Easter in bloom

Easter lasts a little longer in Janice Pickering’s Alexandria flower beds. About five years ago, she planted two Easter lilies in an area close to her house. Today, she has 15 plants, which bloom in late spring.

“There is nothing more beautiful,” she says. “It’s a sight to behold. … They are very lovely … and they smell good. … They are white and pure looking. … They look so pretty when you want a cut flower. I sing their praises.”

Because Easter lilies are symbols of new life, decorating with them has become a springtime tradition in many homes. In fact, they are one of the largest crops in wholesale value in the United States’ potted plant market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To help the blooms last past Easter Sunday, there’s a trick to making the flowers endure, says Jos Roozen, owner of Roozen Nursery and Garden Center in Fort Washington.

He suggests removing the yellow anthers that hold the pollen, next to the stamen in the flower. If pollen doesn’t fertilize the stamen, the flower will stay open because it’s waiting to be pollinated.

He warns against accidentally allowing the pollen to spill on the stamen when trying to remove the anthers, which inevitably would pollinate the flower. Also, caution should be taken when removing the anthers because pollen can stain clothes.

Watering the plants at least once a week is important for the longevity of the plants as well, Mr. Roozen says. They should be watered so that the liquid drains from the bottom of the pot. Unlike many other plants, they can be placed in any room of the home because they don’t require direct sunlight. About 65 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for the plants.

When a flower finishes blooming, Mr. Roozen says the bloom should be removed, leaving the stem. After all the flowers have bloomed, it can be planted outside in the garden.

It is best to plant the lilies about 4 to 6 inches apart after the danger of frost has passed, in late April. They should be placed in the ground at the same depth they were in the pot.

“A lot of people buy them and throw them in the trash after they’re done blooming because they’re too lazy to plant them,” Mr. Roozen says. “There is value in an Easter lily because it comes back year after year.”

Because the Easter lilies that appear at garden centers during the holiday have been forced to bloom early, it’s possible that when placed in a home garden, the plant could die and grow back with blooms in the same year.

The main growers that produce plants for the holiday are located in the “Easter Lily Capital of the World,” on the California-Oregon border. The companies in that area provide about 95 percent of the bulbs used for potted Easter lilies.

After the planted flower has bloomed, the leaves and stalk turn yellow and brown, Mr. Roozen says. At that point, the plant should be cut back, leaving about 2 inches above the ground, as a reminder that the bulbs are there. It should be covered with about 2 inches of organic mulch, which helps keep the weeds away and the soil moist.

When the plants come up the second year, they will produce flowers later in spring, which is their natural blooming time, says Susan Pleiman, greenhouse assistant at American Plant Food Co. in Bethesda. However, she says people wouldn’t feel that Easter had arrived if the plants were absent from the holiday season.

“Easter lilies are a traditional flower,” Miss Pleiman says. “When my mother talks about Easter lilies, it reminds her of going to church services as a child.”

Religious writing and art are full of examples that illustrate the beauty of the lily, says Jerry M. Parsons, professor of horticulture at Texas A&M University in San Antonio.

The most noted time the lily is mentioned in the Bible is when Christ tells his followers the flower is a reminder that God will care for them, Mr. Parsons says.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” The passage was used as the inspiration for the 1963 movie “Lilies of the Field,” starring Sidney Poitier.

Churches continue to display the flowers, often referred to as “white-robed apostles of hope,” as symbols of Christ’s resurrection, Mr. Parsons says. Popular legend says that after Christ finished praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, lilies started to grow, taking root in the places where his sweat fell to the ground as he agonized over his impending death. Similarly, when Eve journeyed from the Garden of Eden, her remorseful tears supposedly produced lilies as well. Christian folklore also suggests that white lilies were found in the Virgin Mary’s tomb three days after her burial.

“When you go to a church on Easter Sunday, there better be Easter lilies,” Mr. Parsons says. “And then sometimes, you might take some home with you.”

After a bleak winter, it’s always nice to experience beauty, says Leslie Hagan of Alexandria. Each year her cousin gives her an Easter lily.

“After a few years, I decided I wanted to try and keep them,” she says. “I planted them on my patio, which gets a lot of sun and it’s very sheltered. … It’s probably the first really voluptuous flower of the season.”

This will be the third year Sally Yenson’s lilies bloom. She originally planted two flowers on the east side of her front yard in Arlington. She says they remind her of Easter, even after the season has passed.

“Why keep buying them when you can plant them in your garden?” she says. “They seem so simple, but elegant. You look at the lily, and it has a lot of intricate things inside of it.”