Caring for Your Easter Lily After the Holiday

Each spring lucky recipients of Easter lilies wonder if the plant can be moved into their garden. This evokes memories of my grandmother in southern Ohio who had a garden created from years of Easter lily gift plants.

The traditional white Easter lily Lilium longiflorum) is reliably hardy in zones 7 through 9, but I’ve had success growing them in sheltered zone 4 and 5 locations. 

Remove the flowers as they fade and fertilize with a dilute solution of any flowering houseplant fertilizer.  Water the soil thoroughly and often enough to keep it moist but not wet.  Move the plant outdoors to a sunny well-drained location after the danger of frost has passed.  Plant the bulb six inches deep in a sheltered location, leaving any remaining leaves intact.  Water thoroughly.

Then watch for a tall, beautiful lily blooming in your garden next summer.

A bit more information:  Lilies are often treated with growth regulators when grown in the greenhouse. This limits their growth to a more manageable size for indoor displays. When grown in the garden, they can reach 3 feet in height, so select their outdoor location accordingly.