Whether they are doing a floristry course, or one of our flower workshops, students at Bloom College all have one thing in common: a love of flowers. We are lucky to have many types of flowers available to us in Australia – and in this post, we look at the ever-popular lily.
Common name: Lily, Asiatic lily, Christmas lily, Oriental lily, LA
Botanical name: Lilium longiflorum, Lilium longiflorum x Asiatic (LA)
Quick facts:
Lilies are originally from Asia and Europe, and are suitable for use in vases and foam. The stem length varies from 30cm–100cm. They are available all year, and are grown from bulbs (and forced to flower) most of the year in Victoria and NSW.
How to tell if a Lily is good quality:
For all lilies, choose straight stems and glossy green leaves.
Avoid stems that have dried out, or aren’t a fresh green colour at the base.
- Oriental lilies have two or three white, pink, red or yellow large flowers per stem; choose stems which have fully developed buds which are about to open.
- Asiatic lilies have several yellow, orange, red or white flowers on each stem; choose stems which have two or three fully developed buds which are about to open.
- Christmas lilies have one or two very large white flowers; choose stems that have fully coloured (white) flowers which are about to open.
Colours:
- Asiatics: White, yellow, pink, orange.
- LAs come in paler, more pastel Asiatic colours – pink, mango, burgundy, rust, white/cream.
- Orientals: White, pale pink, white with a burgundy strip, lemon.
- Longiflorums: White, white with a burgundy strip, lemon.
Now that you know a bit more about lilies, it will hopefully help spark your inner creativity.
At Bloom College flower design school we create floristry courses and flower workshops for beginners, the hobbyist and those wanting to pursue floristry for commercial purposes. Our next Floristry Career Change Courses are starting in Port Melbourne in October 2015, and in Geelong in March 2016. Head here for more information.
