Wondering if you can plant Easter lilies?
They'll grow in the garden -- IF you treat them right. Here's how.
Happy Easter to those who are celebrating today! And whether you are or you aren’t, chances are that as you read this you’re looking at a beautiful Easter lily or potted tulip or daffodil — probably in full bloom or close to it, and probably in a pot that's wrapped in pastel-colored foil. Just as Christmas is associated with poinsettias, and Valentine's Day brings roses, Easter is Lilium longiflorum's day in the sun.
We can thank Louis Houghton, a WWI soldier who brought a suitcase full of bulbs back home to Oregon from Ryukyu, Japan, in 1919. He shared them with friends, who shared them with others throughout the state, and eventually, they grew their way down the coast. In the 1940s, some of its growers saw a business opportunity and began selling what they called "white gold." The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, nearly 12 million 'Nellie White' and 'Ace' cultivar bulbs are shipped each fall from just 10 bulb farms in California and Oregon to commercial greenhouses all over the country, where they're potted up and forced to bloom in time for your spring gift-giving pleasure. Left to their own devices, the lilies would bloom during summer, not spring, which is important to know if you decide to plant them outdoors.
Although many people enjoy their gift lilies indoors until the blossoms fade and then throw them away like stale Peeps, they certainly can be planted in the garden, where they can be enjoyed for years to come. Because gift plants are “forced,” which means they’ve been tricked in a greenhouse to spend all their energy on a one-time bloom, they won't bloom again the first summer, but will usually come back and perform nicely in future years with proper care.
The first thing you should do is remove the cellophane wrapping, if any, from the plant and poke holes in the bottom of the foil (if pots are wrapped) to allow excess water to drain. Next, remove the yellow anthers from the center of each flower as it opens. This will prolong bloom time (and keep your table clean!) Then simply enjoy the plant indoors, providing adequate sunlight and watering as needed until the flowers fade.
As each bloom dries up, clip it away with scissors, leaving the stem and leaves intact. Continue to water the plant lightly until the danger of frost has passed.
To transplant, remove your lily from its container and plant 12-18 inches apart outdoors in a sunny spot, retaining the soil depth it had while growing in the pot, which is usually 3 to 6 inches. Water well, mulch and apply a slow-release, balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) at planting time and again monthly throughout summer. New shoots may grow, but, again, it's unlikely the plant will bloom again this year.
Warning: Lilies are toxic to felines. Ingestion can lead to kidney failure, and eating just one leaf can prove fatal. If you suspect your cat has chewed on a lily, call your veterinarian immediately.
I’ll help you decide what to do with potted hyacinths, hydrangeas, tulips and daffodils next week.
👉👉If you’re enjoying this newsletter, why not share it with a gardening friend?
💡 If you do one thing this week…
Uncover the fig tree (but only on a cloudy day).
For more daily timely tips — 365 of them! — grab one of my gardening calendars before they’re gone.
📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: What is the best way to eliminate hairy bittercress in the lawn? I started pulling them out of my lawn last spring and used Weed Beater Ultra. They started sprouting again about 2 weeks ago. I would like to believe there are fewer this year than last, but I’m not sure. Is there a better way and/or a better chemical to help eliminate hairy bittercress? We have our soil tested every year and add lime accordingly so it isn't a PH problem. —JoAnn Kukenis, Great River, NY
DEAR JESSICA: I really need your help. I have been fighting bittercress in my lawn for a few years with no luck. Last August I applied the post-emergent Preen, which was recommended by a garden center, and [the weed] is listed on the bag. It just didn't work and is spreading all over. Can I apply the Preen now, or what can I do? I'm very discouraged, and there is just too much to hand dig. —Nancy Mayeski, Shirley, NY
DEAR JOANN AND NANCY: Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is an annual weed, which means the plant doesn’t survive winter but, in this case, its seeds do. They germinate in spring and grow anew each year, putting forth little white flowers that turn into seed pods that literally spew seeds all over the place when they burst open. The weed’s long taproot makes hand-digging impractical, as leaving just a small bit of root behind will lead to more weeds.
The best (and my preferred) method is simply to make the garden inhospitable to the weed. Apply mulch to beds and borders, and if the weed is popping up in the lawn, as it is for both of you, the best defense is to ensure there aren’t any bare patches for it to take root. A thick, lush lawn will discourage many weeds, not just hairy bittercress.
Another method is simply to mow it continually to prevent it from flowering. This will deplete the plant of its energy and prevent it from going to seed.
In my opinion, lawns are overrated. They add absolutely nothing to the ecosystem, rather depleting it of water while introducing unnecessary chemicals and excess nitrogen into our soil and groundwater. Once they’re mowed, grass, dandelions, clover — they all cover the soil and they’re all green, and that’s all I’m after. But I understand not everyone shares my view and I’m here to help.
So if your problem has become an infestation, and if you are really set on that perfect suburban lawn, the only real solution is a chemical one, applied in spring or fall.
In order to be effective against hairy bittercress, the herbicide you select needs to be labeled “two-way,” which means it contains TWO of the following: 2-4 D, clopyralid, dicamba, triclopyr or MCPP. Any two will work, but you do need two. Follow package instructions (and precautions) carefully.
👏 Sunday shoutout
John Del Grosso of Islandia, NY, is growing a dwarf pomegranate (Punica granatum ‘nana’) indoors — and it has born fruit.
“It is doing really well in a crowded pot with watering after it dries out,” he said. “In summer before she goes out (her name is Pom), my wife gives her a good pruning and she puts out exceptional growth (the plant, not my wife),” he quips.
“We keep her up against the bay window under a skylight by our front door, where we can enjoy her flowering and occasional fruit, but this is the first year she’s fruited in the house!”
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I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.