Easter Lily

Easter Lilies

With their pure white trumpet shaped blossoms standing proudly over deep green sword shaped leaves, Easter Lilies are part of our North American Easter celebration. The traditional Easter plant, Lilium longiflorum, is native to Japan, but is now primarily grown commercially on the west coast of the United States.

Light

Bright Indirect Sunlight

Temperature

Cool daytime (18C) and nighttime (15C) temperatures increase flower life. Keep away from heat sources

Water

Water when top half inch of soil is dry to touch. The decorative pot covers are notorious for holding water around the base of the pot. Make sure your plant is not sitting in water.

Other Care

Remove yellow anthers. The bright yellow pollen stains badly. Removing the anthers will preserve tablecloths and furniture. Removing the anthers will prolong flower life. As well, you should remove spent flowers.

Planting Outside

In Saskatchewan, getting Easter Lilies to grow outside is pretty dicey. Most of the bulb are grown either in Washington state or California. That’s a Zone 5 or 6. Saskatoon is a zone 2B. But, it will only cost you some time and some fertilizer to give it a try. Wait until the lily has finished blooming. Continue to care for like a houseplant. Fertilize with Plant Prod’s 15-30-15 every 3 weeks. Once the danger of frost has past, plant outside. Lilies like to grow in a sunny location with well drained soil. It helps to add bone meal when you plant. Mulch the lily well in the fall.

© Dutch Growers Garden Centre Saskatoon Ltd 2007

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