Easter
Lily
The
Main Stay of Easter Floral Decoration
If the rose
is the symbol of kings and queens, the lily is the flower of the
Gods. In early Christian art, the lily is a symbol of purity
because of its delicacy of form and its snow white color. The
White Trumpet or Easter Lily has come to symbolize the
resurrection of Jesus. The lily has often been considered to be temperamental in
cultivation; however, being one of the best garden plants, the
lily can be brought down to the earth.
 Biblical
legend tells us that the lily flower came from Eve's tears when
she and Adam were banished from the Garden of Eden. No matter
whether you come from the East or the West, the lily is usually
a symbol of purity, grace and beauty. Christians treat the lily
as the Virgin Mary's flower, so the Lily becomes the accepted
floral decoration on Easter Sunday and for wedding ceremonies in
the Western world.
But its acceptance in America, as such, dates back around the 1800s. It came in
with the rise in the Easter observances by the Protestants in America. And,
strange, it took some more time to find a widespread acceptance. For, the early
Americans those days were not used to seeing a lily waiting to be picked up for
the Easter decor. The native American lilies, for example, the garden or,
Madonna lily, bloom in the early summer. Though it could be forced to bloom
earlier using the hothouse conditions, the hassles associated did not allow it
to be accepted widely. And custom did not find a widespread growth until a
lily was imported.
In the 1880s, while in Bermuda, Ms Thomas P Sargent became familiar with a
beautiful lily that blooms naturally in springtime, the white trumpet lily,
which produces sweet, fragrant blooms, she just fell for this
lovely white 'Bermuda' lily. She brought its bulbs in back home in Philadelphia.
There, a nursery man, called William Harris, fostered its popularity among other
florists. Since it naturally blooms in springtime, right about Easter, the
flower quickly became known as the Easter Lily. Following this it did not take long for the flower to win the hearts
of million to be the main flower of the Easter floral arrangements.
The Easter lily starts out as a hard, brown bulb that has a paper-hard
shell. The bulb is buried in the earth. The sun shines, the rain falls, and at
last a plant grows from the bulb. Soon a beautiful white lily blooms. Lilies are
widely known as a symbol of Easter and the coming of spring. Their sweet, clean
smell and simple form seem to stand for everything pure and perfect. For
hundreds of years Lilies have commonly appeared as symbols of purity and
holiness.
Caring
for Live Easter Lilies
- Flowering
Period - blooms for about one to two weeks
- Size - flowers
are 6 to 8 inches long with a 4 to 5 inch spread, leaves are
up to 6 inches long
- How to grow -
keep in cool sunny location
- Soil and water
- keep soil moist but not soggy and allow the soil to dry
between waterings.
- Temperature -
Easter lilies do best at temperatures between
65° to 68° F.
- Tip - no
fertilizer is needed while Easter Lilies are in bloom.
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