History of Lilies

In Greek mythology, it is known that Lilies were made from the breast milk of Hera, Zeus' wife. This flower represents purity. A Roman goddess Venus envied the flower's purity so much that she made the pistil emerge from the centre of the flower. In or around 1580 BC, this flower's first image was seen in Crete. Christians and Pagans started considering these white flowers as a representation of fertility. In Greece, lilies still signify abundance and purity and brides there wear coronets made of wheat and lilies.

In few civilizations, lilies represent death, and they sprinkle these flowers on the graves of kids, martyrs, and saints. During the Victorian era, one of the European explorers named Augustine Henry fell in love with lilies and started searching for various sorts of lilies. Orange lilies are also known as Henry's Lily as they were grown in his honour.

The most common type of lily is Lilium longiflorum, also known as Easter lilies. It is known as an Easter lily as it signifies Christ's resurrection. It is believed that these flowers grew at all those places where the blood drops of Jesus Christ fell during his crucifixion. They consider these flowers as the symbols of Virgin Mary's purity and chastity. These flowers became highly popular in the USA after World War I, but World War II made these flowers expensive and insufficient. As a result, flower growers in the US started growing Easter lilies. Historically, they have been extremely significant due to their beauty, aroma, and fragrance. Today, it is also known as 'the pure flower.'

Lily Planting Tips

These flowers are easy to plant, and they give an exquisite touch to the look of your garden area. The best environment suitable for their natural growth is a sunny one. The soil you use to grow lilies has to be rich, moist, and fertile. Before you plant them, it is important to use a lot of well-moulded manure to enhance the nature of the soil. Hybrid lilies are robust and appear once every year.

There are plenty of types of lilies. Asiatic lilies grow earlier than oriental lilies and are odourless. However, oriental lilies have a strong smell. The best way to plant lilies has several steps, and the first thing you must do is dig a hole which is spacious enough for lily bulbs to fit while maintaining the distance of 15cm between two bulbs. Underneath the surface, they give birth to stem roots, so you have to ensure that you plant those lily bulbs at the height of 3 times the bulb's height. This protects bulbs from intense weather conditions.

If you want to plant lilies in a container, it should be deep enough to contain bulbs at 3 times their depth with enough space for root development. Choose a vase at least 10? deep and maintain 5cm distance between two bulbs. In dishevelled areas, it is important to support your lilies to avoid the stems snapping. This might not happen to dwarf lilies albeit and make sure you use soft string to tie in the stems.

Fun Facts about Lilies

1. Lilies are one of the most preferred and loved flower forms in the entire world.
2. Lilies are seen in multiple places all over the world, e.g. India, Australia, Canada, and Europe.
3. Some species of lilies like Lilium Brownii, Lilium Pumilum, and Lilium Dauricum are grown for consumption. These bulbs are grown as an edible thing in Asia, particularly China, Korea, and Japan. 4. Lilies are perceived differently worldwide. Chinese think they represent good luck, but in the Assyrian civilization, it is a holy flower.
5. Different types of lilies represent different emotions, e.g. white lilies signify simplicity and purity and tiger lilies signify wealth and royalty.
6. Except for white lilies and tiger lilies, they are odourless.
7. The longevity of lilies can be enhanced further by eradicating the pollen seen in flowers.
8. A considerable number of lily species are used for medicinal purposes as these species contain the compounds that are used in medicines, which in turn, can heal depression, angina, and anxiety.
9. Tiger lilies are considered as the most exuberant lily species and often used in beautiful lily bouquets.
10. Their smell is poisonous to cats so keep your cats away from these flowers.
11. Lilies are known to be one of the most popular flower choices in the world for centrepieces and flower bouquets

Colour Meanings

1. White lilies signify purity and righteousness
2. Pink lilies, also known as stargazer lilies, signify abundance and prosperity
3. Orange lilies signify pride, wealth, and confidence
4. Yellow lilies signify desire and admiration for fun
5. Red lilies signify passion

Lilies are given on multiple occasions like weddings, birthdays, anniversary, and Valentine's Day. Calla lilies are usually given on weddings or romantic events like Valentine's Day or Anniversary as they represent beauty and magnificence. White Calla lilies make perfect wedding flowers. However, lilies are also given to convey sympathy on funerals.

Caring for Lily flowers

During their development, water it regularly

Treat them with mulch, so their roots are moist.

Use a high potassium fertilizer once every two weeks from the first phase of spring until one and a half months.

Keep them moist during winters.

Use a thin compost layer each spring.

Remove the flowers that are faded, so they do not waste their energy creating seeds since they bloom once every season

Leave the greenery until it turns brownish in the fall and cut down the damaged stalks in the early spring.

Add 4-6 inches of mulch before winter to let the roots grow.

Divide lily plants into clumps once every 3-4 years as they start growing in the spring again.

How to Care for Lily Bouquets

It is important to treat lily bouquets with utmost care as their blooms are quite tender.

Here are the things that you must do to take care of lily bouquets:

Before submerging stems into a vase full of water, re-cut them at a 45-degree angle as this enhances their ability to retain their freshness

Once these flowers are cut, they require a cool, moist environment as it enhances their longevity and keeps them fresh. So, you must keep them away from direct sunlight and place them in the areas that are generally cool.

Water them regularly as it helps them survive and replace the previously added water frequently

Pollens are a significant part of any flower. However, in the case of lilies, pollens can decrease the longevity of blooms. So, in order to keep them fresh for a long period, cautiously remove their pollens at regular intervals of time, so they do not touch the petals.