Photo credit: Melanie McCabe, Homestead Gardens

Easter lilies aren't just for Easter.

If you receive one as a gift this weekend, you can plant it in your garden, where it will keep on giving.

Here is some advice on enjoying your lily indoors, and then moving it into the garden.

As the flowers mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed. This helps the flower last longer and prevents the pollen from staining the flower.

In the house, Easter lilies prefer moderately cool temperatures, between 60 and 65 degrees during the day, with cooler temperatures at night. The lily will thrive near a window in bright, indirect natural daylight, but avoid glaring, direct sunlight.

Lilies prefer moderatley moist, well-drained soil. Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch, but avoid over-watering.

Once the lilies have finished flowering and the last bloom has withered, you can move the plant to a sunny location outdoors after the danger of frost has passed.

Prepared a well-drained garden bed with rich, organic matter and planting mix. Raise the bed with this material so the lily has plenty of drainage.

Plant bulbs at least 12 to 18 inches apart in a hole sufficiently deep so that the roots can spread out and down. Work the prepared soil in and around the roots, leaving no air pockets.

Water immediately and thoroughly.

After the plant dies back, cut the stems back to the soil surface. New growth will soon emerge.

Easter lilies are forced to bloom in spring for the holiday, but they bloom naturally in summer and you may get a second bloom. But you will probably have to wait until next June or July for the plant to bloom again.

Lilies like their roots in shade and their heads in sun. Mulching helps, but also consider planting a "living mulch," such as a low-growing, shallow rooted annual. Perhaps violas or primulas.

The bulbs are winter hardy, but be sure to provide a generous layer of mulch in the fall, removing it in spring so new shoots can emerge.

Information courtesy of Texas A&M University.