Lilies · Stargazer, Oriental & Asiatic
Lilies are the long-distance flower in an arrangement. They often come with tight buds that open one after another over a week or more, and a Stargazer filling a room with fragrance is one of the best things a vase can do.
The two things that matter most with lilies are the pollen and your pets. The pollen stains almost anything it touches, and every part of a true lily, including that pollen, is dangerous to cats. Both are covered below.
Lilies are extremely dangerous to cats. Every part of a true lily — the petals, leaves, stems, pollen, and even the water in the vase — can cause sudden kidney failure in cats, and it can be fatal. A cat only needs to lick pollen off its fur. If you have a cat, please do not keep lilies in the house. If your cat has had any contact with a lily, call your veterinarian right away; don’t wait for symptoms.
Pull the pollen as each bloom opens
When a lily opens, pinch off the six orange pollen tips (the anthers) with a tissue. They come off with a light tug. This keeps the pollen off your tablecloth, clothes and skin, and the flower lasts a little longer too.
Use a tissue or paper towel, not your fingers. Lily pollen is sticky and stains skin and fabric easily.
When your flowers arrive
- Fill a clean vase with cool to room-temperature water, and add flower food if a packet came with them.
- Strip any leaves that would sit under the water.
- Trim an inch from each stem at an angle and put them straight into the water.
- Remove the pollen tips from any blooms that are already open.
- Leave the closed buds alone. They will open on their own over the next several days.
Where to put them
Lilies like a bright room, out of direct sun.
- A spot with bright, indirect light helps the buds open and color up.
- Keep them out of direct sun and away from heat vents, which make each bloom fade faster.
- Keep them away from ripening fruit.
- Place them where nobody will brush against them before the pollen is removed: not beside a doorway or on a narrow hall table.
Everyday care
Lilies
Lilium (Stargazer, Oriental and Asiatic lilies)
- Vase life
- Often ten days to two weeks, because the buds open one after another.
- Water
- Fresh water every two to three days. Lilies drink steadily, so top it off in between.
- Stems
- Trim half an inch at an angle each time you change the water.
- Flower food
- Helps the buds open fully with good color. Use it if you have it.
- Pollen
- Pinch off the orange pollen tips with a tissue as each bloom opens.
- Grooming
- Snip off each bloom as it fades so the newer ones get the water and the vase stays fresh.
Lilies can be fatal to cats — every part, the pollen and the vase water. Keep them out of any home with a cat. In dogs they are less dangerous but can still upset a stomach. If a cat has touched, licked or chewed a lily, call your veterinarian right away.
Getting lily pollen out of clothes and fabric
If pollen lands on fabric, don’t rub it and don’t use water first. Both push it deeper into the fibers.
- Lift as much as you can with a piece of sticky tape, pressing and lifting without rubbing.
- Let the fabric sit in sunlight for a while if you can. Sunlight often fades what is left.
- Then wash as usual, following the care label. Check the stain is gone before putting it in the dryer, because heat can set it.
Quick fixes
Buds won’t open
Give them fresh water, a fresh cut and a brighter spot. Very small green buds may not open, and that is normal.
Orange stains on the tablecloth
Pollen. Lift it with tape, don’t rub, and remove the pollen tips from every open bloom.
Leaves turning yellow
Common on lilies. Snip off the yellow leaves; the blooms are usually fine.
Blooms fading fast
A warm room or direct sun. Move them somewhere cooler.
Cloudy water
Change it, wash the vase and re-cut the stems.
Old blooms looking brown and papery
Snip each one off at its base so the vase looks fresh and newer buds can open.
Common questions
Are lilies poisonous to cats?
Yes. True lilies, including Stargazer, Oriental, Asiatic and Easter lilies, can cause fatal kidney failure in cats. Keep them out of homes with cats.
Should you remove the pollen from lilies?
Yes. Pinch the orange tips off with a tissue as each flower opens. It prevents stains and helps the bloom last.
How do you get lily pollen out of clothes?
Lift it with tape, don’t rub it, let sunlight fade it, then wash it.
How long do cut lilies last?
Often ten days to two weeks, because the buds open in turn.
Will lily buds open in a vase?
Most will, given fresh water, a fresh cut and bright, indirect light.
More flower care guides
Vase Arrangements
Fresh flowers in water
Fresh water every other day, a fresh cut on the stems, and a cool spot out of the sun.
Read the guide →Sympathy & Funeral Flowers
Standing sprays, casket sprays, wreaths and baskets
After the service: how to take the flowers home, keep them fresh, and save a few to remember.
Read the guide →Roses
Rosa
Fresh cuts, clean water every two days, and a cool room keep roses open for a week or more.
Read the guide →About pets and plants: The pet notes in this guide are general plant knowledge from our florists, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet chews or swallows any part of a plant, contact a licensed veterinarian right away, or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. If a person swallows any part of a plant, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”1 Corinthians 3:7
Questions about your plant?
Call or text us. We are always glad to help, whether you bought it from us or not.
Call or text (984) 250-7771 Clayton Florist · 11440 Clayton Blvd, Clayton, NC 27520claytonncflorist.com