What to Do With an Easter Lily Once the Plant Has Bloomed

Indoor Care

• After your Easter lily has bloomed, keep it indoors in a sunny spot near a window, watering it when slightly dry, until the last frost has passed and it is safe to plant outdoors. To increase flower longevity, remove the flower's yellow anthers before it drops any pollen. Add 1 tsp. of a slow-release fertilizer every six weeks.

Outdoor Preparation

• Preparing a good outdoor spot for your plant is very important as lilies thrive best under certain conditions. Find a spot in your garden with full to half-day sun and good soil drainage, which is essential for a successful transplant. Work some well-drained planting mix, or a mix of one part soil, one part peat moss and one part perlite, into the soil in your chosen location. Set the lily in its pot outdoors in a sheltered location for part of the day to acclimate it to the weather, bringing it in at night. Gradually move it to a sunnier location each day for about a week previous to transplanting it.

Outdoor Planting

• Dig a planting hole a few inches deeper than the lily is set in the pot. Remove your Easter lily from its pot, brush away the old potting soil with your fingers and loosen any compacted roots. Place the lily in the hole and spread the roots. Work the soil around the bulb and roots, making sure there are no air pockets. Fill in the hole with soil and water thoroughly. Apply a general, all-purpose garden fertilizer.

Outdoor Care

• Water your Easter lily when the top inch or two of soil is dry to the touch. After the lily dies back, cut the stem back to the surface. Your lily may bloom that summer; if not, wait until the following year for a bloom. The lily was "forced" to bloom around Easter; its natural blooming time is midsummer. Mulch with four inches of straw in the fall to overwinter an Easter lily. Remove the mulch in the spring to help the new growth emerge.