Can you plant an Easter lily that you received as a gift outside, thereby saving it and enjoying its flowers long after the holiday has passed? You bet you can, and I'll supply the necessary growing information below. Along the way, I'll also be sharing some additional introductory facts, so that you'll know exactly what you're planting, when it blooms and potential problems you may encounter.

Easter Lilies: Symbol of a Season?

While Easter lilies are symbolic of their namesake season, it's important not to expect these flowers to bloom for you in early spring.

If you want something flowering out in the garden that early, then you should be growing spring bulbs. Even Pasque flower, another plant associated with this holiday, will blossom for you earlier than will the Easter lily, which blooms for me in early July here in zone 5 (beyond which it is not reliably hardy).

So how is it that the potted plant you received as a gift was in full bloom for Resurrection Day, but when grown in the yard it doesn't flower until summer? It's a matter of manipulation, or what the greenhouse trade calls "forcing." We find a similar discrepancy with another holiday favorite, Christmas poinsettias. In each case, the commercial demand for a showy plant that can be marketed for a (in the North, at least) cold-weather holiday has created something of an artificial symbol.

As someone who used to be involved in the greenhouse business, I can tell you that the greenhouse operator is always looking ahead. Never is this more so than in the raising of poinsettias and Easter lilies.

The summer's heat has barely subsided when poinsettia season begins once again. And Easter lily season begins before consumers have even thought about buying a poinsettia for the Christmas holiday.

Historically speaking, neither Easter lilies nor Christmas poinsettias have much to do with their namesake holidays. Neither is native to the Holy Land. The best case that can be made for the Easter lily as a symbol for the Resurrection is that lilies are mentioned in the Bible, and that white flowers such as Easter lilies have long been used to represent purity. It is not the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), however, that is specifically mentioned in the Bible, since Easter lilies traveled west only much later from their native Japan (the Ryukyu Islands). The common plant name given to them at first was "Bermuda lily," because Bermuda was a hot spot for their production in the nursery trade.

Planting Easter Lilies Outside

Be that as it may, I'm assuming (since you're reading this article) that you wish to save your Easter lily after the holiday by planting it outside, enabling you to enjoy its trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers every year. But what plant care will be needed to save it? What kind of soil will be best for it? Does it want sun or shade? What problems might stand in your way as you try to save your Easter lily?

Marie Iannotti recommends indirect sunlight and a temperature of 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit while you're still caring for Lilium longiflorum as a houseplant. Experts caution us to wait till after danger of frost has passed before planting Easter lilies outside (good advice, since you risk shocking a plant that has become acclimated to indoor temperatures), but, honestly, I planted my own outside immediately after the holiday without adverse effects.

Likewise, some instruct using a bulb fertilizer or all-purpose fertilizer at planting time, but I have experienced successful growth simply by providing a soil that drains well and that has been fortified with humus. Pick a spot that receives full sun. After removing your Easter lily from its pot, install it in the ground to the same depth as you had it in the container, water it in and mulch it.

Summer's heat will take its toll, but don't worry: it's normal for the leaves to turn brown. Some gardeners cut the plant down to ground level (or nearly to ground level) at this point, promoting new growth later in the season. Again, personally, I went against conventional wisdom here and did nothing when the foliage turned brown -- not because I'm a maverick, but because I'm lazy! Likewise, I failed to mulch the plant to help it over-winter (it's really a good idea to mulch in regions subject to harsh winters; be sure to remove the mulch in spring). Despite my inept ministrations, my Easter lily re-emerged the following spring, grew to a height of almost 3 feet and produced multiple blossoms in July.

If you wish to divide long-established bulbs, do so in late summer or fall (after the foliage has browned).

Here in New England (U.S.), the red lily leaf beetle (Lilioceris lilii) is a potential problem for the grower of Easter lilies. It also attacks other members of the genus, Lilium (my 'Fangio' L.A. hybrid fared the worst this year, with my 'Stargazer' not too far behind) and Fritillaria. These beetles can defoliate a plant, up to the point even of killing it! If you don't think you have the time or energy to watch for the beetles and pick them off by hand, try spraying neem oil on your plants.

Finally, a caveat in saving Easter lilies, especially while keeping them as houseplants: they are poisonous plants and can be deadly to cats prone to nibbling.