Lilacs are care for for their implausibly fragrant and beautiful blooms that annunciate the comer of spring . Their flowers make splendid gash peak , scent a house or event with their intoxicating odour . Not all lilac varieties are ideal for cutting , however . In this comprehensive guide , we ’ll explore the best types of lilacs for cut flowers , top cultivars to uprise , and tips for cutting and coiffe lilac .
Lilacs belong to to the genus Syringa and are part of the olive family There are over 25 species , with hundred of cultivars available . Lilacs are deciduous shrub with a rounded form and grow 5 to 15 feet tall on modal The blooms come along on panicle in leaping and former summer before the leaves emerge . Flower colors include traditional lilac - purple along with pink , Battle of Magenta , disconsolate , ointment , and white .
Why Grow Lilacs for Cut Flowers?
Lilac ’s exceedingly fragrant blooms make them one of the most suitable cut flowers . Here are some of the benefits of lilacs as slashed flowers :
uplift perfume – The scent scent bouquets and flowered transcription .
Striking colors – reach from delicate pastels to vibrant Battle of Magenta that protrude in musical arrangement
Spring flower – Provide sassy cut flowers in late spring when selection is limited .
Abundant efflorescence – Each shrub produces loads to century of blooming for cutting .
Lasting vase life – With proper forethought , bouquets can last up to 7 twenty-four hour period .
Easy forethought – Lilacs are unfussy , low maintenance shrubs once established .
Versatile – Use in interracial bouquets , mass arrangements , corsages , and more .
Tips for Growing Lilacs for Cutting
Select early , prolific bloomers .
Plant in full sunlight with good air circulation .
Prune every year after blossom by slay spent blooms .
Provide well - drained , fertile soil .
Water deeply once per workweek during grow season .
Fertilize in early spring with balanced constitutional plant food .
Disbud blooms for larger , showier flower clusters .
The Best Lilac Varieties for Cut Flowers
When selecting lilac smorgasbord for cut flowers , late - bloomers with large , abundant flush and intense fragrance are idealistic . Here are top picks :
Common Lilac – The classic with nostalgic aroma and on-key lilac - purple blooms .
Sensation Lilac – Two - tone up purple and white blooms with sweet , hot scent .
Madame Lemoine Lilac – Creamy ashen , fully duple blooms on large clusters .
Miss Kim Lilac – Compact diversity with ice - blue bloom and spicy odor .
Katherine Havemeyer Lilac – Lavender - pinkish , heavily scented dual blooms .
Primrose Lilac – Pale creamy yellow flowers on farsighted clusters .
Ludwig Spaeth Lilac – Deep magenta blooms up to 12″ long on large panicle .
Charles Joly Lilac – cherry-red - purple , doubled flowers with vivid , wine - comparable scent .
When and How to Cut Lilac Blooms
efflorescence timing – Cut when 1/2 to 2/3rds of floweret have opened on the panicle .
Time of day – former morning is ideal while stems contain the most weewee .
Tools – Use bypass pruners or hand pruners to disregard each stem .
Length – Cut stems 8 to 12 column inch long . Remove leaves from lower one-half of stem .
Angle – Cut stanch at a 45 grade angle to maximise water uptake .
Conditioning – Place newly cut stems in warm water for several hours before arranging . Recut stems and put back water supply daily .
Arranging and Caring for Lilac Bouquets
To delight your lilac bouquets for as long as potential :
Use a uncontaminating vase and fill with fresh water system and floral preservative .
Arrange lilacs in a cool positioning out of direct sunlight .
Refresh water every 2 - 3 days and recut stems by 1 - 2 inches .
Mist blossom now and then with flaccid water nebulizer .
Remove spent blooms promptly to encourage new buds .
Enjoy the fragrance ! Lilacs will fill a room with olfactory property .
What the Plants are Like
Lilacs are deciduous . To use them as a screen , the best performance will be in the late spring -fall time of year .
The common lilac , Syringa vulgaris , grow up to 20 foot . tall , if allow . It can be maintain at a miserable peak , to around 12 - 15 ft . tall or less . Other case come in different sizes so they can check in smaller areas or be used as smaller hedges and shrub . For exemplar , ‘ Miss Kim ’ rise to 8–9 foot improbable . and ‘ Dwarf Korean Lilac ’ which develop to 4 - 5 foot . marvellous .
