Easter Lilies, when to divide?

Discussion in 'Flower Gardening' started by dooley, Mar 29, 2012.

  1. dooley

    dooley Super Garden Turtle

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    My neighbor bought a lot of pots of Easter Lilies last spring after Easter. She paid 50 cents per pot.
    She planted them along the front of her house. She says there were more than one in some pots but she planted them together since they were drooping and she didn't want to kill any of them.
    Now, they are about six inches high and she wants to know if she can divide them now to fill in some spaces she left or does she need to wait until fall or when.
    dooley
     
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  3. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    It's best to divide them in the fall. If you divide them now their chance of blooming this year will be almost nill since they are preparing to set buds.

    Commercially they are forced into blooming in time for Easter but in the ground they will normally bloom in April or May.
     
  4. calinromania

    calinromania Young Pine

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    Yup. In late summer/fall.
    Toni, isn't that when Easter IS ???
    :)
     
  5. carolyn

    carolyn Strong Ash

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    Calin....it is on April 8th.... Which is about 1 week away.
     



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  6. calinromania

    calinromania Young Pine

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    Yea, I know... I was just referring to Toni's line
    "Commercially they are forced into blooming in time for Easter but in the ground they will normally bloom in April or May."
    Our Easter (Orthodox) is a week after the Catholic one. Sometimes they coincide, sometimes there's a week between the two.
    As there's a lot of Hungarians in my area we kinda have two Easters :)
     
  7. carolyn

    carolyn Strong Ash

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    AHHH, sorry Calin, I wasn't reading the humor there. silly me, :rolleyes: just the words.
     
  8. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    :stew1: :stew2:

    Easter is the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox so sometimes that means Easter is in late March and sometimes it is in very late April. The earliest has been March 22, the latest was April 25th

    Forcing them means they will be blooming at the proper time in all planting zones. Leaving them to Mother Nature's schedule they would probably miss Easter all together... especially the cooler zones where they wouldn't normally bloom until May.
     
  9. calinromania

    calinromania Young Pine

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    Over here, the Fritillaria (imperialis)is nicknamed Easter Flower.
    And indeed, I think mine will be just about blooming.
    (our Easter is 15-16 April) - we follow the Orthodox church.
     

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