Lilacs are a nostalgic flower for many individuals. On our property in Kansas, my mother planted a lot of lilac bushes. As I played, the aroma spread across the yard. In order for our children to share the same exquisite recollection of the aroma and flower, my husband and I made it a priority to plant a lilac in our garden when we first started our family.
I’ve tried, and have failed, through the years to bring this flower’s bounty into my house. Even though I had the flowers in a spotless vase filled with new water, they would begin to wilt an hour after I brought them inside. I have figured out how to make the blooms last as long as possible by trial and error:
As you trim blooms, have a pail half-full of fresh, chilled water nearby. Choose a chilly morning or evening to pick flowers. Lilacs bloom very sporadically after being harvested, so look for stems with at least 75 percent of their flowers open. Next, remove all of the leaves to prevent the plant from exerting extra energy to keep them moist. Put stems in the liquid. Allow the flowers to absorb water in the bucket for at least an hour by placing it in a cool, dark location.
Recut the stem ends next with powerful clippers, then make 1-2 inch vertical slices up the stem. Take hold of the sliced stem’s one side and twist it backward. Reintroduce the chopped stems to the water in the bucket right away. For an additional hour or two, let the stems soak up more water in a cool, dark location. After that, the lilacs will survive three to four days and be ready for arranging.
Can you cut lilacs as flowers?
Lilac is frequently mentioned when asking individuals to choose their favorite fragrance flower. But why do so few of us actually grow lilacs, if so many of us like them? They may be accused of having a brief lifespan, but if you only have a tiny garden with a hedge, why not plant a lilac there? Additionally, to prolong its moment of fascination, you can thread a viticella clematis up between the branches.
A purple, a cream, or a white lilac tree can be found in almost every older garden, although they are uncommon in newly planted ones.
I recently paid Chris Lane a visit at his nursery in the Kent town of Sittingbourne, where he has a sizable collection of lilacs (Syringa). He adores them since they require little upkeep and perform superbly when the garden is in transition—spring bulbs are almost finished, but summer plants haven’t fully bloomed. Why have we lost our passion for lilacs if we still like planting fake orange (Philadelphus), which blooms about a month later when the garden is bursting to the seams with fragrance and color? It undoubtedly does the same task, albeit at a more advantageous time.
Lilacs do benefit from pruning after flowering to keep them in check and prevent the smell from simply drifting upward, but that is all there is to it. Every other year will maintain the structure open, improve air circulation, and prevent mildew even if the pruning isn’t a three-line whip. Lilacs thrive in full sun or light shade, practically any soil (but especially chalk), and are exceptionally resilient to cold weather.
At Chris’s nursery, where he also has a sizable collection of wisterias and witchhazels, I chose one variety in each of the several color groups that stood out from the others as I strolled along the long, fluffy, fragrant pom-pom lines.
The S. vulgaris hybrid “Ogni Moskvy” won the day for me because my favorite colors are deep, rich purples—the darker the color, the better—so that variety is now difficult to locate. This variety is a victim of the fact that fewer of us are purchasing lilacs, since the range of publicly available kinds has decreased by a third from only 20 years ago. However, “Congo” or “Charles Joly” (AGM) are the best alternatives. Although they are not quite as black and rich, they are nonetheless quite attractive and commonly accessible.
A species hybrid with reddish-purple buds and mauve flowers, S. x hyacinthiflora ‘Esther Staley’ (AGM), is one notch lower in pitch. This would be lovely chopped short and decorated with early-blooming roses. Another vulgaris hybrid, “Lucie Baltet,” is even paler in the most lovely shell pink. The buds are a somewhat darker shade than the fully opened flowers, and the entire panicle is quite precise and delicate in its habit. After that, you can switch from mauve to light blues and finally to the widely accessible “Firmament” (AGM), which has been cultivated and well-liked since 1932.
The greatest starched linen white in the white to cream color spectrum is “Maud Notcutt,” with “Madame Lemoine” (AGM) standing out as the best white double. This had a vase life that was three days longer than the norm, winning the trial. The doubles are more resilient on the plant outside and when they are cut because of the complexity of the flower, but on the down side, the flowers linger on the bush when they turn brown rather than dropping, so you’ll need to deadhead them if you prefer things neat.
The last one I chose was “Primrose.” It was the color of upscale unsalted butter in the bud, fading to ivory when completely opened, and it was another of my favorites, although having a weaker aroma.
Lilac is a fantastic flower to use for a sizable vase inside because it blooms in May and early June. I am aware of the urban legend that discourages people from bringing lilacs into their homes because it is believed to bring bad luck, but most people are capable of overcoming such superstition. You can use it to fill a space with that delicate, sweet scent.
Three factors must be understood in order for lilac to perform effectively after being cut. The initial recommendation is to remove practically all of the leaves. They will be transpiring like billy-o and will require a lot of water to do so, but they only have a thin stem to take it in. The stem will live longer if the foliage is kept to the area immediately surrounding the flowers, which enhances the vase’s beauty.
