My favorite part of Easter is the sunrise service, the Great Vigil. The Great Vigil of Easter marks the passage from Lent to Easter. At our Cathedral we have a huge bonfire outside. We then enter the church in the darkness. The smell of lilies and fresh flowers permeates the darkness. Flickers of white from the lilies give hints of what is to come. As the sun slowly rises, the full glory of the colors and flowers of Easter emerges.
Easter is celebrated with a glorious array of flowers. Flowers adorn the altar areas, doorways, columns, street signs, and the entrances to churches. Easter is a time to pull out all the stops. Place baskets of lilies on entrance tables in all hallways, adorn the area around the cross, pews, and columns.
These five tips for selecting and displaying Easter lilies guarantee a lovely display:
- Get Easter lilies early, probably Monday of Easter week.
- Look for lilies that have white in their buds. Green ones will take over a week to open.
- Most cut lilies are shipped tight in the bud. If they are very tight, fresh cut them and put them in warm water. Put them in a warm room or outside if the weather is warm. Fresh cut them every day and put in more fresh, warm water.
- Order dark green wrappers for potted lilies.
- Buy containers that hold one potted lily or multiples. They are an easy way to display lilies and can be reused each year. Mix with ferns and cover edges with moss.
Excerpted from Faith Flowers: Celebrate with a Glorious Array of Flowers, by Laura Iarocci (Stichting Kunstboak, 2018)