Is anyone ready for the “greening” of spring? It seems that winter, and its accompanying snow, has graced us with its presence long enough.
In order to paint some “green” thoughts for you, The Peoria County Office would like to provide some information on Easter Lilies. Easter lilies are common this time of year, but interestingly enough, it is one of the few plants that has essentially a week’s worth of sales and then is finished until next year.
“To keep it alive indoors, light and a moist—but not soggy—soil is enough to keep the plant going,” states David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center.
Once it is done blooming, an Easter lily sadly does not have much going for it as a houseplant. Within weeks, the leaves will start to yellow, and the plant dies above ground, though the bulb in the soil is still alive.
Even better, with a little care, you can plant it outdoors after flowering, and it will bloom again the same year. Easter lilies will tolerate summer’s extremes that many other plants will not survive. It just has a harder time living over the winter.
However, you can enjoy the blossoms longer if you keep the plants out of direct sunlight or warm drafts. It is worthwhile to place the plant on an unheated, but frost-free porch at night.
To keep the plant looking its best, remove the lily flowers as soon as they wither and clip any leaf ends that may brown. After all the flowers have been removed, you can keep the plant in a sunny window for its pleasing foliage or remove it to a basement window until danger from frost is over.
Should the plant begin to go into a rest period, the leaves will start to yellow and fall. The plant should then be kept on the dry side to discourage rots. Just allow the plant to go dormant.
The lily can be planted in a sunny garden spot as soon as danger from frost is past, which is between April 1 and May 1. Remove the plant from the pot by inverting it; and, while gently holding the top, tap the edge of the pot on a step or heavy board.
Open the root ball by pulling upward and out from the center of the ball. A few torn roots are better than an undisturbed dense root mass that may not be able to establish new roots in the soil. Clumped and matted roots are more likely to die and even injure the bulb, cautions Robson.
Place the bulb a few inches deeper than it was in the pot, essentially three to four inches deep. Open the root as much as possible, and work soil through them. Try not to damage the bulb, though sometimes the sections fall apart. Water the soil ball before separating it to minimize bulb damage. These bulb sections can be planted, but probably will not mature enough to produce a flower.
Thoroughly water the plant. One-half teaspoon of a 10-10-10 fertilizer per gallon helps promote new top and root growth. Soon after the old tops die, new shoots will start. These will flower lusually in July or August, if given ordinary garden care. Be sure that trees, weeds or other plants do not shade the lily.
Although many people report good results, none of the lily varieties are reliably hardy. If the ground is well drained, you can cover plants with mulch during the cold winter months—just as is done for roses. Mulches of straw, leaves, evergreen boughs, wood chips or ground corncobs are satisfactory and should be applied at least eight inches thick.
Most of the lilies are killed by exposure to winter winds and sun. Mulches limit the heaving action of the soil and, thus, prevent bulb exposure.
If you have other questions concerning horticulture, call the Peoria County Extension Office. The number is 309-685-3140 or www.extension.uiuc.edu/peoria.