Easter is late this year and that affords Ontario's Easter lily growers with a little extra time to force these trumpets of bright white purity, hope and life - the spiritual essence of spring and all the good things to come.
The genus Lilium are herbaceous flowering plants normally growing from bulbs. They comprise a genus of about 110 species and are important as large showy flowering garden plants. Lilies are also Ontario's 7th most important cut flower and the potted Easter lily is Ontario's only indoor potted lily. Despite a sales window of only approximately two weeks each year, Easter Lilies are the fourth largest potted plant crop in North America, ranking just below poinsettias, mums, and azaleas as a favorite blooming plant.
We can thank Louis Houghton, a World War I soldier, for the popularity of the Bermuda Lily -- better known as the Easter Lily. In 1919, he brought a suitcase full of hybrid lily bulbs to the southern coast of Oregon and gave them to family and friends to plant. The climate there was ideal for growing this lily, a native of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and by 1945, over one thousand growers were producing bulbs for the commercial market.
Often called the "white-robed apostles of hope," lilies are said to have been found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ's agony. Tradition has it that the beautiful white blooms sprung up where drops of Christ's sweat fell to the ground in his final hours. At Easter time, churches bank their altars and surround their crosses with masses of Easter lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and hope of life everlasting.
The pure white lily has long been associated with the Virgin Mary, too. In early paintings, the Angel Gabriel is pictured extending a branch of pure white lilies to the Virgin Mary, announcing that she is to be the mother of the Christ Child. In other paintings, saints are pictured bringing vases full of white lilies to Mary and the infant Jesus.
Two of the greatest charms of the Easter Lily are form and fragrance, so pick Ontario grown Easter Lilies that are aesthetically pleasing from all angles with flowers in various stages of bloom. As the flowers mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed. This extends the flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers or tablecloths. Deadhead withered blooms to encourage attractive longevity
In the home, the lily will thrive near a window in bright, indirect natural daylight, but avoid glaring, direct sunlight. Easter lilies prefer moderately moist, well-drained soil. Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to the touch, but avoid over-watering and letting the plant sit in standing water.
It is very difficult to force Easter lilies into bloom a second time indoors but if planted in the garden after risk of frost, the bulb plant may bloom again in the summer or fall. However, the bulbs are not hardy and won't survive an Ontario winter in the ground. Pick a site with bright light but some shelter from extreme heat and wind. As the original plant dies back, cut the stems down to the soil surface. New growth will soon emerge. The Easter lilies, which were forced to bloom under controlled greenhouse conditions in March, may rise again naturally in the summer!
