Pollen Disasters!

One of the most eye catching elements of a lily is the colorful pollen which coats the stamens of the flower. The pollen and stamens provide a beautiful contrast to the petals of the flower, literally sticking out of the bloom at the end of the filaments. While being a key element in the reproductive system of the flower and a great visual element for flower lovers, the heavily laden stamens drooping with a huge amount of pollen hold a great potential for disaster. Not disaster on the epic level of a hurricane or earthquake, both of which have been big news this week, but disaster for your clothes and table clothes.


Our Bright Diamond Royal LA Hybrid Lily, loaded with pollen.

Anyone working with lilies or enjoying them in their home or office will know the sad moment when you inadvertently brush against a big Oriental or LA Hybrid lily and end up with a swath of bright orange pollen on you khakis or worse, your white slacks. In my case, it was my new fleece pullover, not as fancy as white linen slacks, but living in Humboldt County a necessary item that gets worn daily and a bright orange pollen stain was bad news.

We had been photographing our bouquets for Valentine’s Day (only 116 days away!), and for beautiful photos you need the lilies, tulips and iris all fully open. After a few days of shooting, I planned to take the bouquets over to our Local Sales Department. Local Sales is where we sell our fresh cut flowers to local Humboldt County florists, I figured I could leave the bouquets out for display since they still looked so stunning. Carrying a Grande "Season of Love" bouquet with a big Stargazer Lily as a focal, I maneuvered through the office, then up the hallway, not only trying to avoid getting the pollen on myself, but also not wanting it to fall onto the petals of the Gazer or other bouquet elements. I turned the corner toward the HR Department; Fernando saw me coming, dropped what he was doing and moved quickly to get the door for me. I made it outside, and turned toward Local Sales. They have a few tables outside where I thought I would put down the bouquet before asking them where they wanted it placed.

Just as I set the big bouquet down, a big dump truck started backing up about 20 feet away from me, the year splitting sound of the reverse, “Beep, Beep, Beep” sounded. Instinctively, I turned my head to make sure I wasn’t in its’ path. In that brief lapse in concentration, I managed to get huge stain of pollen right on the front of my fleece, “Ah, Beeeep” …Luckily the trucks beep also cover up my expletive.

Cisco, the manager of local sales, looked up from his computer and out his window, perhaps sensing the potential pollen tragedy with some sort of sixth sense. I cupped my hand, about to make an attempt at brushing the bright orange pollen off the with the back of my hand.

“Stoppppp!” Cisco yelled, the look in his eye showing a dire warning. “Don’t touch that pollen or it’s going to stain!”

I raised my hands above my head, as if I had just been addressed by the police (not that I know what that is like),

“What do I do?” I asked, the fear of a permanent stain creeping into my voice.

“Freeze, Don’t Move.”

“Yes, Officer…I mean Cisco.”

He reached in his right hand desk drawer pulled out a roll of clear packaging tape. He skillfully ripped off a piece, flipped the piece around backward and created a loop with the sticky side out. He approached, sizing me up and inspecting the pattern of caked-on pollen, kind of like a CSI investigator analyzing GSR. A trickle of perspiration dripped from my forehead. Starting where the pollen first contacted my fleece, he used a gently, twisting, padding motion and to my amazement the pollen came right off my fleece and became stuck to the tape.


Removing Lily Pollen from Clothing.

With a few skilled placements he was able to remove the pollen and save my new fleece. I was amazed, I offered Cisco my heartfelt thanks, and ever the gruff farmer/pragmatist all he said was, “Fleece is expensive.”

As he turned to walk away, an unlikely hero in a bleak situation, he added, “You can put your hands down now.”

Have you had any disasters with pollen?
Do you pick off the stamens?
Do you have any miracle cures for removing pollen from clothes?
...Please comment and share.

lily@tsvg.com

www.tsvg.com

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