There are many traditions surrounding the Holiday of Easter. From the American tradition of coloring and hiding eggs, to a Easter Dinner usually as Ham as the main course. There has always been the question in mind for me, as to why lilies are used during Easter.

The lily is sought frequently during the Easter Season, as it has become a symbolization of the Resurrection. As with many traditions of the Easter Holiday, the lily will continue to bring a breath of life to those who view it as a Holy Symbol.

First discovered by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1777, the Easter Lily(Lilium longiflorum) was starting a whirlwind tour, that would take centuries to come into a crowning achievement of acceptance and eventually tradition. Bermuda was the main production location for commercial bulb growing until 1898, when a virus destroyed the crop there. Until WWII production moved to Japan.

Ms Thomas Sargent is credited with the advent of using lilies in an Easter setting. In the 1880's, 20 years before the crop was destroyed, She was visiting the Bermudas and liked how the Lily bloomed in Early Spring. This was due to the climate, as usually, a lily will bloom in late summer. Bringing back some bulbs with her to Philadelphia, she asked a local greenhouse grower there to train them to bloom in the spring.

Forcing the lily to bloom in spring is no easy task. It takes literally a thousand hours to get it to bloom properly. By controlling the temperature of the soil that the bulb grows in, a grower can control when the lily will bloom. When it is close to the Easter Holiday, which changes every year, there are different techniques that the grower will use to determine the correct time of blooming. By counting the folds on the leaf of a plant or moving the plants back and forth between warm and cold environments, it can be a daunting task to align nature with time.

When out lily shopping, look for plants with flowers in different points of bloom from buds, to open, or partially opened flowers. Look for a formed lily, being sure that it is about two times taller than the pot. The foliage should be thick, rich green in color, and extend all the way down to the soil line. Be sure to also check the foliage, flowers, and buds for signs of discoloration, disease, or insects.

At home, keep your lily away from drafts and drying heat sources such as appliances or heating ducts. Bright, indirect light is best with daytime temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F. Water the plant only when the soil feels dry to the touch, but don’t over water. To maintain the life of the blossoms, discard the yellow anthers found in the middle of each flower.

If you have cats, especially those that like to chew on leaves, keep your lily away from them. Any part of this lily, as many of its relatives, can cause kidney failure in cats. Eating even one leaf can be fatal to a cat, starting with them stopping eating, vomiting, and becoming lethargic. If you think a cat has eaten a leaf, call a veterinarian immediately as prompt treatment often can be successful.