The stem end must then be seared in boiling water for 30 seconds. The lowest 10% of the stems should be submerged in the hot water after you have poured the water from the kettle into a mug. Take them out and place them in a pail of ice-cold water. Keep them there for a few hours, or better yet, over night, to keep them chilly and dark. Pick, sear, rest, and arrange are the steps to take. The panicle has a tendency to collapse if you choose and arrange right away.
The stems of lilac should be grown so that they are at a height that makes selecting them simple. Every couple of years, farmers of commercial cut-flower lilacs coppice or pollard their plants instead of carefully trimming them, just cutting the main stem all the way to the ground (or about three feet in the case of the pollard technique). Then, fewer stems with little to no leaf will develop, but the enormous flower panicles will.
How should a lilac shrub be cut for a vase?
Early in the morning, when the lilac blossoms are fully hydrated, is the ideal time to cut them. Use clean, precise pruning shears to trim the stems, and then immediately submerge the cut stems in a pail of water. For the longest vase life, cut lengthy stems. Prepare a vase for the flowers inside.
After being cut, how long do lilacs stay fresh?
The scent of lilacs drifting on the breeze is a sure sign that summer is approaching in Upstate New York. This weekend in Rochester’s Highland Park is the lilac festival! It is practically impossible for us to slip off the farm during this extremely busy time of the year, when field crops are being planted and calves are being born. Although there are over 500 different species of lilacs in Highland Park, I won’t be able to go this year.
Fortunately, we have three lilac plants in our yard, so I get to enjoy the lilacs for the incredibly short period of time they are in bloom. I often arrange a couple containers of cut lilacs for about the house. However, the average lilac bush only blooms for a few weeks each year, so these charmingly fragrant flowers don’t endure very long. The normal blooms barely last five days on average after being cut.
Why are my lilacs that I trimmed drooping?
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Here on the east coast, lilacs are all around us. The lilacs blossom profusely in the spring for around two weeks. I am drawn to them every year and want to bring them inside.
I’ve tried to cut lilacs for many years, but they always wilt the next day. Without really realizing there was a better way, it was just one of those things I came to accept about lilacs.
It is true that after being cut, lilacs tend to wilt in the vase. Lack of hydration of the blooms and leaves as a result of poor absorption of water and nutrients inside the stem is the primary cause of wilting.
Large lilac flowers require a lot of care to maintain them full and healthy, even for a short period of time in a vase.
However, I’ve since learned that there are a few methods you can employ to assist keep the flowers looking fresh for a lot longer. It changed everything when I figured out how to keep lilacs from wilting.
You Can Prevent Lilac Blooms From Wilting
Looking back, I can see that many of the things I did, starting with the first stage of harvest, led to this.
I occasionally cut the blossoms without thoroughly cleaning the buckets or containers I had on hand.
I used these methods to preserve my lilacs fresh this year, and I have to admit that I even shocked myself. They stayed fresh in the vase for approximately 5 days, and I was able to utilize them in a number of recipes and dry some of them for sachets.
Where should a lilac stem be cut?
Cutting off the tops of stems that have grown out of control is frequently insufficient when pruning lilacs. It is typically preferable to remove the entire stem. The best way to trim lilacs is with clippers. To avoid spreading and promote later blooms, remove spent blossoms right down to the stems. Three-quarters of the branches should be pruned. Remove any shoots that are emerging from the main trunk and are growing close to the ground. Lilacs within the inner branches may need to be trimmed in order to increase air flow or let more light through.
However, it may be essential to prune the entire bush or tree to approximately 6 or 8 inches (15-20 cm) above the ground if lilac shrubs are already too big or starting to look unpleasant. Remember that it takes around three years for flowers to grow after the entire bush has been removed, so you might have to wait.
How are lilac blooms kept fresh?
Known as the “Language of Flowers,” certain flowers were used to communicate codes or hidden messages during the Victorian era. White lilacs stood for childhood innocence, while purple lilacs represented the first feelings of love. The lilac is a particularly fragrant flower, much like the rose. The lilac’s freshness as a cut flower will last just a short while. It will continue to look fresh longer if you keep it in water with floral preservative. Lilacs can be preserved for weeks, months, and perhaps years by drying the cut blossom. As soon as the blossoms are cut from the bush, dry them.
When should lilac blossoms be cut?
All lilacs should generally be clipped right away in the spring after they have finished blooming. Lilacs set their flower buds for the following year immediately after the current year’s flowers have faded, therefore trimming later in the summer or fall will result in the removal of most or all of the blossoms for the following year. The larger common lilacs as well as the shorter or more “shrub like” cultivars are all subject to this timing guideline. While the “when” of lilac trimming is rather simple, the “how” is a little more difficult. For the time being, we’ll refer to lilac pruning as either maintenance pruning or rejuvenation pruning to keep things simple.