I have an Easter lily that is in a pot, can I plant it now to bloom next spring?

Answer 1

A simple answer is yes.Just enjoy it until it's ugly. Then go ahead and plant it. I am in NW ,Ohio. I planted one 3 years ago, and last year I had 9 stems and over 30 blossoms. No mulching, no fertilizer, no nothing.

Answer 2

Transplant lilies into the garden after May 15, normally the last frost date. Because roots develop on the stalk, plant the bulb about 2 inches lower than it was growing in the pot. Fertilize monthly with an all-purpose blend according to label directions. Stop fertilizing about mid-August and blooms should follow in a few weeks.

The lily can be planted in a sunny garden spot as soon as danger from frost is past. Remove the plant from the pot by inverting it and while gently holding the top, tap the edge of the pot on a step or heavy board. Open the root ball by pulling upward and out from the center. Clumped and matted roots are more likely to die and even injure the bulb.

Place the bulb a few inches deeper than it was in the pot, open the root as much as possible and work soil through them. Thoroughly water the plant. One half teaspoon of a 10-10-10 fertilizer per gallon helps promote new top and root growth. Soon after the old tops die, new shoots will start. These will flower later, usually in July or August, if given ordinary garden care. Be sure that trees, weeds, or other plants don't shade the lily.

Although many people report good results, none of the lily varieties are reliably hardy. If the ground is well drained, you can cover plants with a mulch during the cold winter months, just as is done for roses. Mulches of straw, leaves, evergreen boughs, wood chips or ground corn cobs are satisfactory. Most of the lilies are killed by exposure to winter winds and sun. Mulches limit the heaving action of the soil and, thus, prevent bulb exposure.

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Trilochan Kaur
www.gardeningcare.co.nr

Answer 3

Yes, although it probably won't actually bloom until late spring or early summer. It will also probably not be white, although you might get lucky. I've had them stay white, and I've had them turn orange. Just luck of the draw, I guess.