Cultivation Of Crops: Lily Talks Lilies (Part 1)

Beauty is silent,—through the summer day Sleeps in her gold,—O wondrous sunlit gold, Frosting the lilies, virginal array! Green, full-leaved walls the fragrant sculpture hold, Warm, orient blooms!—how motionless are they— Speechless—the eternal loveliness untold!
-George E. Woodberry

If you know Sun Valley and Lane DeVries, then you know his favorite flower is a soil grown tulip. But I have a confession to make… my favorite flower is an Oriental Lily, sure “Lily” is my name sake, however it is more than that. Ories achieve the epitome of what a flower should be; big, colorful, fragrant and absolutely beautiful.

Sun Valley Lilies: Sumatra in center, Marmara at the top and Curie at the bottom.

If you had to stand out on the roadside and stop traffic using only a 10 stem bunch of flowers, what variety would you pick?

Our Sales Assistant Robin, stopping traffic with a 10 stem of Curie.

One of our Guiding Principles is “Always remain humble and gracious.” Our lilies certainly are gracious as they perform stunningly for our customers, but they are not humble. Our lilies are the rock stars of the flower world, sure they have an ego, sure they are flashy, but as Muhammad Ali said,

“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”

So why are our Orientals Lilies superior to others on the market?

It starts in the ground; Lane’s soil mix provides the perfect environment for the bulbs to grow. It is a mixture of redwood, Douglas fir and other local wood fines, compost, sand and love.

“Operational Excellence” is one of our hallmarks on the farm, and the steps involved in the early stages of our lilies development are a testament to this goal. The bulbs are hand planted in black crates, then brought into the Rooting Coolers, this is a step many growers are unable to achieve. In the Rooting Coolers we simulate early spring, creating a chilly and moist atmosphere which signals the bulbs that it’s time to grow. The bulbs start forming a strong root base for the flower to use as it's support system; the bulb will sprout out of the soil in less than two weeks.

It's always spring in the Rooting Cooler.

Two weeks doesn’t seem like a big deal, however, it is a HUGE deal. We are able to have these lilies growing for the first two weeks of their life cycle before we put them in the greenhouses. Lilies take between 12-16 weeks to come to harvest, so this two week stretch gives us the ability to have a huge inventory of Oriental Lilies for Valentine’s Day, as well as Mother’s Day. At big floral holiday times, space is extremely limited inside the greenhouses, so two weeks in the rooting cooler gives us room to breathe, and you get a steady, year round supply of lilies even at peak times.

Lily roots, the newest growth is coming out of the top.

Strong roots lead to big blooms, with superior vase life.

The oriental Lilies grow in a bit of an unconventional way. The new roots actually grow out of the top of the bulb, then reach down to the soil. As our lilies grow we help support them, using a wire frame which we raise incrementally as the lilies reach skyward.

The metal bar is raised as the lilies grow.

Our California farms are blessed with consistent light levels and cool nights. Both these factors contribute to our lilies’ quality. Most people think flowers need bright light and hot temperatures to bloom; this is actually not the case. Ironically, we prefer nice steady light levels, and we use the shade cloth in the big Dutch greenhouses more often than not. The cool nights that come with our Pacific coastal climate also help our lilies. The chilly nights lead directly to bolder, more vibrant colors in the bloom.

Chilly nights make the colors POP!

Oriental Lilies are all about purity of purpose. They are meant to be divine and ethereal. The lily possesses an unending sense of wonder, even before the flower opens; the stage is set for greatness. Once opened, the lily commands your attention and thrills your senses.

Tune in next week for part 2 of Lily Talks Lilies.