Picking Lilac

[Mr Veritas]

Our heavily scented Lilac is just coming into flower.
I have (in the past) attempted to pick some to put in the house.However,it always droops and does not like it at all.
Can someone tell me the best way to prepare cut lilac to go in a vase(boiling water,deep cold water etc?)
Thanks.

[Buenchico]

Quote:
"We�ve run a flower shop for many years and have found that lilacs hold up much longer if you remove the leaves, crush the stems ends, and place them in a container of wood alcohol. Let them stand in a cool place, out of drafts, for about an hour (or a little longer if branches are large). Remove and put them in cold water in a refrigerator overnight.

One of the finest weddings we ever did was with lilacs (white) handled this way the day before. Even the bride�s bouquet was made of lilac blossoms and not a single spray of flowers wilted. The ways these lilacs inhaled alcohol was unbelievable. The branches absorbed almost all the alcohol. We�ve handled blossoms of mock orange, weigela, and apples this same way and with success.�

Source:
http://www.ramseyadagency.com/cfbook/cf.htm

Note: 'Wood alcohol' = Methyl alcohol = Methanol. I'm not sure where you could get it from but I suspect that any form of alcohol would give the same result. I'd try using methylated spirit (from any DIY store), which is ethyl alcohol with a small amount of methyl alcohol added to it.

Chris