What should I know about lilies?
The Short Answer
Lilies bring bold blooms, a long vase life, and often a strong fragrance to arrangements. They are a staple in sympathy and celebration designs alike, and a few simple habits keep their pollen from staining and help them last 10 to 14 days.
Ready to order? Explore fresh, professionally designed arrangements available for local delivery through Bentley Florist.
A flower with real presence
Lilies have symbolized purity, renewal, and devotion across many cultures, which is one reason they appear so often in both weddings and memorials. What makes them stand out in a vase is scale. A single stem can carry three or four large trumpet-shaped blooms plus buds that open over several days, so one lily does the visual work of a whole handful of smaller flowers. That generosity makes them a smart value. At Bentley Florist we lean on lilies when a customer wants an arrangement that reads as full and important without requiring an enormous stem count.
Knowing your lilies
The two you will meet most often are Oriental lilies and Asiatic lilies. Orientals, including the famous white Casablanca and the pink Stargazer, are large, luxurious, and powerfully fragrant. Asiatic lilies come in bright oranges, yellows, and reds, open a bit faster, and have little to no scent, which is handy for anyone sensitive to perfume. There are also elegant calla lilies, which are technically a different plant but beloved for their sculptural curled form in modern and wedding work. When someone tells us they love lilies but not strong fragrance, we usually point them toward Asiatics or callas.
The pollen problem, solved
The rusty orange pollen on lily stamens will stain fabric, skin, and petals, and it is nearly impossible to wash out. The fix is simple. As soon as a lily bloom opens, gently pinch off the pollen-covered anthers with a tissue and discard them. This protects your tablecloth and clothing and actually extends the life of the bloom, since the flower stops spending energy on pollination. If pollen does land on fabric, do not rub it. Lift it off with sticky tape or set the fabric in the sun, which can bleach the stain away over a few hours.
Care and best occasions
Lilies are easy keepers. Recut the stems, use flower food, and change the water every few days, and they will reward you for up to two weeks as bud after bud opens. Keep them cool and out of direct sun to slow the bloom cycle if you want them to last through an event. Lilies are a classic sympathy flower, appearing in most standing sprays and casket pieces, where our sympathy designs often run $75 to $250 for baskets and $150 to $400 for standing sprays. They are equally at home in cheerful summer arrangements and everyday bouquets in the $45 to $125 range. One important caution for pet owners: true lilies are highly toxic to cats, so choose a lily-free design for homes with cats.
Planning Tips From Our Designers
- Pinch off pollen anthers as blooms open to prevent stains.
- Choose Asiatic or calla lilies if you dislike strong fragrance.
- Keep lilies cool to slow the bloom cycle before an event.
- Lift stray pollen with tape, never rub it into fabric.
- Skip true lilies entirely in homes with cats.
- One stem opens several blooms, so a few go a long way.
Ready to send something beautiful?
Bentley Florist offers same-day delivery throughout Burton, Flint, and Genesee County — arranged by hand, delivered with care.
Order From Bentley FloristKeep Exploring