Decorating with Easter Flowers

We may see amaryllis, azalea, begonia, calceolaria, chrysanthemum, cineraria, cyclaman, Easter lily, gardenia, gloxinia, hydrangea, and flowering spring bulbs. To enjoy their beauty to the fullest we need to provide the best growing conditions for them. One of the more unusual potted plants found during the Easter season is calceolaria, or pocket-book plant. The pouch-like flowers in yellows and reds are covered with small spots. These plants like to be kept cool, and their life is reduced at high temperatures.

Calceolarias are true annuals, and once through flowering will not bloom again satisfactorily. Another plant with great popularity at Easter is the cineraria. These plants produce large leaves covered with a mound of daisy-like flowers. Colors in cinerarias are very suitable for the Easter season-pink, purple, blue, or white. The plants must be kept in a bright window, given plenty of water, and kept cool. Under these conditions they are very durable flowering plants. As calceolarias, the cinerarias should also be enjoyed in bloom, since they are annuals and should be discarded after flowring.

Of course, the most popular Easter plant is the lily. Lilies require careful watering since excess water quickly causes root rot and plant decline. Given good light, and a cool location, lilies should provide a succession of blooms for one to two weeks after purchase. After flowering, plants may be discarded or planted into the garden. Outdoors, select a protected location which is sunny, with well-drained soil. Drainage is important. Plant the lily bulb deeper than it was growing in the pot. Bulbs should be four to six inches below the soil surface. The stalk which has flowered well die off, but new shoots are sometimes produced that develop blooms in the fall.

If this does not occur, new shoots are normally produced in the fall, which may flower late in spring. The leaf shoots that develop in the fall are subject to winter damage. Therefore, a deep mulch, and winter protection of this tender growth is important if the shoots are to survive and flower. The bulbs of lilies that have been grown in pots are generally weakened too much to repeat bloom in the same pot a second year.

Another potted plant finding frequent use at Easter is the gardenia. The fragrant waxy white flowers and glossy deep green leaves make it an attractive indoor plant. Gardenias may be kept for many years, but can challenge your plant-growing abilities. Give gardenias full sun on a south window. Flower bud development is best at cool temperatures ranging from about 55 to 62 degrees.

A common problem of newly purchased plants is bud drop, resulting from the change in growing conditions. Provide good light, cool conditions, and mist over plants daily to maintain humidity and help reduce this problem. Gardenia plants need uniform soil moisture as well as an acid soil Therefore, "hard" water should be avoided. Use rain or distilled water where naturally soft water us not available. The addition of ammonium sulphate or iron sulphate at about a half teaspoon per quart of water applied at two to three week Intervals can help keep the soil acid. During the summer gardenia plants may be placed outdoors in a lightly shaded, protected location.

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