LILAC Tips... Leave the Leaves! Flowers 101

It's Lilac Season and the Bushes are Bursting into Bloom...I love the Smell of Fresh Lilacs... and having those Lovely Blooms in the House, is a Treat!Sometimes it can be a struggle to keep them Looking Fresh and Lasting for days... Here's some Great Tips that will Allow you to enjoy them for days on End...I always followed my Grandpa Carnation Joe Green's Instructions...1. LEAVE the LEAF... The Lilac Blossom needs the Leaves! The Leaves are loaded with chlorophyll... that creates photosynthesis... in turn creating suction to pull water up the vascular system to the Blooms...Leaves are Important... and they help draw water....REMEMBER... Never Let any Leaves fall into the water or below the water line... this creates bacteria... and that's PUBLIC ENEMY #1 For any Flower!2. USE ICE COLD WATER... forget what you always thought... putting your Flowers into ICE COLD Water reduces bacteria... (and AIR ... warm water is cloudy because there is more AIR in it... that air can get trapped in the stems of the flowers... bad news)... Even tossing in some ICE Won't hurt... COLD Water prevents Bacteria from Growing...3. Use A FLOWER NUTRIENT... That packet of Flower Food is valuable... and ESSENTIAL... I prefer Chrysal UNIVERSAL Flower Food... it has sugar to feed the flowers... and several other great ingredients to keep the water CLEAR...  Follow the directions on the Package... OVER-DOSING or UNDER-DOSING will cause more harm than good... so MIX to the Manufacturers Recommendations on the Package!4. CUT the Stems with a Sharp Locking Blade Knife... (I Prefer my Swiss Army Knife... and I have a LILAC Colored one just for Cutting Lilacs... HEY... I'm the Flower GUY... hehehe)... Scissors or Pruners can constrict or even block the vascular system of the flowers... NEVER Break off the stems... Use a KNIFE!5. NEVER (EVER)... Mash the Ends of the stems... This just doesn't make sense... no matter what ANYONE Tells you... Mashing the stems destroys the vascular system and creates the perfect solution for "bacteria soup"... (shards of broken stems in water)...  CUT them at a 45 Degree Angle... and you're good to Go!TIME to Enjoy... those gorgeous Lilacs.. for Days and Days!!!Want more TIPS from J about Flowers??? Subscribe to J's FREE Flower Thoughts by J... daily emails Monday-Friday to your inbox... featuring Tips, Tricks, Ideas and Inspiration for Flowers and Flower Arranging! Sign up today!