Lilies | Christian Faiths' flower symbol of Pure Virginal Love.

In the Christian faith this flower is the symbol of pure and virginal love. There a lot of lily varieties, one of the most popular are the Oriental lilies, Tiger Lily and Easter lily. A part of the Liliaceae family, lilies are odorous, bulbous, herbaceous perennials. Approximately half of the lily species has their origin in continental Asia, the other half originate from Europe, North America and Japan.

The ancient peoples believed that lilies were the tokens of fertility and a pure life. Their flowers were offered to gods to appease them. The flower has been cultivated for over three thousand years. Feng Shui believers consider the lily to be an emblem of summer and prosperity; in China lily stands for "Forever in love".

The plant may be divided into four major categories. They are Longiflorum, Asiatic, Oriental and Longiflorum x Asiatic. Longiflorums are distinguished by sweet scent and big, funnel-shaped white blossoms. Asiatic lily is distinguished by smaller blooms and is less odorous in a vast range of shades and colours. In comparison with Asiatic species Oriental lily’s flower is larger and it has stronger odour. These blooms may be met in fewer shades and colours. As for the Longiflorum x Asiatic category, it is available in apricot shades having just a light smell.

The majority of species are available at any season of the year in white, cream, yellow, red, pink, orange shades; the bi-coloured blooms are grown as well. The cut flower’s life lasting is about one or two weeks. It is very important to know that the flower is very sensitive to ethylene.

When ordering lilies ask your florist what stage of opening you would like them to be but keep in mind they can take up to 10 days to open from bud to full bloom. For instance the arrangement in this photo there are 10 flower blooms/buds at various stages of blooming. The tightest bud in this arrangement will take 10 days to fully bloom and the most open flower will only last 3 to 4 days.

For wedding bouquets and special events, the florist will, over the course of 7-10 days, lovingly nurture and encourage the flowers to open and pull the staining pollen from the centres as the buds crack open.  Hoping all the while that when they do open, they are the colour that was ordered and they all peak at the same time. Most growers or suppliers send Oriental Lilies to the florist in tight bud showing little to no colour and green, it is difficult to know their exact colour at this stage.

A good florist will order a few more bunches than is required to secure the correct number of blooms in the correct colours at the perfect stage of opening.

Love them or not they are currently the most requested flower for all occasions including Weddings, Events, Gifts, and Birthdays, Home decorations or Functions.