I’m gonna first start off by naming my favorite flowers. Come spring season my favorite flowers are the Peonies with the Lilacs coming in second. During the summer I fall in love with the gigantic Hydrangeas and come fall season I adore Dahlias! The lilacs are the first to make an appearance in my yard and I decided to clip some for the house. And oh my, how they smell!
The tiny blooms with an intoxicating scent that fills the room is a sight to behold. In my blue and white vase and ginger jar they look perfect sitting on my kitchen island. Their color is vibrant and sophisticated and not overwhelming. If you don’t have a lilac bush in your yard I highly recommend you get one. They are pretty robust and will bloom year after year with lots and lots of foliage. Trim down every other season and they’ll be good to you.
When clipping for home arrangements here are some tips to help keep them fresh longer without wilting.
- Clip them early morning or evening avoiding full sun otherwise they’ll tend to wilt right away. Make sure to use sharp clippers/pruners to make a clean cut.
- Flatten out the ends of the stalk after clipping with a rubber kitchen hammer to allow splitting. This will let them drink water more efficiently.
- Make sure to remove ALL leaves that would otherwise be submerged in the water. Only have leaves at the very top of the branches. Leaves that are submerged will cause the water to rot hence deteriorating the life of the flowers.
- Make sure to change the water every two days to keep them fresh.
- Do not display directly in sunlight. This will cause them to fade and dry out quicker.
Lilacs are amazing little star shaped blossoms that bring a burst of color into any room. I love that they come in slightly different color shades of purple, from a pale violet to dark mauve or pink. They signal that summer is just around the corner and I absolutely love them.
