How to Promote Easter Lily Blooms

Easter lilies are usually forced to bloom in spring to correspond with the Easter holiday season. Most varieties produce large, white blossoms, with multiple flowers blooming simultaneously on the same plant. Providing proper care once you get the lily home helps ensure it blooms for the longest period possible. Once it finishes its flowering cycle, you can promote future blooms by transplanting it outdoors. While it can’t be forced to flower in spring again, you can enjoy the blossoms outside each summer.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Scissors

1. Place the potted lily in a 65- to 75-degree Fahrenheit location, away from air vents and heat ducts. Choose a location that receives bright, indirect light, as too little or too much sun can cause poor flowering.

2. Water if the soil feels dry. Provide just enough water so that the excess drains from the bottom of the pot, then empty the drained water from the drip tray so the plant isn’t sitting in standing water.

3. Cut out the anthers with small scissors as soon as the form in the center of each flower. The anthers are covered in yellow pollen. Anther removal helps extend the life of the flowers.

4. Trim off the flowers once all the buds have opened and wilted. Cut off just the flower head, but leave the stem and foliage in place.

5. Transplant the lily outside to a full-sun, well-drained garden bed once all frost danger is past. Plant the bulb so the top sits 6 inches beneath the soil surface.

6. Water the bed once weekly, providing enough moisture to keep the top 6 inches of soil moist. Cut off the foliage and stems once they die back naturally in fall. The Easter lily will resume growth the following spring and bloom in early summer.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase Easter lilies that still have most of their buds unopened so you can enjoy the blossoms at home.

• When properly cared for, Easter lily flowers can remain attractive for several weeks.