It’s no trick to get a second bloom from your Easter lily gift plant or even year-after-year bloom if you want it.
No pampering is needed. Just a few step-by-step procedures, that’s all.
How To Keep Your Easter Lily Gift Plant Blooming
To keep your gift plant blooming as long as possible, set it where it will get some sunlight and a temperature of 60° to 65° degrees Fahrenheit.
You’ll want to water the plant frequently to prevent wilting and remove faded blooms.
After The Flowering Period is Over
Gradually reduce the water and give the plant only enough to keep it actively growing—it’s storing food for that second blooming period.
As soon as all danger of frost is past, it’s time to set the plant in a permanent location in the garden.
Remove the lower leaves and set the plant 4” to 6” inches deeper in the ground than it was growing in the pot. Your lily is a stem-rooting variety and will benefit from deeper planting.
Like all lilies, the Easter lily will be happiest in a location in full sun yet protected from the strongest winds.
A rich, deeply prepared soil to which has been added plenty of peat moss or leaf mold will meet its needs.
After The Olf Foliage Dies Back
Gradually the old foliage will die back, and the bulb will produce fresh new foliage. Then it’s time to see that the plant has plenty of water and occasional feeding with a completely soluble fertilizer.
Mulching the plant with a coarse loose mulch such as ground tobacco stalks, corncobs, or sawdust will conserve moisture and keep the roots cool when temperatures soar up to 90° degrees Fahrenheit on hot summer days.
In September, buds will swell and open out into the same exotic blooms as were on your plant at Easter time.
For year-after-year bloom, give the plant a protective mulch the first winter, and after that, it will continue to bloom and multiply for several years if it’s happy in its new home.
44659 by Rose Ross