Mint Images – Jane Taylor//Getty Images
It’s no mystery why spring-flowering plants are popular. They provide much-needed color and beauty after a long, drab winter. But their significance goes deeper than that: Many of the most popular plants associated with Easter and the season of rebirth have deep traditions. For example, the lily is considered a symbol of purity and is associated with the Virgin Mary, dating all the way back to Medieval times. Most traditional Easter plants are easy-care and inexpensive, and you can find them online, at nurseries, and even in grocery stores this time of year. Many of these plants are potted and will bloom in time for Easter, so they also make pretty gifts. After enjoying these flowering plants indoors, some can even be transplanted into your garden, or into patio containers or planter boxes for a display again next year.
Here are a few of our favorite Easter flowers for springtime arrangements.
Andia//Getty Images1GERBERA DAISIES
These bright, cheerful flowers come in an array of springtime colors—including pink, orange, salmon, yellow, and white—making them ideal to showcase in your home come Easter. Originating from South Africa, they come in various sizes and flower shapes. Display them alone or add them to a glam DIY arrangement for a vibrant Easter brunch centerpiece.
Snapper//Getty Images2HYDRANGEAS
Hydrangeas are known for the many colors they come in—blue, pink, purple, et al—and they flourish in partial shade. You’ll likely see them in bloom throughout the summer months, sometimes leading into the fall, depending on their location.
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Rachael Rose / EyeEm//Getty Images3TULIP
Choose potted tulips in tight buds because they will open rapidly once in your home. Keep the soil moist, but remove the pot covering so water drains out. Tulips typically look good for a week or so, then they fade fast. Tulips that were forced in pots are unlikely to bloom again next year (though there’s no harm in trying!). Plant the bulbs outdoors after the danger of frost is past. But be aware they’re particularly tasty to rodents.
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iropa//Getty Images4EASTER CACTUS
These plants, known by their botanical name of Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, are similar in appearance to the more well-known Christmas cactus, or Schlumbergera—except that these bloom during the Easter season. With segmented stem growth and gorgeous brightly-colored starry flowers, both types of holiday cactus can live for decades. These plants are native to rain forests and need bright light and mostly moist soil.
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DEA / M. CERRI//Getty Images5GARDENIA
These creamy-white flowers with shiny, dark green leaves are irresistible. When displayed in a vase, it’s best to keep them in a cool area that’s out of direct sunlight. When grown outdoors, it depends on the climate. If it tends to be hotter, try to plant them in an area that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. If you’re in a cooler area, they can tolerate more consistent direct sunlight.
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Daniel Gauthier//Getty Images6
PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID
The dainty blooms of orchids are not as delicate as they appear. They’ll bloom for months and live for years with little care. You’ll see them available year-round, but especially at Easter in pastel colors. Give them bright, indirect light, and water once a week until water drains out of the bottom of the pot.
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Hoang Duong / EyeEm//Getty Images7IRIS
Named after the Greek word that means rainbow, Iris flowers will surely add a splash of color to your home this spring. (There’s even a Greek goddess of the rainbow named Iris!) This perennial plant grows from either rhizomes or bulbs, depending on the climate. Irises are known for their cylindrical, multi-colored leaves.
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itasun//Getty Images8EASTER LILY
This Japanese native has large, white trumpet-shaped blooms with a strong scent. Look for plants with flowers in various states of bud so you can enjoy them for a longer period of time indoors. As the flowers open, remove the yellow anthers from the centers before the pollen starts to drop (it can stain fabrics and the flower petals). Easter lilies need bright light, but they don’t like drafty windows. Keep the soil moist, but remove the foil sleeve on the pot so the plants don’t get waterlogged. Plant outdoors in full sun when the danger of frost is past, and watch for blooms next summer.
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merc67//Getty Images9HYACINTH
These late spring bloomers are gorgeous—though their powerful fragrance may overwhelm some people. Buy potted plants when the flower heads are just beginning to peek through the soil, then plant the bulbs in the ground after flowers fade. They’re very hardy, and they’ll usually return for many years (especially because rodents don’t like them!).
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Cavan Images//Getty Images10DAFFODIL
These sunny yellow cupped flowers nodding on bright green stems are the classic flower of spring. They like bright, indirect light and will bloom for a week or two indoors. Save your bulbs after the blooms fade and plant them in your garden. Although they may not bloom the following spring, they typically recover and flower in subsequent seasons. Pesky rodents tend to leave them alone, too.
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Margarita Zhilova / 500px//Getty Images11CYCLAMEN
Bright Easter-egg color blooms in pink, white, or purple dance above heart-shaped leaves, with new flowers appearing for months. Cyclamen need bright light and constant moisture. They also prefer temps around 60 to 70 degrees, or the leaves tend to yellow and die. It’s tough to get these to rebloom, so enjoy them at their peak and then compost.
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MichelR45//Getty Images12LENTEN ROSE
These gorgeous shade-lovers, also known as hellebores, bloom in late winter or early spring, often during the Christian season of Lent. They’re occasionally offered in pots as houseplants, but their delicate, exotic-looking blooms and evergreen foliage make them worth seeking out the plants for adding to your garden beds. Lenten roses are extremely cold-hardy and deer and rodent-resistant.
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Evgeniya Matveeva / EyeEm//Getty Images13CROCUS
These early spring bloomers are lovely naturalized in your garden beds or even in drifts in the lawn, or you can sometimes find them potted up for Easter. Plant these in fall for spring blooms the next year. They’re extremely cold hardy though the downside is that the tiny bulbs (called “corms”) are delicious to rodents.
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Dmitry_Evs//Getty Images14AZALEA
Tiny pots of azaleas with ruffled petals of pure white, bright pink, and lavender are a welcome addition to any Easter tablescape. They prefer cool conditions and don’t like to be in full sun while in bloom. Keep the soil moist! Remove faded flowers. Potted azaleas don’t usually rebloom without major fussing, so compost spent plants.
