Gardening with Gary




Gardening Advice from an Expert

Easter Lilies

Q. I received the most beautiful Easter Lily this year. I never owned one before so I don't know how to care for this plant. So far all the lilies dried up and fell off, but 2 new buds opened. There aren't any more visible buds. My question is now what happens to this plant once the lilies fall off.

A. Easter lilies are indeed a sight. They have been forced into bloom for the Holiday and once the buds have all opened and then died, the flowering is over for the season. I wish I knew where you live. If you have frosts, then the plant will not survive outside through the winter. If you do not, as in a mild, temperate climate, then you can grow outside year-round.

Either way, take clean shears and cut off the entire flower stem. Remove any brown or yellow leaves. Take the plant and grow in a sunny area of the gardens. They will tolerate half day sun, not full. Water and fertilize well all summer long so that you maintain good green healthy foliage.

If your climate imposes, bring the plant indoors and grow through the winter in a bright window, again watering and feeding well. You will get a bloom stalk by April/May.

A hint: If you must bring inside in the fall, merely sink the pot right into the ground. When the cool temps arrive, all you need do is lift the pot and clean. The roots are not disturbed!

Q. I had received an Easter Lily that is about finished blooming and would like to plant it. Being that I live at the eastern end of Long Island I wanted to know how I go about getting the plant in the ground and if it is safe to plant now [mid-April] or within the next week when it is finished blooming.

A. Now is the time to plant your lily outdoors. There are two ways:

Take off the old, spent flowers and stems. Remove any bottom yellow or brown leaves. Knock it out of the pot and plant into a slightly large hole to which you have added compost or humus to supply food and enrich.

But, if you plan on taking the plant back indoors for the winter, as it will not survive your winters, then you can merely sink the whole pot down into the bed and cover with a mulch to hide the pot!

Give it regular waterings and biweekly food throughout the summer. You want to maintain lush, green foliage which will build up the bulb below. It will store food and produce the flowers for next winter or spring.

Also, if you prefer, you can plant it without the pot, and when the fall has arrived, dig up the plant, put into a clean pot and bring inside.

Christi writes~
I was just searching for info on Easter Lilies and got directed to your site and I am so happy! I now have many new recipes to try. I have a question about Easter Lilies...I read your answer to questions about planting them outside, but I live in an apartment in Los Angeles...will the beautiful Easter Lily I just received from my Mom thrive potted indoors?

A. You may grow the lily indoors all year round but it will be hard to get it to bloom again as it needs cold temperatures to initiate the flower buds deep inside the bulb in the potting mix. If you would like it as a foliage plant, then there is no reason it will not thrive in a well-lit window with ample water, drainage and fertilizer. Make sure it is given a food high in nitrogen.

An option for flowering would be to cut the plant back in the late fall and place in the back of a refrigerator for 10 weeks, cover loosely and give it minimal water. Then, bring it out and give good light, water and dilute food. The green foliage should grow back and send up a flower shoot if you are fortunate.

Jane writes~
I Googled for 'care of Easter Lily bulbs' and found lots of good information on your site. But I still have one question; here's the background. I have a large plot of Easter Lilies that is probably 10 or 15 years old. They've never been touched, separated, or cared for in any but the most ordinary ways (mulch, fertilizer, cutting back dried stems, etc.) Now they are nearly three feet tall and some even run along the ground before shooting up toward the sun. I am pretty sure it's time to do something but I don't know what. As I look at the largest bulbs, I notice they have separations, vaguely like a garlic head. When I dig up these lilies, do I break the bulb apart into sections to share and replant?



A. You are exactly correct: just split them apart like a head of garlic cloves. A bulb reproduces by subdividing as it matures. It seems hard to do, but after the green foliage has grown during the season until it is yellowed and dying back, knocked down as you have been doing, after a month, dig the bulbs and lay out on newspaper to dry in a protected area. Cut the leaf stalks to 6" from bulbs. After several weeks, with hands, gently snap them apart, being careful not to expose the flesh. In fresh soil, worked well, replant the large ones 6-8" apart and make small patches of the little ones, also called bulblets. Water and feed well until fall and, in the spring, you will have some flowers but the good show will not start for another year or two and then continue for a number of years.