Easter lily farming blossomed after World War II

Easter lilies are now appearing in churches just as poinsettias do at Christmas. Both adorn the altars and pulpits during Christianity’s two most important holidays. Over the years, both continue to be the centerpieces of seasonal decorations.

They are unique potted plants which aren’t suited for cut-flower arrangements and disappear when churches move back to ordinary times. While both are the icons, poinsettias have a longer shelf-life: Thanksgiving to Christmas. Easter lilies have a three-week window: late Lent and Easter Week.

Each year more than half of the 10 million Easter lily plants are bought for religious use because to Christians, it is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. However, as beautiful as they are, sightseers don’t flock to fields to enjoy the spectacular sea of white blossoms like they swarm tulip fields.

One reason is tulip fields, hotbeds for “agritourism,” are found along Interstate 5 and an hour’s drive from Portland or Seattle. Easter lily farms are 250 miles from Portland and 380 miles from San Francisco along scenic Highway 101, a two-lane winding coastal highway hugging the Pacific Ocean.

The primary explanation is lilies are grown to supply bulbs to local nurseries where operators pot, grow and ship them. Easter lilies are the fourth largest potted plant crop in the U.S., trailing poinsettias, hydrangeas and azaleas.

Once the fields are in full bloom, farmers clip the flowers to force nutrients to bulbs. The white flowers are scattered on plantations’ ground and quickly decompose. Simply, they are not as visually pleasing as rows of standing colorful tulips which generally last through April.

They have delicate flowers shaped like trumpets and are aromatic. They are not suited for cut-flower arrangements but stand alone in colorfully wrapped pots. Potted lilies are also transplanted in moist drained flower beds filled with rich soil.

Easter lilies thrive in the cool, foggy climate which stretches from Brookings, Oregon, south to Crescent City, California, where 95% of the world’s supply is grown. The deep green plants flourish in the shadows of the majestic Coastal Redwoods. The world’s Easter lily capital is Smith River, Oregon.

There are 14 million bulbs harvested yearly from family-owned farms which combined cover 600 acres.

LILIES:

Today, four family-owned companies’ fields straddle the California-Oregon border. Easter lily bulbs typically take three to four years to grow large enough for commercial use. Processing involves carefully digging the bulbs, treating to prevent fungus and diseases, chilling, replanting and then forcing them to bloom in time for Easter.

Lilium longiflorum is known as the Easter lily. It is not native to the Pacific Northwest; Its origins are traced to a small chain of islands in southern Japan and Taiwan known as the Ryukyu Archipelago.

Japan was the primary world supplier of bulbs prior to World War II; however, after the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese market was severed and production shifted to the Smith River Valley.

Most fields lie between Highway 101 and the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The white-flowered fields are every bit as striking to the eye as the multi-colored tulip fields in western Washington and Oregon, however shortlived.

This is the time of year sightseers book tours to tulip fields in western Washington and Oregon. Tulips are in full bloom during April and May. The largest event is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival which brought in more than $83 million in 2024 and attracted 63,000 “agritourists.”

While the tulip fields in Washington’s Skagit Valley near LaConner have Mt. Baker as a backdrop, in Oregon near Woodburn, Mt. Hood and Cascade peaks are in the background. Easter lily plantations are most picturesque during sunrises and sunsets over the Pacific Ocean on a clear day.

However, photographers must scurry to find fields in full bloom and hopefully find sunshine —timing and luck are everything.

DON C. BRUNELL IS A BUSINESS ANALYST, WRITER, AND COLUMNIST. HE RETIRED AS PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON BUSINESS, THE STATE’S OLDEST AND LARGEST BUSINESS ORGANIZATION AND NOW LIVES IN VANCOUVER. HE CAN BE CONTACTED AT [email protected].