Spring brings the blooming of many showy, ornamental flowers. Two standouts are the Easter lily and the Barbados lily. The Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum, is native to the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. Its large white, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers symbolize purity, rebirth and hope while announcing the arrival of spring and the Easter holiday. The “Nellie White” cultivar is the most common lily found this time of the year. Other cultivars are available if you would like to add yellow, cream or pink colors to your spring garden.

For more striking, vivid colors, consider adding the Barbados lily, Hippeastrum striatum, to your garden. Although this native to Central and South America is commonly called a lily, it is not classified in the Liliaceae family. Instead, it is part of the Amaryllis family. The red striped showy flower is thought to symbolize the wish to love and be loved. It is often seen in stores grown in containers ready to bloom in the winter; however, when planted outside, it will bloom again in late spring.

Both plants are striking perennials and can be featured accents to your garden or a beautiful border along your flower bed. Both grow to about three feet tall from bulbs in rich, organic, well-drained soil. Plant the Easter lily bulb about three inches deep and the Barbados lily bulb with half of the bulb buried in the soil and the rest of the upper bulb or “neck” rising above the surface. Both prefer indirect light or sun-dappled shade, cool temperatures, and a period of rest before blooming.

The leaves of the Easter lily are green, lanceolate-shaped and about six inches long. Each stem has numerous, narrow leaves and produces two large blossoms growing three to seven inches long. Each plant can yield multiple stems with 12 to 15 flowers providing a very lush and fragrant oasis in your garden.

The Barbados lily has glossy, green, strap-shaped leaves growing 12 to 36 inches long. Its stem also produces two or more funnel-shaped flowers with a larger span, measuring five to eight inches across. These conspicuous flowers are known to bloom for three to four weeks adding vibrant color to your garden.

Neither plant suffers from serious diseases or pests, but aphids or mealybugs may occasionally be found feeding on the plants. Aphids and mealybugs can be hosed off with a strong spray of water. On a cautionary note, all parts of the lilies and particularly the bulbs are toxic to humans and pets, especially cats, if large quantities are eaten.

With care, the Easter and Barbados lilies add color and lush greenery to your emerging spring garden. They are a welcome sign of renewal and hope.

Happy spring!

Deborah Haggett is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at gardenclubofcapecoral.com.

References

Barbados Lily – Hippeastrum | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). https://plants.ces.ncsu. edu/plants/hippeastrum/common-name/ barbados-lily/

S. (n.d.). Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum. Wisconsin Horticulture. https:// hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/easter-lily-lilium-longiflorum/