Lilies at Home, a Meditation

Maybe I'll go to Amsterdam
Maybe I'll go to Rome
And rent me a grand piano
And put some flowers 'round my room
                                  -Joni Mitchell, from the song “Cary” off the “Blue” release

Sometimes I think we forget the simple beauty embodied in a few flower stems placed in a vase, nothing fancy, no pruning or preening, no dramatic color combinations or multiple varieties. The exuberance of a few stems of our Sonata Lilies resting in a couple inches of water can’t be under estimated.

Yellow Concador Lilies at home in Eureka, CA

As the scent continues to mature and the blossoms continue to evolve, it becomes a daily meditation on beauty and grace. With one variety of flower placed throughout your home, you get to truly experience the flower. Visually, the elegant minimalism dresses up your counters and tables, yet doesn’t demand attention or overpower your own style. Enjoy its’ scent without other varieties muddying the bouquet. Walking by them many times a day, you find the sweet rich fragrance of an Oriental Lily pulling you from your daily routine. It makes you appreciate the moment, look up from your cell phone, tune out the TV and maybe even quiets the buzz of your family. It is just a passing second as the aroma connects you back to the moment, back to the beautiful transcendental nature of cut flowers and the inherent joy of “now.”

The value in a bundle of stems is huge. When you insist on California Grown Flowers you can rest assured that you are getting the freshest flowers available and that they are grown to strict standards for esthetics as well as, for the environment.


Yes, that is my retro blue sink...and yes the yellow lilies compliment it perfectly.

 I like to put a few in the kitchen and a few in the bathroom…on occasion I even put them in the laundry room, why not? It takes but a moment to slice the green ends off the bunch as you return from the flower shop. Grab three or four small vases and split them out, a couple in one, 4 in another, and the last couple lilies sitting as single stems. Placing them around your living space gives you a great opportunity to get to know the variety. Since you have a few here and few there, you will often see the blooms from different angles, perhaps the sunlight will touch the flower, showing the transparent edges of the bud in a beautiful warm light. Of course, everyone tells you to keep cut flowers out of the direct sunlight. I say “live a little” and let the sun bring out the detail and the stunning color of the flowers even if it leads to a quicker end to the show. This is another advantage of spreading the bunch out; it is a chance to have more fun with where you put the blossoms.


Stash a lily in an unsuspecting spot!

The temporal experience of a cut flower, whether from a florist, local market or cut right out of your own garden is truly one of the little treats we can do for ourselves. It helps us stay in the present and leads to a richer, more vibrant life.

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-Lily
“The earth laughs in flowers.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson