The lily is one of the most important flowers found at your local or online florist these days. You can hardly imagine not including such beauties in your bouquets. In fact, some lilies are just so perfect that you need not use any other flowers in the arrangement at all! There are a few different kinds of lilies available and each type has something special to offer.
Oriental lilies are grown from bulbs. Various types of oriental hybrids exist today and they were developed in order to harness the best qualities, create larger flowers and make them available in a number of new colours too. You will find that these lilies carry a number of flowers on a single stem and each flower may have a different shape to the next. You will also notice that the petals of oriental lilies have a stunning color design. The inner part of the petal will be fairly dark and the color will fade into lighter shades as it reaches the edge of the petal. Oriental lilies are known to have quite a bit of pollen. Not only can this aggravate allergies but it also stains. Most florists recommend that the pollen be removed because of this. In doing so, it is also said that the life of the cut lily is prolonged. Popular choices in oriental lilies include Stargazers and Casa Blanca Lilies. The latter is a sought after choice to accompany other wedding flowers and even for use in the bride’s bouquet.
Another popular type of lily is the asiatic lily. If you aren’t sure which lilies fall into this group, perhaps you are familiar with the following: Dawn Star, Corsica or Enchantment. None of these ring any bells? Well then, you must have heard of the Easter lily. The Easter lily is probably one of the most popular of all Asiatic lilies and its white petals are irresistible! Like other lilies, Asiatics bloom during the warm summer months.
So named because of their distinct shape, trumpet lilies are another great hit in both gardens and flower shops. They tend to bloom later in the season compared to other types of lilies but they aren’t as fussy about their location and conditions. Ortega and Golden Sceptre are examples of popular trumpet lilies.
Let’s not forget all the hybrids available these days. The crossing of oriental and trumpet lilies has given rise to a new breed of what’s known as orienpet lilies. Examples of these include Belladonna, Anastasia and Caravan to name a few. There are so many new types of lilies out there and, with the help of technology, we are able to capture the best qualities from each one, fuse it with those of another and create something beyond perfect. When creating a hybrid, the desired outcome is always a better quality flower, more regular blooming and hardy flowers and plants more resistant to certain weather conditions as well as disease.
