Roosterlorn said:The fragrance seems to be more concentrated at the petal tips anyway

Oh, now I have to butt in and veer off course here....
Not that it couldn't happen, but it is completely counter-intuitive to biologic evolution.
What makes you think that?

Rick, Your absolutely correct, it seems to defy any biological sense whatsoever, but have you ever experimented a little to detect the difference? I never would have thought that either, but one day a few years ago, an elderly (very) lady was here sniffing my flowers when out of nowhere she blurted out: did you know---. She then proceeded to show me, and by golly, it's true. The fragrance is more concentrated at the tips and along the outer edges of the petals. Try it sometime, Rick; you'll see for yourself. I've since observed that this is hardly evident the first day of opening, but increases dramatically the second and third day, etc. Since then, I have reversed the way I smell lilies. I now hold the flower so the reverse is facing me and I smell only the edges and tips from the reverse.

Maybe the scent is dispersed better as Lorn says and while the insect is investigating they come upon all that tasty pollen.

Hmm...... thinking more about it, I actually need to retract my statement of "counter-intuitive to biologic evolution". Normally insects are guided to the center base of a flower, because that is normally where the sex organs are.

Duh! Not so with lilies!
Anthers and stigmas are usually well away from the petal surfaces. So it would make sense not to guide insects to the center base.

Unfortunately, I don't smell a lot of things that other people do, and detect things that other people don't. So I can't trust my nose. Basing my observations on insects, it's true, I do see them more often sipping nectar from the broad surface of petals rather than the center convergence point. But I've never seen them venture to the tips of petals, nor the edges. Most often I see them in the center third of the petals. Wondering though, what kind of differences there might be from species to species, and more obviously, from species group to group.

One thing that's puzzled me is whether or not the fragrance substance (seems oily in nature) actually matures throughout the life of the blossom. We know that all parts of a flower are continually maturing more and more each day--so why not the chemistry the fragrance as well. I'd like to know. I seem to find the fragrance gets downright pugnant sometimes, but that might be weather related.

Rick, your second paragraph sounds logical--maybe it is nature's way of attracting bees, etc. closer to the center of reproductive activity.

My only experience with the smell test comes from Trumpets, Oriental Trumpets and Longiflorum Asiatic with trumpet and bowl flower form, not with reflexed or highly reflexed forms.

Interesting conversation going on here.

I think , this year at the Claremont Show, with less orientals on show, the''smell factor'' was much lower.. but stepping outside, to my truck canopy, where many potted orientals[for sale]were being held captive,...upon opening the side canvas door, the smell was incredible

I never thought about fragrance chemical change, and I can't say I have ever noticed a difference, other than intensity. I could be wrong. I really should be staying out of this conversation, due to my "handycap", but.....
It is well documented that with some other flowers will exude their odor more at a certain time of day. It always seems lilies in general are more fragrant in the evening, but that may be because the winds are always more calm.

Or b/c it's cooler? And are they more fragrant also in the mornings as well? That would lend credence to the temp. being the cause of more fragrance.

I wonder about humidity in early morn.Lilies seem more fragrant then b/c the air is so still.

This morning I awoke to the first open 'Odessa' Oriental lilium. It was oozing from the petals [a massive bloom]and massive extrusive papillae . The only lilium I would say had a stronger scent , would be l.Regale

Do LA lilys go dormant (at least in my area - north Fl.?).

Hi Ann: Lilies (true lilium) never really go fully dormant, not even in the far northern zones like Winnepeg or Calgary, Canada. They do, however go into a deep rest or near dormancy during the coldest months of the year. This cool/cold resting period is commonly called 'dormant' or 'dormancy' in everyday discussion but when it comes to lilies, it is technically incorrect.

To answer your question: Yes, LA's will go into near dormancy in your area during the coldest months of the year and the rest period will be long enough and cool enough to produce great results. They will perform just as well in Lake City as the do here in the upper Midwest. For the best results in Lake City area, most commercial lilies including LA's, should be planted late in the fall, allowing them to establish good roots during the winter months. Spring planting when required, should be done as early and as soon as you can get the bulbs.

Thank you Lorn. It was a matter of where I plant them. If they go dormant (meaning foliage dies back) then they can be planted in certain places whereas if the foliage does not die back then they can not be planted in those same places. So you did answer my question for my purposes.

Ann, you can cut the stem off close to ground level as soon as all the leaves turn yellow and fall, also.

Thanks Lorn, I did remember reading that somewhere. My main thing was not being sure if the foliage would die back here in my location. Fl. can be weird that way plus I haven't been in north Fl. long enough yet to know gardening things like that. I'm still a fish out of the water coming from zone 10 Florida. I knew what things did down there like the back of my hand. I'm feeling my way along up here.
Do you know, the nurseries here don't sell LA lilys? They didn't even know what I was talking about, so I said asiatic lilys --- still a blank look. Isn't that silly?

Maybe that's good thing. Often times, when it comes to lilium, many nurseries because of there lack of lilium knowledge will buy from import wholesalers. That opens up the opportunity to pedal junk onto the unsuspecting nurseries (low quality, mixed up labels, etc). Ultimately, it's the poor customer who gets cheated and ends up disgusted with the end result. Always much better to buy from a grower/seller whenever a person can; and, stay away from special deals everywhere, regardless how tempting they are.

Oh, boy, a lily-newbie thread! Here's a lily-newbie question:

A dear friend loves Stargazer lilies and I want to grow many from bulbs, but would also like to give her a potted plant or cut flowers.

How likely is it that a locally-purchased potted Stargazer lily would survive indoors until it wilts, and then still survive if she or I re-planted the bulbs outdoors? And what season would be best to try this?

Or would it be more practical to just buy bulbs and plant them in my yard, (and maybe buy her some others as cut flowers)?

After a year or two, I would hope that my bulbs would multiply and I could transplant multiple bulbs to her yard.

Or are Stargazers unlikely to thrive and multiply in the coastal PNW (dry cool summers, drizzle the other 8 months, and mild winters - Zone 8b, oscillating above and below freezing for many months.)?

My soil is heavy clay, so I grow everything in raised beds drained by trenches, and make my own soil by amending the clay.

Are Stargazers even likely to be available as cut flowers, and in what season?

Should I buy and plant bulbs mainly in the fall? (It's too late this year, I assume).

Here are a few things to know:

Lilies need excellent drainage! However, there are many lily growers / breeders in the PNW.
Orientals do not multiply well so if you want lots of stems, plant lots of bulbs.
Lily bulbs may be planted any time that the ground isn't frozen. It may still be possible for you.

I'm sure others will come along to chime in with their advice. Happy lily growing!

Edited to add: Do protect them from nibblers like rabbits and dear ~ lilies are like candy to them.