Flower of the Week: Easter Lily

The Easter lily (lilium longiflorum) is actually a native of the southern islands of Japan. A World War I soldier, Louis Houghton, is credited with starting U.S. Easter lily production when he brought a suitcase full of lily bulbs with him to the southern coast of Oregon in 1919. 

The name lily is applied to many plants, but "true lilies" belong to the genus lilium, all of which are perennial bulbs. The Easter lily, that you have been enjoying inside over this holiday season, can therefore be planted outside once the weather warms up and will come back next year as an early summer bloomer.

The following post was submitted by Maggie Wiles of . 

Lily bulbs like to be planted deep, (three times their diameter) to keep cool. Space lily bulbs 10-inches apart to provide adequate air circulation. Mulch is recommended for lilies, to keep the roots cool in summer and to protect from freezing in the winter.

There's a great deal of variety when choosing lilies—short, tall, swept-back, upright, trumpet, speckled or blushed in colors from pure white to blood red and almost everything in between.

You may be familiar with some of the most commonly grown varieties such as "Star Gazer" and "Casa Blanca." What they all share is a certain elegance of form and sweetness of fragrance that have made lilies the regal flowers of the garden, as well as great gifts and bouquets for special occasions like weddings and Easter Sunday.