Content
Bouquets of lilies look chic and luxurious, but not everyone likes them because of their specific aroma. However, it is quite possible to admire flowers without harm to your health. There are quite a few ways to neutralize the sharp, cloying aroma; in addition, the characteristic smell of lilies is not inherent in all varieties - breeders have bred many varieties and hybrids that have no or almost no smell.
What do lilies smell like?
Most people are sure that all lilies have a very rich, sharply sweet, even cloying smell that feels “heavy” and “suffocating.” However, this applies mainly to old varieties.
Modern breeders have taken this significant drawback into account. Therefore, new varieties and hybrids also have a recognizable bright smell, but it is much less “dense” and not so pronounced. Experts characterize it as sweetish, delicate and slightly “watery”; they detect shades of greenery, honey and even wax in it.
Lilies are certainly very beautiful, but because of their scent, many people prefer to admire the flowers from a distance
Is the smell of lilies in an apartment harmful?
In principle, essential oils and other chemicals “responsible” for the smell of lilies are not toxic or harmful to human health. Therefore, it cannot be called dangerous for people.
However, there is a factor of individual intolerance. Any plant is a potential allergen, and lilies are no exception. And if on the street the smell “dissipates” in an open space, indoors it concentrates, becomes “sharper” and “heavier”, and therefore the intensity of the manifestation of negative symptoms increases.
Accordingly, the smell in the apartment can not only cause an allergic reaction, but also provoke persistent migraines, loss of strength in people with a particularly sensitive sense of smell, as well as in pregnant women and young children. In addition, it can lead to a sharp exacerbation and deterioration of well-being in the presence of chronic bronchopulmonary diseases.
And for cats, the aroma of these flowers is not just harmful, but deadly. Pets are strictly prohibited from being in the same room with them. Even with a short inhalation of the smell of lilies, the cat’s activity sharply decreases, apathy appears, and appetite disappears. Attacks of severe vomiting and unnatural “convulsive” movements are likely. The situation gets even worse if pollen “sticks” to your pet’s fur - he can lick it off while washing his face.
Can the smell of lilies give you a headache?
Migraine is one of the common symptoms of lily allergy. It also often manifests itself when a person sensitive to odors is in the same room with a bouquet.
That is why flowers are strongly not recommended to be placed in the bedroom. The smell of lilies in this room will definitely not bring any benefits for health and well-being, but the harm can be quite significant. In addition to migraines, the aroma causes insomnia, severe lacrimation, and worsened mood.
If the “contact” is long enough, headaches can develop even for those who do not have a particularly good sense of smell.
What varieties of lilies smell strongly?
Breeders conditionally divide flowers into several groups. Lily varieties with the strongest aroma include:
- Eastern. Their smell is very persistent and rich, many associate it with oriental sweets or spices, especially cloves. However, even varieties of very “obsessively” smelling lilies are in demand by gardeners. The most popular are Paraguay, Corvara, Mero Star, Salmon Party.
- OT hybrids. Most people find their scent quite pleasant and light, some even regard it as “relaxing.” However, sometimes it is perceived as overly intrusive and cloying. From the photo it is easy to understand that they look very impressive, which is why gardeners willingly grow varieties of lilies with such a smell. Varieties of Corcovado, Mister Cas, and Boogie Woogie are in constant demand.
- Tubular. Most varieties look very stylish, but not everyone likes flowers with an aroma that spreads over a radius of more than a dozen meters and is “difficult to remove” from the room. The smell is quite “heavy”, sweetish. Nevertheless, this species also finds its “admirers”. This is especially true for the Pink Perfection, Regale, and Golden Splendor varieties.
The smell of lily varieties from the oriental group can be described as “for everyone”
What are scentless lilies called?
If it is important for a gardener that the lily has little or no smell, he is given a fairly large choice:
- Asiatic lilies. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a second name for oriental varieties, but an independent group. They have very large and bright “speckled” flowers, they are relatively easy to care for, and have good immunity. Among the names of the most popular lilies with almost no odor are Golden Stone, Detroit, Fata Morgana, Aphrodite.
