Lilium longiflorum was introduced in England in l8l9. Commercial production of bulbs initially started in Bermuda in l853. The Bermuda lily industry was ruined in l898 by virus and nematode infestations.

After the decline of Bermuda's lily industry, bulb production became centered in both Japan and the southern United States. World War II eliminated the dependence of the North American industry on Japanese-produced bulbs, and a new center for bulb production was established in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.