A Single Lily Stem

Flower Friday my go-to grocery store blooms, lilies. They are most certainly my favorite year round grocery store flowers that are readily available in most floral sections. Even those that have quite small or even pretty awful selections almost always have lilies. I think their heartiness makes them pretty easy to care for when low maintenance in some of those flower sections is key. But boy oh boy, I love the heck out of them. One magnificent bloom in a cool single stem vase can create a heck of an amount of beauty. Plus, we are huge fans of the scent. We bought two bundles when we first arrived to Hawthorne and were doing our big grocery shop for the stay. I placed single stems all around the house. They lasted our entire two week stay, creating a big amount of happiness the entire time. Every few days I would change out the water and give each a fresh cut. My eye would catch each one as I walked from room to room. The above stem was in our bedroom on the dresser top. The minute we would open up the door their scent would greet us. I know not everyone is a fan of the lily scent, but if you are, you generally like it quite a bit. Even though they are available throughout the year (thank you hot houses!) I associate them with Summer. Now is a fab time to find them at farmers market and farm stands. Another tip for maintenance of these beauties—pull off the stamen as soon as the bloom begins to open. If you wait the stamen begin to open and the pollen becomes exposed and can create a mess and stain tablecloths or clothes. Trust me on this one, as past experience taught me a lesson. Just pull or cut with a kitchen scissors when they start to show when the flower opens. Plus I like the prettiness of the bloom when it fully opens without them. Happy Friday all! From Seattle. X, TKW