My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Lilies

Designing with Lilies:

How to keep Lilies in bud for longer

Keep Lilies in bud

Dip or paint the green bud in egg white to prevent it from opening. This will also work with tulips.

To open lilies Lilies open quicker in warm and humid environments.

To open the flowers you can also roll the petals to loosen them. This only works with well developed buds that is already the colour that it will be when it is open. As a guide look at the difference in colour of the closed bud lilies above and the lily that I will roll open below.

Gently roll the lily.

Gently roll the lily between your fingers or between the palms of your hands until the petals start to pop open

Carefully peel the petals open.

Carefully peel the petals open.

Removing the pollen
Removing the pollen from lily anthers is a bit of a controversial issue. Until recently most competition rules required lily stamens to be left on the end of the filament. Some designers argue that the flowers lack “depth” if you remove the pollen or that it reduces the vase life.

I always remove the pollen. For me, the pollen splotches create a lackadaisical and untidy appearance where lilies are meant to be pure and tranquil.

How to remove pollen

The best time to tug the pollen covered heads (stamens) away from the filament is when it starts to open even before they are pollinated (puffy and yellow).

Do not cut it away as this leaves a brown mark.

Vase Life

After a week: Removing the pollen does not affect the vase life of your lilies.

The yellow orange pollen stains are permanent.
Designers who prefer leaving the pollen on the flower usually spry the stamens with fixative or hairspray to keep the ripe pollen from dropping.

To remove pollen from fabric:
Do not wipe- this only rubs the pollen deeper into the stained fabric. Shake out any loose pollen then try lifting the rest of the pollen with sticky tape.

Lily Pollen 1

Wrap the sticky tape round your fingers, sticky side out, and then pat it gently over the pollen, using a fresh piece of tape for each dab

Lily Pollen 2

Remember- pat. Don't rub.

If there is still a yellow stain place the fabric stain down on a paper towel and treat with dry-cleaning fluid.
Wash the fabric in the hottest water that is safe for the fabric

Lily Garland

Wire the Lilies

Cut the lily stems short. Press a thin wire through the flower and out the stem.

Garland

At the begin point of the wire attach a single closed bud or a cluster of flowers as a focal point.

Garland

Continue to add lilies to the required length.

Garlands

Attach a few garlands to make a cluster to hang.

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Favourite Flowers

Lilium

Lily

Related Designs

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8 August 2012 Stringing in the rain

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30 January 2013 It's High Time for Tea: from craft to art, taking a delicious floral journey with wire techniques

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27 February 2013 Just Meshing About

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22 January 2014 How do you do?

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19 February 2014 Come on Over

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17 September 2014 Still

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1 April 2015 The Space Between

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13 April 2016 It keeps me going and I love it.

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15 November 2017 Alchemy

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19 September 2018 Before I show you my book- let me show you my book

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8 May 2019 It takes more than one person to invent a trumpet!

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12 June 2019 Almost... all over!

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19 June 2019 Club together

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24 July 2019 Up to much?

Dress up a single lily stem with a few blades of grass.

10 June 2020 All Out

An all out effective way of keeping a flower stem in the exact spot you want it to be in a clear water vase design.

1 July 2020 Oh yes, The Hornet of Tranquility

A minimal... but then with a tiny bug detail... design that is perfect for warm summer designing.

9 September 2020 Daffodillily

Weave around the stamens of a lily to create a daffodil like inside.

13 January 2021 It's in there

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16 June 2021 Dream Rescue

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