It’s hard to beat the smell of fresh lilacs. Their alluring aroma beckons us oftentimes before we even see their eye-catching beautiful blooms.
But if you’ve ever picked lilacs, you know their vase life is fleeting. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy them. In fact, cutting lilac blooms actually helps the plant out. Lilac bushes become top heavy when they haven’t been pruned enough.
So go ahead and bring those beautiful blooms indoors to enjoy or share with friends. And while you’re at it, here are 6 tips to make them last a little longer.
Lilacs: 6 Tricks for Extended Vase Life
- Before harvesting, fill a bucket with cool water for freshly-cut blooms. Take this with you when you harvest, so those you cut first can wait in fresh water while you harvest the rest.
- Harvest during the cool parts of the day, early in the morning or late in the evening. Avoid harvesting during the warm parts of the day.
- Choose blooms that are mostly open, half to three-quarters. Lilacs open very little once harvested.
- Place harvested blooms in a cool place, and remove all leaves, so the plant puts efforts into keeping the blooms hydrated instead of leaves. If you’d like leaves in your arrangement, keep some of the foliage, but separate them from the stems of the blooms.
- Re-cut the stem ends, slicing vertically up the stem 2–3 inches, twisting backwards. Place back in the fresh water.
- Leave in a cool, dark room for a few hours to hydrate before arranging.
Although lilacs are fleeting, I think that’s part of their charm. They remind us of the impermanence of life, and that it’s OK to let go. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do all that we can to prolong their enjoyment!
Do you have any fond memories of lilacs? Do you have any other vase-life tricks?
If you found this information helpful, I’d love it if you shared it with your pals.
comments +