Easter lilies are native to Japan and can be bought as a temporary indoor plant or as bulbs to plant in the garden. Also known as the trumpet lily, because of the shape of its blooms, the Easter lily is often sold in spring as a decorative plant. Its associations with Easter are in common with white lilies like the Madonna lily, which have become symbols of purity and are often used in wedding bouquets.
Although the Easter lily is sold in the spring as a plant, outdoors in the UK it flowers in summer. Plant bulbs of Lilium longiflorum in autumn for flowers in June and July. Easter lilies are toxic to cats, so this may be one to avoid, or place out of reach if you have a cat.
How to grow easter lily
Indoors, place a potted Easter lily plant in a spot where it will receive bright, indirect light. Keep it away from drafts or radiators. Outdoors, plant lily bulbs in a sheltered sunny spot, in either well-drained soil or a container filled with a loam-based compost.
Where to grow easter lily
Easter lilies grow best in a south-, west- or east-facing position where they will get plenty of sun. They can be grown in the ground or in containers.
How to plant easter lily
Plant the bulbs of Easter lily between October and March. The bulbs should be planted in deep containers in a soil-based compost with some added grit to improve drainage. Plant the bulbs at around two and a half times the bulb’s depth and 5cm apart. In the ground, choose an area with free-draining soil and plant 15cm deep.
How to care for easter lily
Indoors, Easter lilies will thrive in bright, indirect light. Once flowering is over, you could plant out into the garden at the same depth that it was in its pot. Water when the top inch of soil becomes dry.
Outdoors, deadhead regularly to keep your plant flowering and cut back any brown leaves. Feed every two weeks during the flowering season. A potassium-based fertiliser is best. In cold regions, it may be necessary to bring containers under cover during the winter.
How to propagate easter lily
Easter lilies can be propagated by bulb division. Once the clump is mature and established it should produce bulblets (small bulbs), which can be removed and planted. Plant bulblets at 2-3 times their height. The parent bulbs are also made up of scales – these can be removed and planted up to grow new plants for free. It will take about three years to get a flowering plant from a bulblet or scale.
Pests and diseases
Lilies can be affected by lily beetle. Look out for shredded leaves and bright red beetles on the leaves. Pick off the adults and grubs by hand.
Look out for signs of vine weevil on lilies growing in containers – these include notches on the edges of leaves and plants wilting or dying because the larvae have eaten the roots.
Other problems include slugs and snails, which may eat the young shoots of lilies and aphids that feed on the sap of plants. Pick these pests off by hand before infestations get out of hand.
Thrips can also be a problem on indoor plants. They are only 2mm long so can be hard to see, but symptoms include mottled leaves and flowers. Increase humidity to deter the insects.
Lilies can also be susceptible to diseases such as grey mould, which can cause decay. Remove any affected flowers or foliage and destroy them. Don’t plant any lilies in the same spot for a few years if your plants are affected by this disease.
Frequently asked questions
Does Easter lily come back every year?
Easter lily is a perennial so it will come back each year if planted in the ground.
What to do with an Easter lily after it blooms?
If you purchased a potted Easter lily to flower indoors, you can plant it out in the garden after it has flowered. It should then come back and flower each year.
Can Easter lily be planted outside?
Yes, plant Easter lily outside in a sunny spot that has well-drained soil.
Advice on buying Easter lily
- Easter lilies can be bought in the spring as potted plants. These have been forced indoors to flower early. They will not thrive as house plants year round.
- You can buy bulbs of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) and plant in container or in the ground in the autumn for a summer flowering display.
Where to buy Easter lily
Varieties of Easter lily to grow
Lilium longiflorum ‘White Heaven’ – a pure white variety with large blooms that makes an excellent cut flower. Height x Spread: 90cm x 30cm
Lilium longiflorum ‘White American’ is a scented dwarf variety with two to three white flowers per stem. Ideal for containers. H x S: 45cm x 30cm
Lilium longiflorum ‘Foliis Variegatis’ – the leaves of this white lily are variegated, green with cream-white edges. H x S: 1m x 30cm
