Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Lilies
- 2 January 2011
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Designing with Lilies:
How to keep Lilies in bud for longer
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 between your fingers or between the palms of your hands until the petals start to pop 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.
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.
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.
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
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
Cut the lily stems short. Press a thin wire through the flower and out the stem.
At the begin point of the wire attach a single closed bud or a cluster of flowers as a focal point.
Continue to add lilies to the required length.
Attach a few garlands to make a cluster to hang.
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