If you are celebrating Easter this weekend, you may have lovely spring plants decorating your home for the holiday. Many of the potted plants and bulbs sold in stores and garden centers for Easter can be planted outside later in the season or even kept in pots and forced for a second indoor bloom.
Penn State Extension says Easter lilies will bloom as an outdoor plant or can be forced again inside – although they are not as easy to force as other spring bulbs.
Display the plant indoors in a bright location away from direct sunlight and remove the flowers from the plant as soon as they die. After flowering, reduce watering. After the lily turns brown, cut it off at the soil line. It can be planted outside in May after the danger of frost has passed. The bulbs will be happy in a sunny, warm location, planted four to six inches deep in the soil. In the fall, after the ground freezes, mulch the area. In the spring, when new growth begins, remove the mulch, a bit at a time. If you want to try forcing it again inside, Penn State says you should remove the bulb from the container after the plant has turned brown. Store it in a cool, moist place, such as a basement. Repot in a six-inch container in fresh potting mix a few weeks before Christmas. Place in a cool, sunny window until it blooms.
Chrysanthemums sold as potted plants at Easter can be re-bloomed later in the season. The University of Missouri Extension recommends separating any plants potted together after blooming and re-pot in five- or six-inch pots. Water well and keep at temperatures around 60 degrees. When new shoots appear, move them to full sun and water well. In the summer, sink the pots into a sunny area outside where you can water and fertilize. Encourage bushy plants by pinching out the tip of each new shoot when it reaches about five inches long. Do not pinch the plants again after early July.
If you keep them in pots, bring the plants indoors when freezing weather threatens in the fall. Place in a sunny south window. Chrysanthemums need short days and long nights to flower. If keeping inside, keep them away from interior lights at night. Once flowering, light at night will not affect them.
I typically just cut my Easter chrysanthemums back and plant them right in the garden. They bloom again in the fall and I use them for cut flowers. I treat them as an annual as they do not survive the winter cold, but the autumn flush of blooms is very pretty and welcome for late season bouquets.
Azaleas should be watered frequently when they are blooming and growing. Mist leaves to help prevent them from shedding, Penn State Extension says, and remove flowers as soon as they have faded. Keep your potted azalea pinched back and in a bright location out of direct sunlight until it is warm enough to place it outside. If you keep it potted and want to bring it back in during the fall, place it in a cool location – 45 to 50 degrees F, and reduce watering, until you see buds starting to swell. You need cool temperatures for bud development and light to prevent leaf drop until you see buds. After the buds start to open, move the plant to a bright, slightly warmer room and continue to water moderately, not allowing the potting mix to dry out.
Potted bulbs which have been forced into bloom, should be placed in a cool spot with temperatures at night are around 60 degrees F. Keep plants out of direct sun and moist, but not standing in water. Move bulbs to the garden for blooming next spring. Pick a sunny location and provide water while the leaves mature and dry. Remove dry foliage. You can plant the bulbs in the late spring, or store in a dry place until fall for planting at that time.
