What is the point of lilies?

stickywicket

Yes they look pretty and in a large way but.....

It sounds most ungrateful but I'm sick (literally) of being bought bunches of flowers containing lilies. I have asthma and allergic rhinitis. Mild normally but in overdrive once lilies make their presence felt. I try to keep them because it seems unkind and unappreciative to chuck them in their infancy but, once again, last night, I paid the price. Two had opened.

I was fine until evening when I was sitting in the living room with them (at opposite ends). Then the sneezles started. And the constant drip. And my chest tightened. I took scissors and tissues to their stamens but it was too late. I thought of putting them elsewhere, but where? There's no room in the hall which is far too close to the bedroom anyway. I don't want the bedroom polluted with pollen. And, if I put them in the kitchen / dining room now, I didn't want it all to start again next morning as I entered to get breakfast.

So they stayed. And I went to bed asap noting, as I took my first step into the kitchen for a last brew, that suddenly I could breathe. The snotfest had stopped instantly.

That did it. This morning, first thing, they went out into the garden, vase and all. They look lovely from the kitchen window and now I can appreciate them.

barbara12

Oh bless..its not good..lilies are so full of pollen ..the last ones I has stained my curtains..

Airwave!

Pull tge staimen off it'll stop tge stainjng. Plassy flowerrs us what you need, ot cloth ones? Or a drawjng, painting?

stickywicket

I did pull the stamens off, Airwave. The trouble is you can't do that until they've opened up.

And I can't really warn people in advance to only buy me plastic or cloth flowers Which I hate

They are still looking good in the garden though it's a bit windy today. And I'm breathing again

barbara12

Think you will have to bite the bullet and let people know how sensitive you are to them.. :shock:

Tyjen

I too suffer with the powerful odour of lilies, I hate it when you get flowers as a gift theres always a few lilies in the spray. Take them out and half the spray has gone! They are also dangerous to cats! I always associate lilies with funerals .

stickywicket

Dangerous to cats I didn't know that, Tyjen. How?

I know the stamens are dangerous to clothing Horrible stains to get out.

Well, my bunch is still thriving in the garden. Adds a bit of colour to the daffs.

daffy2

Re: cats
https://www.cats.org.uk/wolverhampton/news/lethal-lilies
It's interesting that more and more information is now coming out about what things can cause problems for pets. A friend can't have any flowers, foliage or houseplants indoors because even if they aren't poisonous her cat will not only regard them as prey and destroy them but also eat them, which doesn't do her digestion any good at all.
The business of pollen staining always makes me smile because it's the reason I have a lovely cashmere jumper! My SIL got some pollen on the front of a cream jumper she'd bought and didn't want to keep it so gave it to me. That was something like 35 years ago and the blotch(not very big) has now faded to be virtually unnoticeable. There is a certain poignancy in wearing it though as she died far too young and is still missed.
I'm like Tyjen, it's the perfume that causes me problems; the pollen is heavy and so unless I get very close that tends not to irritate.

stellabean

Did you know it is possible to get some lillies now that do not have pollen. I had some martagon ones in my garden they were everywhere, I kept digging them out. My neighbour was horrified she loved them so I dug her a bucket full of the little blighters up, I couldn't stand the smell from them.

Slosh

I have to admit that as I don't suffer from hayfever I LOVE lilies and especially their scent! Feel free to send me any unwanted ones.