Lilies
by Adam Sholes
Part Three of Our Fun Facts About Flowers Series
Another of the most popular cut flowers in the US is the lily. The Latin name is Lillium and the use of the flower goes back at least as far as the Greeks. The lily became a flower with much religious symbolism. It is a symbol of purity and chastity and is related to The Virgin Mary. In many Asian countries the bulb of some lilies is used for medicinal purposes.
Lilies are very easy to grow in our area as they are native to Temperate zones in the Northern Hemisphere. The largest grower of lilies is the United States, In fact, 95% of all Easter Lilies are grown in California.
The lilies that we carry every day are also grown in California.
Some lilies bulbs are toxic to cats.
We often have customers who, when ordering flowers will specify that they do not want lilies because they don't like the smell. Not all lilies have a strong fragrance. The ones that have a strong fragrance are the Oriental lilies such as Stargazor or Casablanca. If you like liles but do not like the fragrance than you want to have Asiatic lilies. They are beautiful but have almost no fragrance.
More information on lilies.
Like the lilies in the picture? They're available on our website! Click the photo to check them out!
Also in This Series: