Hello, new here. I love lilacs, and that's an understatement. It's more like a passionate love affair that never fizzles.

From a little girl in the 70s all the way up to 1995, I could cut lilacs off of any large profuse bush either around my home, or toss them in my front seat and plop in vase once home. They always lasted at least 5 days, many times longer. No special technique, or cutting tool, or anything. Once a nice lady just pulled off several branches from her bushes for me and I just cut the ends freshly right before plopping them in a vase. Beautiful for days.

In 2006 we bought a home with five lilac bushes along the back fence, Sensation variety I believe given purple blooms with white borders. For 15 years these bushes have deprived me of the happiest weeks of my year, Lilac season, where I can fill my home with fresh cut lilacs. They do last about 2 weeks on the bushes big and beautiful and fragrant, even though the bushes themselves look a bit leggy and lack the typical profuse foliage that you cant see through. However, for the past 15 years any cut Lilacs from these bushes die before nightfall. I get a total of 6 hours with a beautiful bouquet and then it's gone. I refuse to cut blooms off a bush if it doesn't leave it still looking full and plush, and I'd have to cut blooms every single day for a week leaving nothing outside on the bush - so I don't do that. I do remember one year I was so desperate and starved for lilac bouquets around my house that I drove out to find a profusely blooming bush somewhere that I could freely cut from. But those also didn't last more than a full day, just several hours longer.

1) Are there varieties of Lilacs that can't hack being in a vase? Is Sensation a bad choice for what I want? Or maybe cultivated varieties around my area have been tinkered with too much? I grew up 1-1/2 hours from where I live now where I never had problems, but I also remember having no problem in our previous home 30 minutes away. Could it be our city water? What has changed in the past 25 years??

2) I'm about ready to dig these bushes out completely and replace them with a variety that has a well known track record of providing cut blooms that last at least 3-5 days in a vase. What variety would that be? (We have clay soil, but my garden beds are huge with lots of garden soil mix on top 6-8" and 3-4" finely ground hardwood mulch.)

Thanks for your gracious time and help.

(Image below is what I cut from the bush just 12 hours earlier.)

Welcome. I'm really into cut flowers and love lilacs. I have several references and only had time to take a quick peek at "Woody Cut Stems for Growers and Florists" by Lane Greer and John Dole. Under Comments, the first sentence states, "Dark-colored varieties will fade when forced indoors. If branches become wilted, they can be recut and placed in 110 degrees water." Also, if you have a water softener, your flowers will not last. I use a pitcher with a filter for all the water I use in cut flower arrangements. Always recut the stem on an angle so there is more cutting area to take up water. In the past, I have also cut vertical slits in the cut stem to help it get water. I cut mine and place into warm water and then set aside in a nice cool dark place (not the refrigerator) on my shaded porch before I arrange in a vase with flower food water. I hope this helps.

You may want to also check out resources for cut flower growers as they sometimes post tips on cutting. The book I listed also has additional information on cutting lilacs; however, it looks like 5 days is considered a good length of time. They also advise removing all leaves except those right below the bloom.

Thank you for your helpful reply! I've not found this specific info anywhere else. So it seems it does have a lot to do with the variety of the bush and I unfortunately have some that won't fulfill my joy. Out they go so that I can plant a different variety that will. I'm so sad I wasted 15 years.

And thanks for the tip about soft water!! We have a water softener and I have always used our sink water for cuttings. I will always fill buckets/vases from our garden hose from now on. For all our cuttings no matter tree/bush/or flower. Thanks so much for that insight!

"Cut the lilac flowers off the plant in early morning or late evening, if possible. Use a sharp, clean knife to make a cut at least a few inches longer than the final stem length desired and just above a leaf, bud or branch junction.

Tip
Consider cutting the stems initially for the tallest vase you have, recutting them a few days later for a shorter vase when you change the water in the vase and even recutting a third time for your shortest vase.

Fill a clean vase or other container with warm tap or distilled water and a floral preservative added according to instructions on the floral preservative label.

Cut any leaves or small stems off the portion of lilac stem to be submerged in water while the stem is still in the pail or bucket of water, so that the cut surface is not exposed to air. Cut the end of each woody stem with an "x" 1 to 4 inches deep so the branch splits, allowing the plant to absorb more water.

Transfer the flowers quickly into the prepared, water-filled container.

Display the cut lilac flowers out of direct sunlight and in a cool, draft-free position, if possible. At night, or when you will not be at home to enjoy the cut flowers, storing them in the refrigerator between 40 and 50 degrees can prolong flower life.

Add water to the container regularly to replace any that evaporates.

Replace the preservative-and-water solution whenever the water in the vase appears cloudy, which indicates bacterial activity. When you replace the water, trim off at least 1/2 inch of stem from the bottom of each flower stem."

Rain barrel or distilled water works best.
I generally use distilled water.