Every year, I wait patiently for my Easter lilies to come up in the garden. The shoots are now about 6 inches tall, but they are a long way from blooming, and I’m looking forward to those huge, fragrant, trumpet-shaped white flowers.
Still, I pick up a few new blooming plants each year to enjoy now and celebrate Easter. It’s a tradition that marks spring, along with decorating eggs, chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets.
Easter lilies that are blooming at his time of year have been forced under controlled conditions to flower in time for Easter. This is a very tricky process, since Easter falls on a different day each year, dependent upon celestial bodies. Celebrated on the first Sunday that follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox, Easter can be any day between March 22 and April 25.
Crop scheduling and timing is critical. The flowers must bloom exactly when they’re supposed to, with no margin for error.
Did you know that more than 95 percent of all the bulbs grown for the Easter lily market are produced by just 10 farms in a narrow coastal region straddling the California-Oregon border? Known as the Easter Lily Capital of the World, the area offers a climate with year-round mild temperatures; deep, rich alluvial soils; and abundant rainfall — which combine to produce a consistent, high-quality bulb crop.
The Easter lily, or Lilium longiforum, is native to the southern islands of Japan, where it was grown and exported to the U.S. until World War II. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Japanese source of bulbs was abruptly cut off. As a result, the value of lily bulbs skyrocketed, and many who grew lilies as a hobby stateside decided to go into business.
The Easter lily bulbs at the time were called “white gold,” and growers everywhere tried to cash in. By 1945, there were about 1,200 growers producing bulbs up and down the Pacific Coast, from Vancouver to Long Beach.
But producing quality, consistent lily bulbs proved to be quite demanding, with specific climatic requirements. Over the years, the number of bulb producers dwindled to just the 10 farms near the Oregon border. Even after the Japanese started to ship bulbs again after the war, they have never been able to come close to the quality of our U.S.-grown bulbs.
Here’s how to make your Easter lily keep on giving:
For the longest possible period of enjoyment, remove the yellow anthers from the flowers before the pollen starts to shed. This gives longer flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers. Place the plants in bright, indirect daylight — not direct sunlight — and water when the soil surface feels dry to the touch. Do not let the plant sit in water.
After blooming, plant your lily outside in sun or partial shade after letting it acclimate to brighter conditions for a week or so before transplanting. Plant lilies in a well-drained garden bed that has been amended with lots of organic matter, such as compost. Then, mulch the surface with more compost.
As the original plants begin to die back, cut the stems back to the soil surface. New growth will soon emerge, but it will go dormant during the winter. Next year, they will bloom naturally in the summertime.
Easter lilies are a great addition to the flower border. They’re easy to grow, fragrant and hardy.
• Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at ja******@*ol.com.
