Easter lilies may look prissy, but they are not the high-maintenance beauty queens most people think they are. In most regions of the United States, specifically zones 4-9, lilies can thrive. Also known as Lilium longiflorum, these tall, white, graceful blossoms decorate Mother’s tables and adorn altars throughout the Passover season each spring.
Choosing Bulbs
Think of bulbs like eggs—Easter eggs, if you will. Just as you wouldn’t boil and color a cracked egg, only plant undamaged bulbs. Discard bulbs with cracks, mold, or discoloration. Also, be wary of soft or rippled spots.
Bulbs should be large, tear-shaped, and round at the base. Mature bulbs will often produce small baby bulbs, which can be separated from the parent bulb and planted independently. Commercial growers produce more lilies year after year in this way.
Planting Easter Lily Bulbs
Lilies don’t require a specific soil pH, and they’re fine with full or partial sun. However, Easter lily bulbs are more fragile than other lily bulbs because they don’t have the natural protective wrapper that most other lilies have. This covering is called a tunic, and it protects bulbs from extreme temperatures and drying out. Easter lilies are more susceptible because of their lack of this extra protection.
Plant your Easter lily bulbs as soon as they arrive. They need moist, well-drained soil and will thrive in nutrient-rich dirt amended with aged organic matter. Leaf mold, peat, or composted manure will create an ideal growing environment for your bulbs.
After removing sticks and rocks, plant bulbs at least a foot apart and three inches below the soil in a hole lined with bone meal. Mound up another three inches of soil over the bulb. Commercial growers often use machines to plant the bulbs and add dirt to the top of the entire row at once. Home gardeners may find it helpful to simulate this technique to save time and effort.
Care
Once the bulbs are planted in amended soil, you won’t need to feed them again until you see the green of their new leaves. At that time, water the new plant and surround it with organic fertilizer. During this early stage, don’t allow the soil to shift when watering or in the wind, as this may damage the plant’s development.
Mulching helps maintain moisture and keeps the roots cool. While compost works, bark or wood chips will suffice until winter. You can also mulch lilies—and most other deep-rooting bulbs—with shallow-rooting plants like violas, which will turn your lily display into a bouquet. If you experience a hard freeze in your area, cover the planted bulbs with a blanket of straw for protection during the winter.
After harvesting for cuttings, old plants will begin to die back. Remember, while the foliage may be dying, the bulbs remain perfectly healthy. If you’re in a milder climate, you can encourage a second growth in one season by cutting the stems down to the soil surface.
The idea that Easter lilies are forced to bloom in greenhouse conditions for the holidays implies that they wouldn’t be thrifty enough for a second bloom in the same season. However, in Smith River, CA, just south of the Oregon border, over 95% of Easter lilies are produced in fields. Each spring, the white flowers create a snow-like effect across the Pacific Northwest’s coastal fields.
Cutting & Display
Lilies make beautiful floral displays as full plants or cuttings. Keep your lily plant reblooming by removing spent blooms. If you take a cutting, clip one-third to half the stem. Avoid cutting more than this, as the plant uses all its top matter to refuel the hidden bulb for the next growing season. Also, snip off the anthers at the top of the stamen on cut flowers, as the orange pollen can stain clothing and irritate allergies. Florists say removing the anthers also encourages longer-lasting blooms.
A lily is an excellent focal point in any bouquet, placed at the center base of the display. It can also stand alone with maximum impact in a single vase. To arrange multiple lily cuttings in large bouquets, cut an odd number of blooms (3, 5, or 7) at varying lengths. Place them in the vase before other flowers, with the shorter stems at the front and the longer stems in the back, creating a pyramid shape. Add complementary flowers to the vase, building the bouquet into a beautiful centerpiece or gift.
