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Oklahoma Gardening

My Easter lily is not dead after all :)

13 years ago

I had a gorgeous "Easter" lily...and after it bloomed I sort of stuck the pot off to the side and ceased watering it :~(

Well, I just removed the soil to see what was below and it's a great-looking viable bulb under there!

What do I do now? It's running 100 degrees here pretty regularly - should I find a spot where I'd like to plant it and go ahead and do that now, or...wait...until?? I know they like shaded roots and sunny plants, etc., and that it may not bloom for a couple of years and then not at "Easter" per se, but I would like to have it survive and thrive.

What do you guys suggest? In all fairness, I did post this on the Lily Forum as well.

Thanks!

Sharon

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Comments (4)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
13 years ago
Sharon,

I don't know what they suggested on the lily forum, but I'd plant it where it gets some sun/some shade, which you already know, and hope for the best. If you have clay or very fast-draining sandy soil, I'd add a bunch of compost. I don't think putting it in the ground now will harm it...the good thing about bulbs is they have their energy stored inside of them.

Good luck with it,

Dawn
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spademilllane
13 years ago
I sympathize with your confusion over "Easter Lilies". I used to think lilies only bloomed at Easter.

This house I have is an old one--now about 95 years old. At different places around the acres of grounds the lilies come up between the traditional "Easter" lily time and September/October. There may be a few weeks when no lilies bloom, but they are always "getting ready" if not actually blooming. They are all colors. Some bloom in full sun, other in full shade, yet others in between. Some are blooming like crazy right now in this August heat. Some bear leaves in spring, some bear leaves in the fall, and some bear leaves the entire summer. Some die down, some don't. Go figure.

Whomever planted these lilies obviously made a study of them and collected a wide variety. I just enjoy them as I can.
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susanlynne48
13 years ago
The Easter lilies that we find at Easter time are forced to bloom under controlled conditions, and the methods are quite technical and exact since Easter falls at a different time every year. The natural bloom time in the ground is generally early summer, June to July, usually. Remember that lilies like their heads in the sun, and their roots in the shade. They also like a rich, well-draining soil, emphasis on the well-draining. Bulbs will rot otherwise.

Yes, go ahead and put it in the ground now and mulch it well. This is actually Lilium longiflorum, probably the hybrid Nellie White.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Easter Lily
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shankins123
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, you three...I knew some of that, but not most - there was a poster on the Lily Forum that was quite helpful, too, although he is 2000 miles away in British Columbia!

I will plant this great bulb and wait for next year!

Sharon
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