Christmas Lily
(Lilium regale)
A traditional Kiwi cut flower during the lead-up to Christmas & as essential as pavlova on the day: their fragrance evokes nostalgia, though the pollen will stain tablecloths. Our bulbs have been grown from seed gathered from florist-selected pink forms, with the best of these then multiplied further.
Signal to pick: one of the lower buds will start to swell & lighten in colour, just as its petal tips begin to part. Picked at this moment the stems can be held in the chiller for a number of days, should the season be a little earlier than usual: demand is at a premium during the fortnight before Christmas.
