The Lily has a strong character that needs to be kept under control
Few flowers are as diverse as the Lily in their symbolism: love, femininity, mortality and purity are but a few examples. Lilies have a powerful aura of purity and virginity - even the ancient Greeks and Romans adorned their brides with beautiful crowns of lilies due to their symbolism.

The Lily is best known for the white-flowered variety, however the genus Lilium now counts over a hundred species. The plant is available in a wide range of colours and shapes from red, orange, white, pastels, trumpet-shaped flowers, vertical flowers, horizontal flowers and star-shaped flowers. The flowers can vary in size from 7 to 25 centimetres, and while some are fragrant, others are scentless.

The Virgin Mary
Because white is considered the colour of chastity and purity, the white Lily is often used as decoration in churches and other religious places. The white Lily is also known as the ‘Madonna Lily’, which explains why this variety is often seen as a religious symbol in combination with the Virgin Mary. This is also the reason why Mary’s parents – who were childless for no less than twenty years before Mary was born – are often depicted with a Lily in their hand.

Stylised irises
The Lily mainly occurs in the northern hemisphere, growing both at sea level and in higher lying regions, from Asia (Korea and Japan) to Europe (the Caucasus, the Balkans, Greece and Poland) and even America (with the exception of the south-west). The origins of the name are uncertain; ‘lys’ or ‘lis’ means Lily in French, but the golden flowers depicted on the French flag a few centuries ago were actually stylised irises, also called ‘lis’.

Care
As far as caring for lilies goes, this plant knows what it wants. It likes a light spot, but out of direct sunlight and prefers to grow in moist potting soil with an ambient temperature between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. During the summer months it will happily stand outside on the balcony or terrace and if you cut off the dead flowers the remaining ones will remain attractive for longer.

Strong personality
With her strong personality, the Lily makes its presence felt and prefers to be kept under control otherwise there is the risk that it will become the dominant factor in your home.