Avoid lily pollen stains

I love lilies.  I hate the way the pollen stains everything it touches!

I've worked out a way to avoid the pollen becoming a problem.  It's quick and very simple: here's what  you do ...

Keep a close eye on the flower buds.  As they are just starting to open you'll be able to see the stamens lurking within.

Sneak up to the bloom, moving as stealthily as you can.  (This doesn't affect the outcome at all, but will cause your neighbours to wonder what on earth you're up to!)

Gently open up the petals just a little, so that you can slip a couple of fingers in to grasp the long knobbly bits that hold the pollen - the anthers (no, not antlers, anthers, you see, this is why I called them knobbly bits, far less confusion that way).

You'll find that if you hold them firmly, without crushing them, that you'll be able to simply slip them away from their stalks, and dispose of them in your compost bin.  The pollen doesn't actually become "live", so to speak, until the flower actually opens, so you've pre-empted it.

No pollen, no staining.  Magic!