Featured Plant of the Week (Easter Lilies)
Easter Lilies
Known for their symbolism and unique appearance, these bulbs are grown in the millions each year. They are cultivated predominantly as a cut flower, but even so the wholesale value of Easter Lilies in the potted plant market is one of the largest in the world. This tremendous quantity of cultivated plants comes from just one place in the world: a stretch of Pacific coast on the California and Oregon border just a few miles long.
The Easter Lily's flower looks like most of its relatives, but what sets it apart is the interesting way the inflorescence faces out or downward on a sharply bent stalk. This gives them the appearance of trumpets, or white robes if they're downturned quite a bit. The species and its various cultivars are all white and fragrant, since the demand for them is mainly driven by their association with the Easter holiday and therefore the religious significance of white.
Easter lilies are native only to the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, a chain of islands that stretches from the southernmost tip of the island nation to Taiwan. There they are called 'Teppouyuri', which means 'gun lily.' An apt comparison to ancient firearms like the blunderbuss. The scientific name is Lilium longiflorum, which is something like 'long flower lily' in Latin.
The overwhelming majority of Easter Lilies grown commercially come from a stretch of only a few miles of coastal land straddling the border of Oregon and California. Collectively the Southwest Curry County in Oregon and the Northwest Del Norte County in California is known as the Easter Lily Capital of the World. This was not always the case. In the 1880s these bulbs were cultivated in Bermuda, earning them the nickname 'Bermuda Lily' since many simply assumed that was their native home. However, by the turn of the century, the Japanese had taken over the exportation to the US and would dominate the market for decades.
The beginning of production in the US began in 1919 when World War I veteran Louis Houghton brought a suitcase of Easter Lily bulbs to Oregon. He shared them with friends and neighbors, and a small knot of hobbyists sprang up. However, these first growers would not really go into business until World War II when the supply from Japan was suddenly stopped. With the shortage the value of Easter Lilies shot up, and these hobbyists decided to go into business for themselves. The demand for these flowers was so great that growers all up and down the North American Pacific Coastline attempted to cash in, and by the end of the war there were 1,200 growers from Vancouver to Long Beach.
Since that time fierce competition has whittled that number back down to 10 or so businesses that grow in the same place the bulbs first arrived in the United States. Today the Easter Lily Capital of the World alone satisfies 95% the tremendous annual demand for the plant, and ships millions of plants within a window of only about 2 weeks. In 1996 something like 11.5 million Easter Lily bulbs were shipped to commercial growers, and subsequent years have seen sales in the area of 8 to 10 million.
All of this annual business is driven by the celebration of Easter, and they can be found decorating the altars of churches as Christians observe the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The legend goes that the white lilies grew in the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus. Where Jesus wept in agony and the tears met the ground the white lilies sprang up. Of course they couldn't have been Lilium longiflorum, but they're an effective symbol. The white lily also has some significance as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, since it is said three days after her burial her tomb was found empty save for bunches of pure white lilies.
Currently BloomRite® Gardens does not have any Easter Lilies in stock. Our first inventory will be available no later than the week of the 4th of April and perhaps sooner than that. We encourage our customers to place any orders now for Easter Lilies, as supply will be very tight. Once the plants start shipping our ability to fulfill last minute orders, or provide inventory on the floor will be very limited. To place an order and to determine pricing and availability, simply call us and ask for Frank Costa.
Frank Costa can be reached directly at (650) 712-4231. If you can't reach him, please call (650) 712-4195 and we'll either transfer your call or take your order directly. You can also fax us an order at (650) 712-4290.
