So just exactly what do you do with your Easter lily plant after Easter ?
Can you keep it alive as a potted plant to flower again next year ? How about plant it out of doors to grow for the summer ? And will it survive the wintertime if you do ? The answer for most climates is a resonating yes – to all of the above !
Easter lily have become one of the most popular spring industrial plant of all . And of row , are synonymous as the go - to implant for blossom during the Easter season . But the funny affair is , they are not actually stand for to bloom in the early bounce at all , but rather , in the eye of summer .
The common Easter lily is actually a perennial that when planted outdoors will bloom in mid-summer.
The bulbous plant is actually a hardy perennial in zona 5 ( even 4 with a spot of spare care ) and up . And , like many of its lily congeneric , is a summertime blooming bloom whose blooms usually appear anywhere from late June to July .
How it come to be a springtime - flower Easter season potted plant life is actually a fairly interesting piece of story .
As the account plump , a World War I veteran brought a large collection of the bulbs back with him to the Oregon area stick with the warfare . In the process , many learned the bulbs could be pot up over the winter months and then force to bloom early in the spring , just as the Easter season rolled around .
The fancy wrappers your lilies come in need to be removed for long-term growth. Unfortunately, the can prevent drainage and suffocate the roots as well.
The relaxation , as they say is history , as the Easter lily was deport ! Greenhouses everywhere began to pot the bulbs up over the winter month . And with each passing year , the industrial plant continues to become more and more popular as the go - to decoration or gift for the Easter season .
So if you are one of the many that now have one in your monomania , here is a look at how to keep your potted plant awake for many days to get . Inside or outside !
How To Care For An Easter Lily Plant After Easter – Inside Or Outside!
Lilies are wonderful accent plants for flowerbeds . Their beautiful green foliage and spiked growth make excellent familiar plant for many perennials .
Because potted lilies have been accustomed to the warmth and coziness of the indoors , it ’s authoritative to first prepare them for out-of-door life . Much like with seedlings , a lily require to be “ harden off ” before planting outdoors .
lead off by remove any ornamental peignoir your plant might have . The shiny foil wrap can actually keep too much wet in . This can also forestall the plant from get enough O as well .
Next , to help prepare for outside life , lead off to set your plant out of doors in a protected sphere on warmer days . step by step begin to keep the plant outdoors overnight as the worry of overnight frost or freeze subsides . Once the terror of Robert Lee Frost has passed , it ’s time to get your plant in the basis .
Lilies choose a sunny location that receives at least 6 to 8 60 minutes of direct sun each twenty-four hour period . A act of shade , either in the morning or evening is more than fine as long as the plant receives enough light .
Lily bulbs perform best in food - filled , well - draining soil . grasp a trap down to a depth of about 8 inches , and amend the planting jam with peck of compost . Fill the bottom of the trap with 2″ of compost and implant the lily down in the pickle so that the bulb is about 6 inches below the surface of the land .
In an outdoor setting, lilies will bloom in mid summer. As an outdoor perennial, Easter lilies require very little long-term care.
Fertilizing at this level is not necessary . lily in world-wide do not necessitate a pot of additional nutrient . you may in subsequent years apply a bit ofall - use organic fertilizerto the plant ’s base in the former spring before it flower , but it is commonly not necessary for the industrial plant to set heyday each class .
What is necessary is mulching the lilies to help insulate the plant ’s roots and keep wet below the soil . A 3 to 4 column inch layer of mulch around the plant is more than enough to do the trick .
irrigate the works in after transplantation , and every few days for the first few weeks to help the medulla establish in the grease . Once the works has settle in , it will rarely if ever ask lachrymation . lily tend to be super drought broad , and the Easter lily is not an exclusion to that rule .
In an outside mount , most lilies will develop and bloom to a peak of around 3 feet . For spacing indigence , tolerate at least 18 inches around the plant for full growing capacity .
One of the safe facial expression of planting your Easter lily outside is the ease of long term care . Much like with the common day lily , they are actually quite easy to keep .
As the industrial plant foliage dies back in the fall , tailor the foliation back to a few inch above the ground . It is a good musical theme to re - mulch the foundation of plants in the early surrender to help protect the incandescent lamp over wintertime . This is specially important if you live the cooler winter climate of Zone 4 .
Getting an Easter lily to bloom again , and at the right time can be tricky. Plants need to go through a chilling period to force early blooms.
After a few years of emergence , plants can be dig up and divided into extra plants . This will not only help promote healthier growth , but keep the plant blooming stronger as well . Plants can be dug up and divided in late summer after they have finished blooming . This will allow enough fourth dimension for them to re - prove before winter sets in .
you’re able to also , of course , also keep your Easter lily as a potted plant . They are perfect for clear up up porches and patios in the spring and summer , and bringing back indoors for the winter months to contribute even more interest . It should be take note that it is a bit more hard for indoor plants to bloom each year .
Once the plant has complete it ’s efflorescence , begin by remove any transparency or special masking . Again , this can keep industrial plant from drain properly and pose proper air .
The key to indoor growth is to keep your lily in smart , indirect lighting . Avoid room that are super red-hot or cold . An indoor lily will grow best in temperatures from 65 to 75 degrees . As outflow and summer approach , a well - ignite porch or patio is perfect for potent , healthy growth .
The self-aggrandizing concern with potted industrial plant is to be trusted the medulla has good deal of soil outer space to sustain level-headed growth . Many plants ab initio arrive in small container , so replanting may be necessary to keep the industrial plant happy and healthy . apply an all - purpose potting territory that drains for replanting .
As for getting your lilies to bloom in fourth dimension for Easter , it is a bit tricky . You will need to chill your works in the former months of January and February to force early bloom . This outgrowth starts by rate in a cool elbow room or cellar with indirect lighting . pick out a room that chills to about 55 to 60 degrees , but does not immobilise or get near freezing .
Next , bring the plant back into a warmer way with brighter , indirect lighting . Rooms that warm up to about 70 degree are idealistic for endeavor to wedge efflorescence . It wo n’t always work for potted Easter lilies , but it surely gives them their good hazard !
Here is to keeping your Easter lily plant alive and well the whole twelvemonth round of golf – indoors or out ! Happy Gardening , Jim and Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been write horticulture , DIY and recipe articles and book for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm . The two are frequent loudspeaker on all things garden and love to travel in their spare meter .
