Easter Lilies

Latin name, Lilium longiflorum, the Easter Lily is a beautiful plant that comes from both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands, Japan. It is a stem rooting lily, growing tall, up to 1m high, with 12-15 blooms per plant, each measuring up to 17cm long. With the petals overlapped to create a delicate trumpet shape, they are traditionally white or with faint pink streaks. Many other lily colours do exist—but white lilies are the ones customarily displayed for Easter. The flowers represent purity, innocence and rebirth – as a religious icon, they often represent the Virgin Mary and are also often depicted at the Resurrection of Christ.

If planted outdoors, they readily re-bloom each year, and they tend to grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4—8. As Portugal lies in the Zone range 8-10, they may not do so well in the south, as their daytime temperature should be 60 to 65 °F with slightly cooler night temperatures, but you could try under glass or without direct sun.

Bermuda Lilies

They have the nickname of Bermuda Lilies for a reason. They are native to southern Japan, the species having been discovered by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg (no relation to Greta) in the late 18th century. Thunberg brought the lily to England, from where they were first introduced to Bermuda in around 1850 by a missionary. His lily did very well in Bermuda—the climate was perfect for its culture.

A US General, Russel Hastings, and his wife Emily – niece of President Hayes – made Bermuda their permanent home, and in 1883 they bought some 50 acres of land in a place called Point Shares in Bermuda for $8,000 and built their home ‘Soncy’, but before moving to Bermuda, General Hastings formed a partnership with a florist in New York and established a business in Bermuda raising Easter lily bulbs for export to the United States. As he cultivated more and more fields in Point Shares, he grew around 300,000 Easter Lilies a year, shipping them to New York, England and Holland.

Commercial production took off in Bermuda. By the turn of the century, this small island nation, with a total land mass of only 53.2 km² was responsible for growing the majority of North America’s Easter lilies, with at one point nearly 3 million bulbs being exported from Bermuda. Sadly this successful streak only lasted a few decades, as production was shattered after a virus devastated the crop in the late 1800s, and therefore passing the bulk of the Easter lily market back over to Japan.

From the small amount still cultivated in Bermuda, a traditional ceremony has evolved whereby a bouquet of Bermuda-grown Easter Lilies is flown to the Queen (presumably the tradition will continue with the new King), with the final destination being Windsor Castle. And with British precision, timed for Good Friday each year.

Now grown in the USA

Today, a coastal stretch in the US between Oregon’s Curry County and California’s Del Norte County has come to be known as the ‘Easter Lily Capital of the World’. The industry has become more concentrated over the years, with just four commercial growers now producing all the Easter Lily bulbs in that area. Their efforts not only account for the Easter lilies circulated around North America but are also commonly cited as representing 95 percent of the entire potted Easter lily market.

It’s a fickle business, considering Easter falls on a different day every year. To ensure the flowers are ready, their environments are strictly monitored, with temperature, moisture, and light being constantly regulated to ensure optimal growing conditions. The majority are sent to Canada, others are to Europe, Asia and elsewhere, where they’re forced into bloom in carefully controlled greenhouses.

While these flowers do look lovely, they can be hazardous to cats. If a cat ingests parts of these plants, it could trigger a host of negative side effects including dehydration, loss of appetite, exhaustion, renal failure, throwing up, seizures and unpleasant breath - some even die - so if your cat is a plant chewer, keep them away if you can.

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan