How to care for a potted lily and other gift plants

If you celebrated Easter past weekend, you mightiness beryllium reference this beside a cellophane- aliases foil-covered cookware of lilies, hydrangeas, hyacinths aliases daffodils. Typically, outpouring gift plants for illustration these are enjoyed until their flowers fade, and past are thrown distant for illustration old Peeps.

But, if you dainty them right, these gift plants tin thrive successful your garden, often for years to come.

Your first measurement should beryllium to region nan pot’s wrapper, which traps nan h2o draining from nan spread astatine nan bottommost of nan container, placing nan works astatine consequence for guidelines rot.

Then, group nan works by a sunny model and h2o lightly whenever nan ungraded dries. Snip disconnected spent flowers arsenic they slice and proceed to attraction for plants indoors until nan threat of frost has passed.

Plant lilies successful a sunny plot spot astatine nan aforesaid extent arsenic they were increasing successful nan pot. Water thoroughly, apply mulch to clasp ungraded moisture and suppress weeds, and provender pinch a 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Repeat feedings monthly passim nan increasing season. Although you whitethorn spot caller maturation during outpouring and summer, nan works will not apt bloom again this year.

Plant gift hydrangeas similarly, past supply 1 dose of a slow-release, balanced fertilizer (10-10-10). No further fertilization should beryllium needed for nan remainder of nan season. The works should bloom adjacent year.

When hyacinth foliage turns yellowish (this whitethorn beryllium good aft nan threat of frost has passed), excavation a spread arsenic heavy arsenic nan instrumentality and flip successful a fistful of bony repast earlier planting. Water, mulch and fertilize pinch a 10-10-10 merchandise play passim summertime to supply power that nan underground bulb will shop to nutrient adjacent year’s flowers.

Tulips aren’t very reliable rebloomers extracurricular of their autochthonal scope of Central Asia and Turkey. Gardeners successful astir different regions look diminishing returns for a fewer years until, 1 day, thing but leaves and stems show up. Because of this, galore gardeners dainty tulips arsenic annuals, planting caller bulbs each year. Still, there’s thing to suffer by experimenting: Plant tulips outdoors pursuing nan guidelines for hyacinths – and dream for nan champion adjacent spring.

Warning: All of these plants are toxic to cats. Chewing connected 1 lily leafage aliases simply licking its pollen tin lead to kidney failure. If you fishy your feline whitethorn person ingested immoderate portion of a toxic plant, nary matter really small, telephone your veterinarian immediately.

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Jessica Damiano writes regular farming columns for nan AP and publishes nan award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You tin sign up here for play farming tips and advice.

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For much AP farming stories, spell to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.