Hi Cheryl. I've been taking bouquets with lilies to market the past 2 weeks and I know what you mean. I try to put the lilies in the middle of the bouquet, and always pick stems with a few more buds. I transport my bouquets in kids sand pails (from the dollar store) and pack 3 to a bucket. When I put them in my vehicle I actually have them quite tight together so that if I have to hit the brakes (plenty of wildlife on the road) nothing tips over. I put one bucket in then with the back of my hand hold the flowers back a bit while I set the next bucket in. I think this tight packing in the vehicle might help with breakage. My trip to market is 40 miles away, a good 20 of that is on very rough used-to-be-paved-but-now-more-gravel highway and everything makes it quite well. There is the odd petal that breaks but nothing really that the customer notices or cares. Sleeves would probably help, but I don't use them and so far so good without them.

Pudge,
Thanks for your packing tips, it just doesn't always work with mine. I really need a cooler, and that is in the plans hopefully for next year so I can hold flowers longer. It has been a HOT week. So all of my lilies are opening fast, and they are BIG. Some look like tree trunks. There is just no hiding them with other flowers. I wish they all wouldn't open so fast too. Do you have a cooler?
Some of my bouquets I can fit 3 or 4 to a bucket, but not the lily bouquets. I think next week the I'll remove the other seat of my my van. With both of the bench seats out, I should be able to fit 3 more buckets without as much crowding. If the lilies weren't so big, it wouldn't be a probelm, but some of these have 14 or more buds on them. Do your's get that big?
Cheryl