybrids (Eremurus x isabellinus) are the most forgiving and offer a sunset range of colors on four- to six-foot spikes. Cleopatra is a standout, with burnt-orange florets and dark stems. Romance brings soft salmon-pink, and Pinokkio a bright yellow-orange. Among species, E. stenophyllus is a compact, reliable yellow around three to four feet, excellent for smaller or windier gardens. E. robustus is the giant, sending pale pink columns to eight feet or more where it is happy, but it needs space, perfect drainage, and patience. E. himalaicus offers clean white spikes and good cold tolerance. Mixing a few species and hybrids stretches the bloom window across several weeks of early summer.

Foxtail lily rewards gardeners who treat it as the steppe plant it is: sun, grit, sharp drainage, gentle hands at planting, and benign neglect thereafter. For more sun-loving perennials and grasses to pair with it, browse the plants and flowers hub.