Update: Raleigh nursery orders more Easter lilies to give away

Margaret “Phil” Campbell said the first 300 plants were snapped up by customers following our story about her generosity on Tuesday. So she ordered 300 more lilies from Williams Plant Farm in Sims, N.C.

Campbell thanked Williams Plant Farm for giving her a “nice discount” and joining her in spreading joy at a time of great worry for our state and nation.

Campbell said she hoped her customers would think about the gifts of “life, love, peace and hope” as they watch the lily buds burst into blooms of white.

Campbell says she is fully aware how dangerous the world is right now but she has chosen to focus on “the good that is going on.”

The lily giveaway idea came to Campbell after churches canceled their normal services due to the coronavirus pandemic. For many years, Campbell Road Nursery has supplied Easter lilies and other flowers to churches in the area.

Campbell is a beloved member of Cary Presbyterian Church, where she has developed a reputation of generosity, compassion and creativity.

“I would like everyone to have an Easter lily this year,” said Campbell.

Campbell is certainly doing her part to make this powerful symbol of hope and renewal available to those in the Triangle.