Lily care: from tight bud to full bloom

When your lilies arrive

Our flowers are packed in bud and shipped dry, so the stems can look a little tired when you open the box. Lilies are no different: the stems may look tired and the buds are shut tight. Once they’re in water they perk up within 24 to 48 hours.

• Lay the stems out and recut each one at a 45 degree angle.
• Trim off the leaves that would sit below the waterline, so nothing rots in the vase.
• Stand them in a clean vase of fresh water with your flower food.
• Leave the buds alone. Prying a closed lily bud open damages the petals.

Opening lilies from bud

A lily stem carries several buds, and they open in turn, usually from the bottom of the stem up. The first flower may open within a few days while the buds above it are still closed.

Some of our buds open as late as 72 hours after going into water, and our bouquets reach their full beauty around day 3 or 4.

As each flower opens, snip or pull off the anthers, the pollen-tipped parts in the centre of the bloom. Lily pollen stains petals, tablecloths and clothes, and it is far easier to remove before it spreads.

• Use a tissue or scissors to take the anthers off, rather than your fingers.
• If pollen lands on fabric, don’t rub it in. Lift it off with a piece of sticky tape.

Keeping lilies fresh

Check the water level every day and top it up, because a vase that runs low shortens a lily’s life.

• Change the water every couple of days and rinse the vase while it’s empty.
• At day 3 or 4, recut the stems, change the water and add the second pack of flower food.
• Keep the vase away from direct sunlight, heating vents and ripening fruit.
• Remove each flower once it has finished. The buds that haven’t opened yet carry on.

How long lilies last

Cut lilies usually last around one to two weeks. Taken as a whole, a Bear’s Blooms bouquet lasts a full week and often up to two weeks with proper care and placement.

A lily stem spreads its flowering over several days, so it keeps changing: closed buds, open flowers, then finished blooms to remove while the rest carry on. Some flowers last longer than others, so freshen up the arrangement by pruning the spent stems.

Common lily problems

Most lily problems come down to time, clean water or a spot that’s too warm.

• The buds won’t open. Recut the stems, switch to fresh water with flower food and move the vase somewhere bright but out of direct sun. Very small buds at the tip of a stem may never open, and that’s normal.
• Brown or crisp petal edges. Heat, dry air and ripening fruit nearby can all cause them. Move the vase and change the water.
• Cloudy or smelly water. Bacteria are building up. Rinse the vase, recut the stems and refill with fresh water and flower food.

If your stems still aren’t responding as expected, email support@bearsblooms.com with a photo of your full bouquet as well as any individual stems.