I had no idea there were lilies that didnt last forever.Good to know.

I got another answer from Brecks

Dear Allison,



I have been researching your question concerning your lily. You sent the pictures in to us.



We contacted the hybridizer and he explained us that the plant did not get enough water at the time when it was developing its buds. In other words the plant was in a sort of drought situation it is was stretching its buds. Some lily varieties are more susceptible to it than others.



Please let me know if you have further questions.



Sincerely,



Vici Tepe

Breck’s

Product Specialist

812-537-8665 ext 2276

[email protected]

I bought 9 Salmon Star bulbs in a co-op this spring because I loved my single bulb last year so much. Man, this thing is mighty pretty!

very pretty

I'd have to agree with your assessment of Salmon Star; I rate it as a contender for my 'my favorites' category.

agreed

Beautiful! I too only have one bulb...looks like I should order more!

Because it took me a while to find it, I am reposting the hybridizer's reply regarding Allison's problem, along with the Allison's original photo post:

http://garden.org/thread/view_...
http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Yes, Salmon Star is also the lily I grew for my sister's wedding in July. It seems EVERYONE loved them! Also beautiful in bouquets!

It was stressful (getting them to bloom on time), but we had 34 stems out of 40 bloom! The bouquets were big and beautiful, and the smell was euphoric. I also was named official bride pollen police. Some more blossoms had opened up as the day went on, so I had to get the pollen off before it rubbed onto the bride's beautiful dress. Whew! What you'll do for your sister!

10 points for your effort

You're a great Sis, Mags.

Thanks you guys! 'Salmon Star ' really is beautiful. Of all the lilies I have in my yard, my sister walked through last summer and chose that one immediately. I would disagree with her on it being the best, because I had a ton of Buggy's Queens blooming at the time. The good thing is that the Salmon Star was easy enough to get a hold of in bulk. There's no way I would have cut the Queens for any wedding!

I think I wouldn't be too good at getting flowers to bloom on time on a regular basis. Miracles do happen! And this was one of them.

Wow! It's just beautiful and I can see why your sister wanted it for her wedding. How did you get so many of them to bloom at just the right time?

I'll be looking for that one.

The lilies said they bloomed between 90-100 days (after planting). I planted some at 95, I think and some at 100 days. Our spring was awfully cold, so it seemed to take longer than average to get them from under grow lights to transition outdoors. I planted 13.

I gave two friends 13 also...to plant as they saw fit, both growing in greenhouses. One of them, an experienced cutflower grower that I have known for years and the other runs a greenhouse for gardeners.

There was one pot of mine that didn't bloom on time. Well, they were blooming the day of the wedding, but I wasn't home to see it. My friend just said it was amazing how they all opened up the Saturday of the wedding. I guess they didn't want to miss their big debut! Only they did The wedding was several hours away from my house, so all the lilies blooming had to be transported for 4 hours in a van. Let's just say it was a fragrant ride North! But I loved every minute of it!

I was scared to place them all in my own hands for blooming on time. And the other two people I worked with on this project were pretty much amazed that we pulled it all off. It's not any kind of stress I loved to be dealing with for those 100 days! I had never watched a group of lilies so carefully. It's not quite as nice a stress-free stroll through the garden for a sniff of your favorite blooms.

That must of been an amazing wedding!!

yes I would say so

It's one of those weddings where the responsibilities you hold make it less enjoyable. It turned out fine, don't get me wrong. My daughter (13) also made 200 mini cupcakes for the reception, which were delicious, though I admit to being nervous that they would have a lily infused taste after the 4 hour trip together in the car. But they did not...well if they did, my taste buds were fried from the trip too!

I would post pictures here but my sister has asked that their wedding be free from any social media sites/internet mass posting, so, you all will just have to trust me that I did all that! I really did. I have to respect her wishes.

Salmon Star makes an awesome wedding flower though. She even put one on a cake, which I think is okay to post, no people in it

oh so pretty!