THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Easter Lily

Lisa Karen Miller

The “white-robed apostles of hope” symbolize the purity of Christ.  Their trumpet-shaped flowers amplify the message “He is risen!” As their bulbs must be in the ground for three years before blooming, they represent the three days Jesus spent in the tomb before being resurrected.

          The Easter Lilies that we find everywhere this time of year have to be forced artificially to bloom around the holiday. If you’ve been gifted with a potted Easter Lily, don’t throw it out after bloom is over.  Cut off the flower stem (not the leaves) and plant it in the ground where it will get full sun.  If you see any baby bulbs clinging on to the mother, carefully separate them and plant them as well. Next year, this beautiful white lily will revert to its natural bloom time of early summer.

          Native to a few Japanese islands, this lily was taken to England in the 18^th century and then to Bermuda, where large-scale cultivation began. After a devastating virus, the Bermuda crop was wiped out, and traders turned again to Japan as a source.  It had already become so popular that people were willing to pay more to get it from a distant source.

          After World War I, an American soldier brought a suitcase full of bulbs home to Oregon from Japan. Horticulturalists quickly began growing and hybridizing them for the American market. They were also grown commercially in some southern states.

          The Easter Lily boom had begun.

          Like other plants, the Easter Lily has escaped captivity.  Having been a popular gift for so many decades, and planted on homesteads that no longer exist, it now grows wild in the Southeastern United States.  Be sure not to mistake its bulb for an onion – it is toxic to both humans and animals.

          During the Second World War, supplies from Japan were cut off, and prices soared, making the Pacific Northwest and the West coast the home of “White Gold.”  By 1945, about 1,200 growers had proliferated, stretching from Vancouver, Canada to Long Beach, California.

          Today, there are only about ten large growers along the Oregon-California border. Over 95 percent of potted Easter Lily bulbs come from this region, which has earned its title of “Easter Lily Capital of the World.”

          In Pagan traditions, the Easter Lily is associated with motherhood and is often given to mothers to convey gratitude. In many religions, it signifies purity and grace.

          Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, this flower is the perfect emblem of Easter.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller