In preparation for the holiday, you might have picked up an Easter lily at the store, or maybe someone gave one of the white flowers to you as a gift. But if you've never cared for a potted Easter lily as a houseplant, you may not know the first thing about its needs. Do the fragrant flowers have specific tastes when it comes to light and water? Do they have a very particular growing season? This Easter season, learn how to care for one of these plants, no matter how you obtained it.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Easter Lily Care
These Easter flowers are also known as Lilium longiflorum, and they're a perennial bulb with big, white, flowers in a trumpet shape with a "wonderful fragrance," according to The Spruce. The plant is "endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands (Japan)," according to Wikipedia, and today, most Easter lily bulbs in North America come from growers in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Apparently, they were heavily imported from Japan before the 1940s, when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened and the supply ceased.
The most common cultivar is the Nellie White, and other varieties include the Deliana, the Elegant Lady/Pink Easter Lily, the Trimphator, and the White Elegance, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension's horticulture website.
As for caring for these flowers, if you're taking care of potted plants, Easter lilies like bright, indirect light, and should be kept by a window, the Spruce notes. Any decorative foil should be removed or checked frequently to be sure water collection from overwatering isn't a problem.
If you plant Easter lilies outside, they like full sun in well-drained soil and mulch for insulation, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They are generally the hardiest in USDA hardiness zones 5-11. They do well with mild daytime temperatures and don't love humidity.
One thing you definitely need to watch out for with these flowers during the Easter holiday is their toxicity to cats. Easter lilies can cause major kidney damage and, unfortunately, death in felines, even if they just ingest a little bit of the pollen. Just something to note if you want one of these in your home or garden.
With all that in mind, do you want an Easter lily to celebrate the holiday?