Lilacs spread by suckers . When you plant one it will disperse wider each year , so be prepared for that . you could dig the suckers out and replant them if you like .
Lilacs are jolly long - lived , hold up 25 – 50 class or more if well cared for .
How to Grow Lilacs
Some sort have been spawn to do well in zone 2 and 9 , and they can grow in zona 3 through 7 . They need full sunlight .
Like yield tree diagram , lilacs need a sure amount of frigidity in the wintertime to bloom well . So a Los Angeles area botanic garden , Descanso Gardens , bred some varieties to bloom in their warm climate . They ’re called the Descanso Lilacs .
Lilacs are quite well-situated to originate . They involve soil with effective drainage . On top of the soil , utilise an organic flower fertilizer . To make the soil more prolific and keep water in , mulch with serious compost and woodwind instrument chips .
Water deeply but infrequently . The root care to dry out out between waterings .
Do not keep soil too wet . Do not plant where there will be a lawn underneath , it will be too much water .
Lilacs can be trouble with powdery mould . It ’s not too serious because the bloom is over when they ’re susceptible . But it is unsightly . They need good sunlight and salutary air circulation to facilitate keep it at bay tree . Six hour of Lord’s Day is necessary .
Pruning : Best flower is achieved with proper pruning . And the honorable sentence to prune is after they bloom .
Lilacs bloom on second year wood . That means peak bud grow on fresh wood this twelvemonth and bloom next year . So after your lilac has finished blooming , prune the flowering branch to a dyad of leaves . This catch disembarrass of the quondam flowers and makes room for two branch to grow and bloom buds to form where there was only one .
This pruning produces more flower and keeps the overall top of the plant to where you want it . These flowers will get so in high spirits on the President Bush that you ca n’t reek them if you do n’t shorten them back . If you need or require to prune back hard , you ’ll have fewer blooms for a duet of geezerhood .
For the repeat bloomers , prune late in the inactive time of year . shorten the premature year ’s increment to various duration . If you want to keep the plant healthy , cut off a few of the oldest stems every year .
Best shrubs for a cut flower garden // Northlawn Flower Farm
FAQ
Do lilacs make expert cut flowers ?
What is the strongest smell lilac bush ?
How to make lilac last longer in a vase ?
What lilac blooms the foresightful ?
Can lilac flowers be cut vertically ?
The same rule works for lilacs only you also have to make a vertical cut at the bow bottom . The extra one or two vertical cuts provide a wide surface for water uptake , giving the adorable excision flowers a long life-time in a vase . Also cut the lilac bloom when they are still in bud and starting to open up .
How do you cut lilac flowers ?
trim them in the early daybreak or in the evening coolness . Since lilac are woody and the flowers are on woody stem the blossom you ’ll practice a different method of harvesting your lilac blossom . You want to maximize the ability of water to travel up into the woody stem . prefer a office to bring down at a node of farewell on the branch . Cut the stem at an slant .
How do you take care of a lilac industrial plant ?
Fill a bucketful one-half full of wise , nerveless water , and have it at mitt as you cut bloom . Pick flowers in the cool of the cockcrow or eve . Lilacs open very little after harvest , so choose halt that have at least three - quarter of the peak undefended . Next , move out all of the foliage so the plant is n’t frame its effort into keeping the leaves hydrated .
Do lilac flowers droop ?
Before add your freshly cut lilac flowers to the vase , pluck off all the foliage that would be submerged . leaf under or in the water will molder apace , creating conditions that will cause your lilac staunch to wilt faster . you’re able to leave the uppermost greenery on the stems for a fuller arranging .
When should you cut lilac flowers ?
Cut your lilac flower well before they ’re fully open . Cut them in the early morning or in the evening coolness . Since lilacs are woody and the efflorescence are on woody stems the bloom you ’ll use a dissimilar method of reap your lilac bloom . You want to maximise the power of water to travel up into the woody stem .
Do lilacs need to be rationalize ?
The pruning you do depends on the age and consideration of the lilac . Maintenance pruning is a light trimming done on immature lilacs annually to keep them in figure and blooming profusely . The focussing is on removing dead wood and suckers , deadheading the bloom , and trim a foot or so off the bow . Deadhead lilacs annually as soon as efflorescence fade .
