How to Plant Easter Lilies After the Flowers Are Gone

Prepare a well-drained bed that is raised by about 3 inches to ensure good drainage and to cocoon the bulb in winter. Choose a space with sun and incorporate one part each of peat moss and perlite per corresponding amount of soil.

Cut the spent blossoms of the Easter lily, but leave the foliage. Plant the bulb 3 inches below the soil and add an additional 3 inches of mounded soil on top. Spread the roots out in the hole so the lily can easily re-establish itself. If you plant more than one lily, space them 12 to 18 inches apart.

Water the plant immediately to compress the soil and remove air pockets. Spread a layer of mulch around the plant to conserve moisture and repel weeds. Keep the lily moist down to 3 inches even as the foliage dies back.

Cut the stems to the ground when the foliage turns yellow and begins to die. If the season is warm and moisture is regular, you may get another sprouting and flowering. Protect the lilies from winter temperatures by piling leaf litter around the bulb location. Remove the leaf litter in early spring so the lily can push through easily.

Lift the bulbs if you are afraid they may experience a very harsh winter. Easter lilies are quite hardy but even the hardiest bulbs will crack if freezing temperatures are so deep and long that they penetrate several inches into soil. Cut back the plant and let the bulb dry for a day. Save it in a cool, dark place in peat moss in a paper bag.