- LA hybrids. In terms of striking “appearance” and size of flowers they are not inferior to Asiatic lilies. They only lack specks on the petals, and the flowers themselves are funnel-shaped or tubular in shape. They have a smell, but it is very delicate, barely perceptible.
The smell of LA hybrids is not at all sweet; most people associate it with greenery and freshness.
What to do to prevent lilies from smelling at home
If for some reason you cannot get rid of a bouquet of lilies in the room, and their smell seems completely unbearable, it is quite possible to reduce its intensity or disguise it. The proposed “lifehacks” are very simple, but at the same time effective.
Ventilation
A long-tested and proven effective method that allows you to get rid of not only the aroma of lilies, but also any unwanted odor in a room in general is to ventilate it.At the same time, the windows need to be opened as wide as possible.
In the heat of summer, it is recommended not to close the windows at all.
At the same time, it is advisable to open the doors to create a draft in the room - this way you can get rid of the smell even faster. However, it must be taken into account that many varieties and hybrids are very sensitive to it - both in open ground and after cutting. Therefore, it will not be possible to preserve the bouquet for a long time in a draft; the lilies will quickly wither.
In winter, when it is cold outside, it is impossible to keep the windows open all the time. Therefore, the ventilation procedure gives only a temporary effect. To minimize the intensity of the smell of lilies, it is recommended to open the windows regularly - for 10-15 minutes every 2-3 hours.
Correct location
Considering that the room needs to be ventilated, the most “strategically correct” place for a bouquet of lilies with a strong scent is not far from the window. From an aesthetic and practical point of view, this is also a good solution.
Firstly, the bouquet there looks very advantageous and fits harmoniously into the interior of the room. Secondly, compositions made from lilies, as a rule, turn out to be very “impressive” in size, and therefore unstable in vases. And placing them in the middle of the room, especially if there are small children or pets in the house or apartment, means inevitably taking a certain risk. Also, due to instability, it is better not to place flowers on the windowsill, especially if it is quite narrow.
The worst place in the house for a bouquet of strong-smelling lilies is the bedroom or children's room.
Coffee beans
Coffee beans are very effective when you need to “cleanse” your nose, getting rid of the smell “stuck” there. Therefore, small containers with them are an almost integral “interior detail” for any perfumery store.
The inherent smell of coffee “interrupts”, as if “displacing”, the aroma of not only perfume, but also lilies. Therefore, this method for “neutralizing” their fragrance is quite applicable at home. It is enough to pour about 2-3 tablespoons of grains into a small saucer or cup.
The specific number of coffee beans depends on the “dimensions” of the bouquet and the intensity of the smell of lilies
Cutting the stamens
The main source of lily scent is the pollen on the stamens. Accordingly, if you get rid of them, it becomes much less intense and cloying.
You need to act very carefully - lily pollen easily falls off. The most effective way to make their smell less intense is to cut each stamen into a small paper “bag” so that it falls into it without getting caught on the edge.
The “garbage” formed after cutting the stamens is immediately thrown away
As a rule, lilies have unopened buds. Therefore, to prevent the smell from becoming undesirably intense again, the procedure will have to be repeated daily or once every 2-3 days as new flowers open.
Spraying with water
The method with the least pronounced effect. Suitable if the smell of lilies seems pleasant, but a little sharp.But when it is perceived as barely bearable, you need to look for other options.
To “mute” the aroma a little, just spray the flowers with water at room temperature from a fine spray bottle. The smell of lilies becomes less intense very quickly, within 1.5-2 minutes.
The procedure will have to be repeated up to 3-4 times a day, combining it with ventilation and wiping with a damp cloth.
However, when using this method, you need to take into account that regular spraying negatively affects the safety of cut lilies; they wither within 3-5 days. In addition, if the flowers are placed where they are exposed to direct sunlight, there is a high probability that unaesthetic beige spots - sunburn - will remain on the petals in place of water droplets.
Conclusion
Many people, especially those with hypersensitivity to aromas, do not like the cloying “heavy” smell of lilies. However, unpleasant consequences for your own health in the form of persistent migraines and allergic reactions can be completely avoided. It is enough to choose the right variety or hybrid for which a strong aroma is uncharacteristic. In addition, there are simple ways to “drown out” unwanted odors in a room.
