Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, bloom with distinctive white flowers. The plants grow from bulbs and normally flower in midsummer. Spring-blooming Easter lilies have been "forced" in greenhouses where temperature and light are strictly controlled to bring them into bloom much earlier than normal. Healthy Easter lilies can be transplanted for either large containers or garden culture. With good care, most will rebloom.
After your potted Easter lily has finished flowering in the spring, cut off the faded blooms and remove any foil wrapping from the plastic nursery pot. Leave the stems and foliage intact. If temperatures outside are still below freezing, place the lily in a sunny windowsill, and water whenever the surface of the soil feels dry. As soon as the soil is workable in the spring, bring the Easter lily outside and place it in a shady spot for a few days so it can acclimate to the outdoors.
Easter lilies prefer full sun, which means at least six hours per day of direct sunlight. Well-drained soil is essential, as the bulbs will rot in heavy clay. If you have clay soil, amend it at planting time, mixing it with equal parts sand or fine gravel and organic material. Dig a planting hole slightly deeper and wider than the lily's root ball, and fill it partly with water before installing the plant. Make sure to plant so the top of the root ball is even with the top edge of the planting hole. Mulch with organic material.
Easter lilies are genetically programmed to bloom once a year, with the number of individual flowers increasing as the plants mature. Before a plant can bloom or rebloom, it must store energy in the flower bulb. This means that an Easter lily that has been forced into magnificent bloom in March or April needs to store enough energy for the next flush of bloom. Generally, even if the lilies are planted outdoors as soon as they finish flowering in spring, they will not bloom again in midsummer. Rebloom will happen on schedule the following year.
Easter Lily Considerations
Some time after the Easter lily has been planted in its permanent home, the flower stalks will wither and should be cut off using disinfected pruning tools. Eventually, in fall, growth will die back, reemerging the following spring. Easter lilies are tough plants, but are susceptible to damage from tiny aphids that suck juices from the plants' stems. Watch for these green or brownish insects, and dispatch them with a strong blast from a garden hose. Lilies are also prone to gray mold or botrytis. If it occurs, remove affected plant parts and make sure the lily has sufficient air circulation around it.
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