If you’re curious about how long do Easter lilies last, the answer will be indefinite. You can grow Easter lilies in the greenhouse to guarantee a long lifespan because of the stable conditions. This article will also discuss some tips on extending Easter lily blooms and maintaining the plant’s health. Regardless, Easter lilies make an excellent houseplant since they are relatively easy to care for.
It’s also common to start Easter lilies from bulbs in the greenhouse, but you can buy a grown plant and place it in a location that won’t provide extreme temperatures to promote drying. It’s worth noting that it’s common to let the plant fade and continue the bulbs cycle instead. Overall, Easter lilies can last for a good while, given the conditions are right.
How Long Do Easter Lilies Last And How To Take Care Of Them
In general, Easter lilies can last indefinitely and can serve you for years to come. Perhaps this is why many people consider these plants as houseplants or even grow them in the greenhouse to last longer. Easter lilies are also popular potted plants, and you shouldn’t have any problem taking care of them as long as you maintain ideal conditions.
For example, Easter lilies thrive well in hardiness zones 4 to 8. This should give you an idea of what climate will be problematic both for potted Easter lilies and cut flowers. If your region experiences harsh winter, you should keep the Easter lilies indoors to make them last and then grow outside when it gets warmer.
If you maintain Easter lilies in a stable environment, whether it’s in your house or a greenhouse, you can expect them to bloom again in another year. Ensure soil moisture and protect your plants from extreme temperatures. Otherwise, you can let them fade and propagate using the bulbs.
How to extend Easter lily blooms
If you’re growing Easter lilies commercially, you can use a greenhouse and force these plants to bloom in March for widespread Easter use. However, Easter lilies naturally bloom in the middle of the season from early to mid-summer around June and July. They might be called Easter lilies because they are popular in early spring during Easter, but you must note these standard blooming periods to know how to extend it.
Choose a healthy plant
How does one extend an Easter lily’s bloom? If you got your plants in plastic, you want to remove them from it to prevent water-logging the roots. More so, you want to check the plant’s quality as yellowing ones will indeed not have a long blooming period. A green plant with few unopened blooms is ideal, and you can extend the lifespan of the flowers by removing the yellow anthers.
Remove the anthers and relocate the plants
Think of this practice as preventing a flowering plant from seeding, but instead, you’re preventing pollen production. Be on the lookout for these anthers when the flowers opened. Afterward, place the Easter lilies in a bright area and away from drafts.
Water and maintain the stability of the environment
Cold and hot drafts and direct light are the common culprits that shorten the blooms. You can also adjust the temperature to 65°F in the greenhouse to further support the flowers. Lastly, don’t forget to maintain the moisture of the medium without risking overwatering.
You can soak the container and let it drain to water Easter lilies. Be sure that the surface is dry before watering to prevent diseases from keeping the plant in standing water. Over time, you can gauge if you can plant the Easter lilies outdoors again.
You want the foliage to turn brown in summer and fall after the flowers die. Gardeners often place them somewhere with 6 hours of sunlight. While the plant itself looks dead, use this opportunity to provide light and moisture to encourage flowering next year.
Planting Easter Lilies After Blooming
After keeping your Easter lilies indoors, you can check your calendar if the danger of frost has passed and then plant them outdoors. Choose an area with full sun and amend the soil if necessary. You want them to be somewhere well-draining and fertile to support growth.
The hole should be wide and deep enough to receive the bulbs and have the roots spread. Make sure that there are no air pockets and the plants are stable. To help with moisture retention, water deeply.
A space of 18 inches among the Easter lilies is ideal to anticipate their growth. You can also mulch to provide shade on their roots and again in winter to protect them from the cold temperature. Gardeners will then fertilize in spring when new growth appears, and you can cut them back in fall at 3 inches above the soil.
Conclusion
Contrary to its name, Easter lilies are not plants limited on Easter. But how long do Easter lilies last? Easter lilies can last for years, as long as you keep them in an ideal environment.
You can also keep them blooming by removing their anthers and placing them somewhere cool and away from drafts. If your region has a challenging climate, you can grow them in the greenhouse and even force them to bloom for Easter use. The main takeaway here is that the environment and practices will dictate the lifespan of your Easter lilies.