Lily, the all-year-round flower

Getting flowers from the local market in Barcelona is an amazing way to know exactly the specificities of the plants we use in our bouquets and creations. It’s also a lovely way to create strong relationships with horticultors, contribute to the local economy and the environment.

When I was born, the first nickname my parents gave me was Lily. Don’t ask me why. My name ended up being Margaux and there is literally no letters in common between Margaux and Lily. And now I’m a florist writing about this flower. None of this was planned, at least not from the beginning. Life works in mysterious ways like I mentioned in the article “Changing job, changing life”.

Happy me cutting lilies

Working on a local flower field

Demba and his harvest

On the flower fields of Ramón, the first task he gave me to do... wait for it... was to cut lilies! So here I am with Demba, who’s been working on Ramón’s farm for over 20 years explaining to me lilies are ready to be cut when one of the flower just begins to bloom and when stems have reached 70-80cm.

Learning about plants and the environment where they grow

3,5 months after being planted, lilies flower and are ready to be cut. To be able to have lilies all year around, and not only when lilies flowers naturally in Spring, we make the difference between “old bulbs” and “new bulbs”. Old bulbs are kept in the freezer to preserve them longer. They’re planted in January and cut in March. New bulbs are planted in March, flower and are ready to be cut in June.

When you buy lilies that smell, also called oriental lilies, take the time to cut the colored pistil, the masculine part of the flower, before anything else, otherwise it will stain and it’s very difficult, not to say impossible, to remove the mark from your cloth. It is not necessary to remove the pistil from lilies that don’t smell or that have small flowers though. 

Being conscious of the beauty of nature

The unexpected geometrical shape of a pink lily 

Day after day, you will see that each branch of a lily contains multiple flowers that grow at different stages. Everyday seeing new flowers blooming and others aging gives a new dimension to your bouquet. Flowers that have their petals all floppy and almost black can be cut to keep only the beautiful ones. 

If you wish to see bouquets featuring some lilies, have a look at the bouquets we make with our inspiration and local flowers.