Has anyone had luck with easter lilies that they received as a gift. Several years ago, I received two containers of lilies at Easter time. After they finished blooming I repotted them into a larger container. Last year they didn't come up or very, very small leaves grew. I know they grow them in a greenhouse/hot house. Any luck...?

Mike, my wife got one as a gift in 2013 and I planted it close to the foundation of the house that year. It came back up last year with a few blooms and its nose is peaking up again this year. I haven't given it any special conditions other than the fact that it may be slightly warmer in the winter and it doesn't get super wet as its close to the base of the house. I started some seeds last year and they grew great but because of my error, they rotted. I would like to have a few for hybridizing purposes.

I transplanted a pot of 2 back in 2008. The pictures below are dated July 1st, 2009. The day after these pictures were taken, I read a report by the University of Minnesota about Easter lilies and symptomless virus and I disposed of them, flowers and all. These would have done even better had they not been planted at the base of some tall African Queens and were kind of starved for light. I haven't allowed an Easter lily on the place since.

Yes, Dr. Neil Anderson of the University of Minnesota has tested all the cultivars of longiflorum sold in the U.S.
All Easter Lilies sold commercially for Easter are infected with the Lily Symptomless Virus. I suppose, technically, it's not symptomless because the virus is what makes the stems shorter and more attractive for sales.

They are only grown in greenhouses for final sale. All or most of the bulbs are produced in a small region of eastern southwestern Oregon.

Thanks for the information. If it carries a virus maybe I will get rid of them.

I would get rid of them Mike, since you grow many other lilies.

Rick, I think you mean southwestern Oregon (our "banana belt"). Eastern Oregon is desert.,.. frigid in winter and roasting in summer.

Interesting......so now I say this, why don't we grow it from seed? Surely there is a place for a healthy Longiflorum in the garden.

Joe, I think the plant ends up about 3 feet tall and is only hardy in the southern regions of the States. At one time years ago, I got bulbs from somebody in New Orleans that were grown from seed and they did not survive here. But his plants continue to survive well to this day. I should note that his plants have been 'in the family' since the 1930's, having been brought here by a soldier returning from duty.

Oh right, Pard! The Oregon location was correct in my mind, but not in word. And I knew it was either on the border with Washington or California, but couldn't remember which. Thanks, Connie.

An interesting bit of history. Up until 1941 most all Easter lilies were imported from Japan. The attack on Pearl Harbor put an abrupt stop to that. If we wanted Easter lilies, we had to grow our own. It was already known that Easter lilies did well in a narrow strip of land paralelling the coast of Oregon. Those that grew daffodils and tulips in the area found that out when a local WW I soldier brought a suitcase full of bulbs back from Japan which he passed out. So, when WW II broke out local growers were quick to respond to meet the demand. In a round about way this was kind of the beginning of the lily growing business in Oregon as many would end up growing commercial lilies for de Graff at OBF later on. Eventually, Easter lilies were grown commercially as far inland as Iowa where Henry Fields grew acres of bulb stock for the forcing market.

Interesting conversation with a lot of good info. Mom picked one up for half price post-bloom at the local nursery. Performance has been lackluster at best and after reading this I'll be allocating it's garden space to something else...

Definitely an interesting history!