Pictures of Blooming Easter Lilies in our Backyard

Last year's Easter Lilies...

The pictures of these beautiful milky white Easter Lilies were taken in our backyard last year.

This year's batch might or might not be in full bloom as they were at this time last year due to the unusually cold and freezing weather that we have had this past winter in Houston, Texas.

Many plants have had a bit of a set-back due to the circumstances of frigid weather that included several days of protracted freezes and even a couple of rare snowfalls that briefly blanketed the city and countryside.

Generally our winters are mild and some winters pass without us ever having to even wear a coat.

Not so this year!

Coats and jackets and gloves were all put to good use in this winter of 2009 to early 2010.

Our fireplace that is ornamental and used more for the ambiance that it creates when lit was utilized more this past winter than for all the winters of the preceding ten to fifteen years added together. The additional warmth that emanated from it into our living room from the gas logs was welcomed.

Pictures...

You might note in some of these pictures the surrounding blooms of the impatiens that offered a colorful backdrop to the pristine whiteness of the Easter Lilies.

While the green foliage of the Easter Lilies is now evident and soon the buds will form and eventually open their cup-like trumpet shaped blossom, there will be no blooming impatiens at the same time this year. The plants turned to mush after the winter freezes, and any new impatiens plants will have to come up from seed.

Last year was the first time that I had photographed the Easter Lilies. Prior to that I was digging them out by the hundreds (or so it seemed) and was kept busy giving them away to other gardeners for their home landscapes.

They are now down to a manageable and enjoyable number in an area that can be viewed from our kitchen and our everyday dining area adjacent to the kitchen.

I have the Easter Lilies nestled in with azaleas, my beloved rocks, the birdbath and a few other plants like caladiums and ajuga. Not everything blooms at the same time, so this garden bed offers a variety of perennial plants that adds variety to the backyard landscape at various times of the year.

How Easter Lilies grow...

Easter Lilies are a bulbous plant. They are perennial in the South and spread easily.

The residents of this house prior to our moving here apparently loved Easter Lilies as they were growing almost like a weed in just about every garden bed in the backyard.

Each bulb consists of many little attached bulbs much as a head of garlic. If even one little bulb escapes being dug up when trying to relocate the plants or give them away, one will have another Easter Lily growing in that same location the following year.

It took quite a while of sustained effort to get them corralled into the location where we wish to enjoy their annual show.

Looking at the closeness of the foliage coming up this year, I will probably have to thin them out after they bloom as one has to do with most bulb plants so that they do not become overcrowded.

After the Easter Lilies bloom, for best effect one must let the stalks dry and let the nutrients enrich the bulbs. They can be woven together and laid flat upon the ground letting the surrounding plants help to hide this part of their life cycle.

It is for this reason that I did not want them everywhere in the garden. The show that Easter Lilies produce is seasonal, spectacular but also relatively brief.

The only extra care that I give them (where we live in Houston) is to sprinkle a little bone meal over them in the Fall and water it in for some extra nutrition for next year's show of beauty.

Easter and its meaning...

The meaning of Easter for most Christians is rejoicing in the fact of Jesus Christ having risen from the dead and His ascension into Heaven.

The preceding days of His being falsely accused and sentenced to death by crucificion...a horrible death!...had ended. Jesus had sacrificed Himself to pave the way for the rest of us who believe in Him and who follow His teachings to be able to gain entrance into Heaven and live an everlasting life.

Secular customs have also taken root over the centuries and Easter bunnies and Easter eggs are seen in abundance this time of year.

Easter egg hunts where children are invited even onto the White House lawn as well as numerous other places have become commonplace. The goal is to collect as many Easter eggs as possible and they are hidden under shrubs and in other places that are good hiding spots. The child who collects the most eggs generally wins a prize.

Many greeting cards are sold and mailed at this Easter time of year.

New Easter outfits became customary for many people and they sported their new clothes at church or at Easter parades which also became commonplace.

Easter is a celebration during the Spring of the year and celebrates the rebirth of many things both religious and otherwise.

The Easter Lily has become a symbol of this special season.

This Easter...

Last year of 2009 as I was taking these pictures of the Easter Lilies in our backyard my mother was enjoying the view from inside the house and also while sitting on the patio.

Along with the red-bud tree in full bloom and the azaleas and camellias and other flowering shrubs offering various splashes of seasonal color to the backyard, the birds were busy building their nests.

Everything was exploding with promises of another season of glorious blooms and renewing life and the three of us (my mother, husband and myself) were happy in our surroundings.

Early this year my dear mother departed this life and when the Easter Lilies open their trumpet shaped pristine white blossoms in the next few weeks it will be a reminder to me of her promised place in Heaven. Mother dear, I love you and always will.