Along a narrow coastal strip from Smith River, California up to Brookings, Oregon, a handful of farms grow 95% of all Easter lily bulbs for the potted plant market.
The Pacific Northwest commercial lily business started in the 1920s.
Louis Houghton, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee, was stationed near Bandon, OR during World War I to spot German sympathizers in the lumber camps. He was impressed with the native plant life and especially the lilies that grew in the area. When the war ended, Houghton returned to the south coast of Oregon. After resigning from the USDA in 1919, he brought a suitcase full of associate, Dr. David Griffith's, hybrid lily bulbs to Bandon. These were generously shared with family and friends and soon became commonplace in the door yards at Bandon.
From its humble beginnings in a suitcase, the Easter lily is now the fourth largest crop in the U.S. potted plant market (behind poinsettias, mums and azaleas).
How to Plant Your Easter Lily Outdoors
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Keep your Easter Lily indoors with bright, indirect light until danger of frost has passed
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Introduce the plant to full sun outdoors gradually over 7-10 days (increase full sun exposure by 1-2 hours each successive day until it is in full sun all day)
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Continue to water until foliage has yellowed
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Gently remove the bulb from the pot, spread the roots apart, cut the dead foliage back and plant so the top of the bulb is about 3-inches below the surface
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Provide full sun and plant in humus-amended, well-draining soil
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Pat the soil firmly to remove any air pockets around the roots
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Water thoroughly after planting
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Fertilize monthly with a water soluble organic fertilizer such as liquid kelp
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New shoots should appear and possibly bloom again by summer, but certainly by the following summer (their natural bloom cycle occurs in June/July, not in spring)
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Easter Lilies are reliably hardy to zone 7, but with a 4"-6" layer of mulch they can survive zones 5 and lower. Bulbs can also be dug up in autumn and stored in a protected, dry place and planted again in spring
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