Growing Easter lilies
The beautiful and fragrant white Easter lily, lilium longiform, one of our most traditional flowers, has arrived on time. The fact that it has a short season and also with Easter occurring a different day every year, it is a tremendous chore for the bulb growers to make this bloom period successful and to the market on time.
In order to force the lily bulb to bloom on time, the mature bulbs must have at least 40 days of fake winter, by refrigeration, after 3 years. The bulbs are never dormant; they are not mature for 3 to 4 years. Once matured they are sent to commercial greenhouses to be potted and ultimately sent to market.
The lily starts out as a little bulblet attached to its mother bulb, in the soil. As the mother bulbs are processed for shipment, the tiny bullets are planted in a different area for a year, then re-planted as a yearling plant to grow to maturity. Each bulb may be handled as much as 40 times. Some of the mature bulbs are peeled back like an onion and the scales planted to become bulblets the following year. A very labor-intensive production.
All of this special effort starts in late September and early October. The bulbs are grown in a few miles of the Pacific Coast, at the Oregon/California border. This area has the ideal combination of climate, soil and water to develop these hardy bulbs to maturity. Ninety-five percent of the world’s potted Easter lily bulbs originate from this narrow coastal strip.
A native to Japan, the lily market was dominated world wide by Japan. World War II changed that and the Japanese were never able to come close to the U.S. bulb quality and never regained any significant market.
Thanks to the foresight of a World War I soldier, Louis Houghton, he brought a suitcase full of hybrid lilies back to the south end coast of Oregon. He freely shared his supply with his friends and neighbors. It was not long until it was discovered that the bulbs had found an excellent environment and as the Japanese market collapsed, the U.S. was all ready to grab the market with this “white gold.”
Growing these bulbs to maturity is not a carefree practice for the growers – or the bulbs. Mature ones have to be picked, cleaned, weighed, etc., by hand before shipping to greenhouses for potting.
Once at the greenhouses, they are potted and made ready for the market which means everything has to be streamlined to hit the U.S. markets and Canada in time for the short Easter holiday.
The most widely used lily is the Nellie White. A lily grower named it after his wife.
Most of the potted lilies are prepared in Michigan, California, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The Easter lily is symbolic of a resurrection as they rise from an earthy grave as lily bulbs and bloom into majestic flowers: symbolic of purity, virtue, hope and life.
There are many more symbolic and interesting stories to be told of these regal flowers.
When you purchase a plant for yourself, your church, your friends, you will want to remember they may be encased in netting or a lot of paper and surely a pretty pot wrap. Let them out of all of this confining material as soon as possible. When left in the pretty foil wrap, make sure when you water it well to let it drain a bit before placing it back in foil. It does not like to sit in water. I just water mine in a sink or out over some grass, let it set a bit and back in the foil or a pretty pot. Once a week should do well.
It should not be setting in a sunny window, bright is OK. It does not like cold drafts so no setting under the A/C draft.
I have never feed mine as a houseplant. I do trim off any dead blooms and especially the little antler-like center spikes. Watch those, the will stain your hands and clothes, however the flower lasts longer.
Try to have a plant with both open blooms and a couple of closed blooms, you will have flowers longer. If a plant looks too wet, do not buy it.
The lily is a perennial and you can plant it out in soil when it stops blooming. Cut off all flowers and leave on leaves until they die back. Set in a sunny spot and keep it watered.
Checkout the computer for actual soil planting directions.
Palm Sunday and the first day of spring arrive this coming Sunday. I wish a happy Holy week for all so inclined and a beautiful spring day for everyone.
Till we meet again.
H.I. Jean Shields is Past President of the Cape Coral Garden Club.