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| Photo Credit: Megan Bame |
| The glossy, dark foliage topped by the white, trumpet-shaped flower make the Easter lily a holiday favorite. |
Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum) are recognized throughout North America as the traditional flower associated with the Christian Easter celebration. The fragrant, trumpet-shaped, white blooms adorn church alters over the holiday and are a lovely Easter gift that can be enjoyed indoors – then planted in the garden for years of summer blooms.
The legend and lore of the lily’s association with Easter is plentiful. One story goes that lilies grew at the foot of the cross, where drops of Jesus’ sweat fell as he was crucified; another associates the lily with the Virgin Mary; and yet another attributes the tears of a repentant Eve in the Garden of Eden to have brought forth the plant. I’m partial to the more symbolic idea that the flower retells the Resurrection story with its life cycle: The bulb represents the tomb of Jesus, while the white, fragrant blooms symbolize His life after death. The snowy-white flowers stand for the purity of the Divine Savior and the joy of the Resurrection, while their trumpet shape signifies Gabriel’s trumpet call to rebirth and new life. Of course, there’s a slight hiccup with this lovely notion, since the Easter lily naturally blooms in June and must be forced in the greenhouse every year to meet the holiday deadline in March or April. So with no real consensus on the Easter lily’s holiday history, I suppose tradition will have to account for this widely accepted – and perhaps, expected – floral display. While growers work hard to force these flower bulbs to bloom during a narrow (and floating) two-week window, Easter lily care and maintenance requires little effort for your continued enjoyment. Here’s what you need to know: Start by selecting the best plant. Choose an Easter lily that has dark green leaves on a compact plant (meaning a lily that’s not too tall that it becomes top-heavy when the large blooms open). You can prolong your enjoyment of the flowers by picking out a plant that has only 1-2 open blooms and several unopened buds. If the plant’s packaged in a paper, plastic or mesh sleeve that surrounds the foliage and flowers, remove the sleeve immediately for prolonged blooming and best quality. (Note: A decorative pot cover is fine to leave on – the sleeve was intended for plant protection during shipping, the pot cover is for aesthetics.)
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