Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Easter Lily Cactus
Easter Lily Cactus is a low, clumping cactus known for pink trumpet flowers that are often bigger than the plant itself. The flowers open in the evening in spring, often around Easter, and each one lasts a day or two. The green, ribbed stems grow into a mound about a foot tall as pups form around the base. It fits pots, small beds and rock gardens and needs little water.
Best for: patio pots and containers, small beds and borders, rock gardens and slopes, and spots with morning sun and afternoon shade.
It stays about a foot tall, so it fits a patio pot or container. Use a pot with drainage holes and a fast-draining cactus mix.
Pups form around the base and build a low mound 1 to 3 feet wide over time. It suits small beds, borders, rock gardens and slopes.
In spring, often around Easter, long pink trumpet flowers open in the evening. Each one lasts a day or two, and they are often bigger than the plant.
Strong afternoon sun can scorch the green stems, so give it some shade later in the day. Soggy or dense soil leads to root rot.
- Group planting1-2 ft apart
- From the property line1 ft
Wait about a week after planting before the first water. Then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. In cooler weather, water only after two to four weeks without rain.
Water deeply when the soil is dry in spring and summer. In fall and winter, water about once a month or stop. Pots dry out faster than beds.
Give it about four to six hours of morning sun and shade from the harsh afternoon sun. A new plant from a nursery also needs light shade its first summer.
It handles cold down to about 20°F. On colder nights, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground, not plastic, and take it off in the morning.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
When does Easter Lily Cactus bloom?
It blooms in spring, often around Easter and into late spring. Check the plant in the evening, when the flowers open.
How long do the flowers last?
Each flower opens in the evening and lasts a day or two. Plan to enjoy them the evening they open and the morning after.
What color are the flowers?
Most are pink, and the color can range from deep pink to nearly white. The long trumpet flowers are often bigger than the plant itself.
How big does it get?
It stays about a foot tall and slowly spreads 1 to 3 feet wide as pups form around the base. It grows slowly, so it stays pot sized for years.
Does it need full sun in Phoenix?
It takes full sun to part sun, but harsh afternoon sun can scorch it. Give it morning sun and some shade in the afternoon.
How often should I water it?
Water deeply when the soil is dry in spring and summer, about every one to two weeks for pots. In fall and winter, cut back to about once a month or stop.
How cold can it take?
It handles cold down to about 20°F. Cover it with frost cloth on colder nights, and keep the soil dry in winter.
Can I grow new plants from the pups?
Yes, the pups around the base can be removed and replanted. Let the cut end dry for a few days before you plant it in dry cactus mix.
Easter Lily Cactus for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Easter Lily Cactus (Echinopsis oxygona) is a small clumping cactus grown for its huge pink spring flowers. It stays about a foot tall and suits pots and small beds. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from flowers and pups to sun, water and frost.
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Easter Lily Cactus in Arizona
Easter Lily Cactus is a small clumping cactus grown for its huge pink spring flowers. It stays about a foot tall and needs little water once rooted.
When Easter Lily Cactus blooms
The flowers open in the evening in spring, often around Easter, and each one lasts a day or two. They are long pink trumpets, often bigger than the plant.
Sun for Easter Lily Cactus in Phoenix
Give it morning sun and some shade from the harsh afternoon sun. Too much afternoon sun can scorch the green stems.
Watering Easter Lily Cactus
Water deeply when the soil is dry in spring and summer. In fall and winter, water about once a month or not at all.
Easter Lily Cactus in pots
Its small size makes it an easy pot plant. Use a fast-draining cactus mix and a pot with drainage holes so water never sits at the roots.
Easter Lily Cactus pups
Pups form around the base and build a low mound over time. You can remove a pup, let the cut end dry for a few days and plant it.
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