My MIL was so delighted with a bouquet I gave her from my garden this summer that I'd like to do more cut flowers next year. But I've never cut lilies before and was hoping someone here help answer a couple of questions.
I was wondering how far down the stem would I cut them? Also, if I cut off foliage, am I depriving the lilyof the nutrients it needs for next year?
Sandy
Cutting lilies for bouquets
I cut some of my lilies this year and have had no problems with them not having enough stem left for nutrients for next year. The stems are usually pretty long....mine were about 3ft high this year. I cut them about half way down the stem.....want to have enough to fit the vase. Be sure to remove the leaves from the part of the stem that will be in the water.
I've found a good rule of thumb is to always try to leave 2/3 of the stem to nourish the bulb. Please leave the foliage on the stem remaining in the garden. Stems may be removed from the garden in the late fall, after they have matured and turned yellow.
Thanks! I've bought MIL a vase for Christmas and a promise of some summer bouquets. Might even do a few myself!
Sandy, lilies are among my favorite cut flowers (I work as a floral designer). I use the above method of removing no more than 1/3 of the stem length, but I have had lilies broken to the ground way before blooming and they still bloomed the following year(big suprise to me!). If you're using the entire inflorescense(sp?) you can cut it just as the first buds are starting to open. They continue to open and develope in the vase and it's a lovely process to watch indoors. Varieties with long petioles can be cut from the main stem and are lovely in short vases or bowls.
I'd love to see pics when you start arranging. I'm too schooled in floral design for myself. In my own home I prefer a more casual look, but I always play with it too much and it looks too rigid and fixed to me. Have fun! Neal.
Neal, thank you for the lily tips, you floral designer, you! No wonder you have such a flair for beautiful combinations. One thing I know is you have to be creative to work in such a business.
Last night at our local garden club meeting we had a guest who had just opened a flower shop/coffee house/bookshop. She was showing us different ideas for dressing up our holiday tables. Beautiful creations made before our eyes. Picture this. Three martini glasses in a row down the middle of the table. The glass stems were black and thick, like an upside down triangle. So the glass was essentially a triangle on top of an upside-down triangle. Each glass was filled with burgundy sand. Into the sand she inserted stems of pine, two burgundy carnations, one burgundy rose and a couple of white pom-pom type flowers. She placed these 3 martini bouquets on a bed of pine boughs in a row down the middle of the table. Then she wove a burgundy berry garland in an 'S' shape around the glasses on top of the pine boughs. Oh man, was it classy looking!
I'd love to be able to do stuff like that. Well, I know I can DO stuff like that, but I mean, come up with the vision in my head and create something entirely original and beautiful. That would be too cool!
Take care
Sandy
Sandy, with your eye in the garden, all you'd need to do is familiarize yourself with the mechanics of floral design. I've designed with an effort to capture the way the flower grows in the garden or in nature. You would have a tendancy to do that to I think (I was gardening way before floral design).
While I'd like to get out of that line of work, I do appreciate being able to at least handle and smell real flowers in winter. And there is a lily for every season, so now it's Casa Blancas with evergreen boughs and variegated holly. Last month it was orange, red, and yellow Asiatics with cotoneaster berries and wheat. And in spring and summer Stargazers and any number of colors of Asiatics are great with everything(roses, asters, goldenrod, liatris, grasses, hydrangeas).
Have fun playing with some ideas this winter. It's kind of like bringing a little of the garden inside for winter to create a lovely setting.
Neal
So Neal, why don't you and Sanannie start a flower arranging thread?
Your ideas are so great...but, of course, you probably don't want to bring your work home with you! And I can't blame you...oh, well....
I love lillies at Christmas. And roses. Seems so European to me. Don't know why exactly...
And I have said before I'm a big fan of lilies in bouquets. So many different kinds. Just a stem in a pretty vase is more than enough...
Now, I wonder, is the lily ever an ingredient in a liqueur or apertif--like 'lillet' from france for instance? Someone told me so, but I can't confirm that... I do know the onion and asperagus are members of the lily family, and maybe they are flavorings in 'lillet'...I wonder? It is sort of bitter and weird like onions and asperagus.
Well, I am getting off the point... You can tell I like lilies, though. (BTW, What's the correct spelling?) LOL t.
Good idea tabasco. When everyone's Asiatics start in May/June we should definitely start a thread. The handling flowers part of work is the part that does'nt seem like work. It's the public, co-workers&owners, and holiday stress that I won't bring home LOL.
I've heard of some lily species in China that are grown for food. Wonder if any of those are used in liquour?
Neal.
Lanzhou lily are the ones that are eaten in Asian cooking. Hubby picked some up for me last year at the Asian market. They are sold as "lily bulb" and they are easy to grow. I hope they prove to be hardy. I enjoyed the flowers.
Oh cool! What did they look like?
Neal.
Lilies seem to have a pollen that causes strong stains. Is there something that gets it out. I was told by someone that you cut off the staymen (?) the thing with the pollen but they are a significant part of the flowers apperance
Lester
Hi mlwdad ~
Yes, pollen can cause quite a stain, even on the skin.
For clothing, try blowing the loose pollen off or use some tape and lightly touch it to the pollen. Never rub! If pollen is still present then rinse the cloth with cold water from the back side of the cloth.
I agree that the pollen can enhance the beauty of the lily especially if it is very dark. However, I think the orange pollen on Stargazers detracts from the bloom. Either way, when lilies are brought into the home I always remove the pollen-bearing organs, called anthers. As the bloom ages the pollen will fall on to the surface below it. You wouldn't want to ruin a nice table cloth or important papers.
Rather than cutting the filament and leaving little stumps, I use an old fork to "comb" each filament and the anther will pop right off. That way you can get right in there for a big ol' sniff. :)
Good idea Moby. I'm glad that was brought up; it's standard procedure in floral design to remove anthers. My huge white Orientals with bright yellow bands are so niceley enhanced by the red/rust anthers. I find I'm never tempted to cut them for that reason. And there is a product I get at Walmart I've used that gets those stains out. It's Crown brand Spray Power. I don't know how widespread it is distributed as it is made in Nicholasville,Ky. (pretty close to me). On fabric I use it as a pre-treat and the stains lift.
Neal.