Learn About White Oriental Lilies

Holy smokes, only one week until Christmas. I need to get some shopping done, and start figuring out what will be on the menu for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. Living in rural Humboldt County it is rare when people come to visit.  When they do, we roll out all the bells and whistles… or in our case all the lilies and cedar. Our White Orchid Lilies are as timeless as Santa, and they smell a lot better.

Lilies with Cedar

Christmas is traditionally dominated by the relatively dark hues of red and green. What better flower to dress up your festivities than a white oriental lily. If you are new to Sun Valley, you should know that we brand our Oriental Lilies, as “Orchid Lilies.” The reason we do this is to separate our big, bodacious lilies from all others. Sun Valley is obsessed with quality, and the Orchid Lily line is the epitome of this passion. Personally, I choose an oriental over other varieties, such as an equally beautiful Bright Diamond LA Hybrid lily, because of that lovely scent. Mixed with the traditional evergreen scent of Christmas, it really compliments the earthy pine fragrances.


The White Lily isn’t just a good match for the Holidays because of the color. Symbolically, it has strong meaning in Christian culture. Christians hold the lily as a symbol of chastity, innocence, purity and piety. In early Christian art the white lily is symbolic of the "Madonna" as the flower is associated with the Virgin Mary. It is typically depicted in a vase or held by Gabriel in Annunciation paintings.

Moreover, the parts of the lily have specific religious significance to the Virgin Mary:

• The stem of the lily symbolizes Mary's religiously faithful mind.
• Lily petals represent Mary's purity and virginity.
• The scent of the flower represents Mary's divinity.
• The leaves signify her humility.

With its three primary petals, and 3 secondary petals, the lily is often considered a Trinity symbol, holding the representation of three virtues: Charity, Hope and Faith.

Whoa, Merry Christmas!

White Cup Lilies are ready for the holidays.

Before the Christians, the Greeks had some deep symbolism attached to the white lily as well. Greek lore associates lily meaning with birth and it is a symbol for motherhood because the flower was said to be created from the breast milk of Hera.

As the story goes, Zeus wanted Hercules (his son born from an extra-marital affair) to become a god. One way of doing this was to have him suckle at the breast of his wife, Hera. Zeus invoked the god of sleep, Somnus, to put Hera in a deep slumber while he enticed Hercules to suck at her bosom. He did this so vigorously that the milk overflowed. That which flowed heaven-wards became the Milky Way, and the milk that flowed to the earth turned into a white lily. Another telling of the tale says, when Hera woke up and realized that she was breastfeeding an unknown infant, she pushed him away and the spurting milk became the Milky Way.

Now was Zeus naughty or nice, or just weird?

At Sun Valley we also hold the White Oriental Lily in high regard:



We wish you a very Happy Holiday Season and hope you and your family have a safe, flower filled holiday.  Next week we will be taking a break from Flower Talk with Lily, but we will be back for the New Year.  We sincerely hope you continue learning and laughing with us here at Flower Talk with Lily, the blog from the Sun Valley Group.

Cheers,