I just wanted to be sure I was correct in what I was telling you. So I asked my friend Dr, Brian Bergman of Ontario (Lilycrest gardens) how he does it. Brian won the Best of Show last summer and several other top awards at the NALS Convention in 2011. This is what he said:
Downfacing lilies especially asiatics need to be stored in water.The Dutch material,upfacing especially the LA's should be stored dry.This allows them to "wilt" slightly and they can be transported(otherwise they are very brittle).Dry cold storage only in bud ,if they have an open flower than they need water.If you plan to store in cold storage plan to pick the stem in bud NOT opened.Often they will open in cold storage.If they have been in cold storage,ideally take them out for about 2 hours to warm up. Again they wouldn't be so brittle.So this cold storage for showing ,is an art. Best to pick a stem in bud with lots of colour showing.So it is really hit and miss.Some varieties do well others just fall apart.One of the tests the Dutch do is to see how well a variety handles being in cold storage.If it can't handle the cold storage ,the line is destroyed.
