In the spring, a beautiful and fragrant bouquet of lilacs can decorate any home. It will fill your apartment with freshness and fragrance. But unfortunately, many housewives do not know how to keep cut lilacs in a vase, because under normal conditions her age is short, and a luxurious bouquet can sadly lower the tops of inflorescences the next day.
Experienced florists claim that secrets exist that extend the age of gorgeous flowers, and we will be happy to share them.
How to cut lilacs?
If the lilac grows in your garden plot or in the house, then you need to cut branches for a bouquet, observing some simple rules:
- This must be done in the early morning (before sunrise), or in the evening, after sunset.
- Cut the branch only after the fragrant clusters have blossomed - this will extend the presence of the bouquet in the vase.
- The best option is brushes with opened 2/3 of the flowers.
- Cut the branches obliquely, making the longest possible cut. If you have already been presented with a bouquet, make such a cut on each branch.
- Do not use scissors: they crush the vessels of the branches and do not subsequently allow water to be absorbed. Use a sharp knife, or better yet, a blade.
- Remove all leaves that will be in the water: this will not affect the appearance at all, and without them your bouquet will last longer.
- Wrap the cut branches immediately with a damp cloth, and the bouquet itself in soft paper. Thus, in perfect condition, you will bring the bouquet to the destination.
Stalk preparation
If you are interested in how to keep lilacs in a vase longer, do not ignore the preparation of the stems before placing the flowers in the vase. Split them with a sharp blade: in this case, they will better absorb moisture. Some housewives use a hammer for this purpose, breaking them three centimeters of the bottom of the branches.
If the branches are cut from a very large bush and have a rough and dense bark, additionally cut it three centimeters along the fibers. All these procedures are carried out immediately before the flowers are immersed in water, because in the air the “naked” tissues quickly lose their absorption capacity. This simple treatment guarantees the active absorption of oxygen and liquid by the vessels of the plant.
Water
To prevent lilacs from fading in a vase, melt or purified water must be used. If it is possible to use spring or well water, the lilac will delight with its appearance even longer. Let the water stand a little and warm up. It should be at room temperature or even slightly warmer (about two degrees).
Many gardeners know how to store lilacs in a vase using acidified water. If you add citric acid or a few drops of vinegar to it, the water will soften and this will certainly extend the life of the bouquet.
A bouquet of lilacs in a vase will last longer if you prepare another life-giving solution: dilute a tablespoon of sugar in a liter of settled water. A universal rescuer for cut lilacs is an aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) tablet. In this case, the water in the vase is changed daily.
Hot water: benefit or harm?
Even our great-grandmothers knew how to keep lilacs in a vase. Flowers will retain freshness and beauty for a long time, if you use the old and proven method:
- cut long and thick branches;
- boil the required amount (depending on the volume of the vase) of water;
- pour some water on the bottom of the vase (so that the container does not crack);
- pour the right amount of hot water and immediately put a bouquet in it.
Thus, it will be stored for at least five days.
Place for a bouquet
Many housewives think about how to preserve lilacs in a vase, without attaching importance to the place where the bouquet is. And completely in vain. Often, bouquets are placed on the windowsill, and this makes a common mistake. Direct sunlight has a detrimental effect on flowers: they fade.
You should not store lilac near indoor flowers: in bouquets collected on the street, parasites often live that can cause irreparable harm to your indoor plants. We should not forget that lilac is very fragrant. Therefore, if your house already has bouquets that exude a delicate smell, do not overload the room with another fragrant “tenant”.
Few secrets
And finally, a few tips from experienced florists who know how to keep lilacs in a vase longer. Use them, and your bouquet will remain for a long time:
- If the lilac has begun to fade, lower the stalk sections into the water and renew the section with a sharp knife directly under the water.
- Even a practical hopelessly withered bouquet can be revived if the tips of the branches are lowered for several minutes in boiling water. Prepare room temperature water in a vase in advance and return the bouquet to it after “resuscitation”.
- Spray lilacs several times a day, refreshing it with warm water.
- Lilac “drinks” a lot of liquid. Therefore, as it decreases, it must be added. Otherwise, the vase can very quickly be empty, and the bouquet will immediately fade.
- From time to time, place the bouquet in water to the inflorescences, and cover it with a damp newspaper on top. This little trick will help maintain your desired moisture level.
Mandatory daily routines
- Send flowers to the bath in the evening. Submerge them under water and fix so that they do not rise to the surface. Leave the bouquet in this condition until morning.
- Trim the trunk in the morning by a centimeter and fluff it a little.
- Once a day, change the water with a nutrient solution and wash the bottom of the stems.
- The longer the bouquet costs, the more it needs to be sprayed.
Now you know how to keep cut lilacs in a vase. Caring for her is quite simple, and if you take the advice of experienced florists and gardeners, you can extend her stay in your home.