Peace Lily
Deep green leaves, white hooded flowers, and a plant that tells you exactly when it is thirsty by wilting dramatically and recovering within hours of a drink. Thrives in lower light than almost any flowering plant.
The peace lily is the flowering plant for rooms that do not get much sun. It will bloom in a north-facing office and it forgives the beginner's most common mistake, forgetting to water, by drooping theatrically and bouncing back an hour after a drink.
It is not a true lily. Real lilies are deadly to cats; the peace lily is merely irritating if chewed. Still one to keep out of reach.
Light
Medium light is ideal: near a north or east window, or a few feet back from a brighter one. It survives genuinely low light but flowers less. Direct sun scorches the leaves and fades the flowers.
Water
Keep the soil lightly moist. Water when the top inch is dry, about every six days in summer, and do not let it sit in a wet saucer. If you miss the window it wilts; water it and it recovers, but repeated wilting weakens it and browns the leaf edges.
Soil and potting
A peat-based potting mix that holds some moisture. Repot every 18 months or when roots crowd the surface and the plant wilts faster than it used to. Split large clumps in spring.
Feeding
A balanced feed at half strength every six weeks in spring and summer. Overfeeding causes brown tips and green-tinged flowers.
Propagation
Division. Unpot in spring, tease the clump into sections with a few leaves and roots each, and pot them up. It does not root from cuttings.
In a hot, dry home
It wants more humidity than a Phoenix summer gives. Grouped with other plants and away from vents it does fine; alone next to an AC register it browns at the edges. A bathroom or kitchen spot suits it best here, and it appreciates a pebble tray in July and August.
Peace Lily varieties
Same care, different look. These are the named forms you will see for sale.
- Green (standard)
Glossy green leaves, white flowers.
- Domino
Leaves speckled with white.
- Jessica
Variegated cream-and-green leaves.
- Platinum Mist
Silvery-grey frosted leaves.
Problems and fixes
Whole plant wilting
Likely cause: Dry soil
Fix: Water thoroughly. It recovers within hours. If the soil was wet, the roots have rotted; repot in fresh mix.
Brown leaf tips
Likely cause: Low humidity, salts from tap water or over-feeding
Fix: Use filtered water, feed less, raise humidity.
No flowers
Likely cause: Not enough light
Fix: Move nearer a window. Flowers also come and go seasonally.
Green flowers
Likely cause: Too much fertiliser or the flower ageing
Fix: Feed less. Old flowers turn green before they fade; cut them at the base.
Peace Lily questions
Is a peace lily poisonous to cats?
It is toxic, but not in the way true lilies are. Chewing it causes mouth pain, drooling and vomiting from calcium oxalate crystals. It does not cause the kidney failure that true lilies cause in cats. Keep it out of reach either way.
How often should I water a peace lily?
About every six days in summer and every ten in winter, keeping the soil lightly moist. If it droops, it is thirsty; water it and it stands back up within hours.
Why are the flowers turning green?
Old flowers go green as they age, which is normal. If new flowers open green, you are feeding too much.
