Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) have burst into bloom this week and collecting a vaseful is one of my biggest spring delights. Burying my nose into those scented blossoms is delicious aromatherapy!
Adding a tiara of white bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabile alba) only adds to their charm. A few trimmings of ninebark foliage (Physocarpus opulifolius) provides support.
But that is not the only vase in the house delighting the olfactory senses… a handful of lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) has me smiling every time I pass by them. A few violets (Viola sororia) and a slip of ninebark jumped in as well.
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts the weekly garden meme In A Vase On Monday, featuring flowers from our gardens. Click the link to join or see what others are sharing this week.
Eliza Waters 
They are all exquisite, and the lily of the valley is impressive (because it does not perform well here), but the LILACS are RADDEST! Lilac really should be more popular than it is.
Lilacs endure for centuries, such a tough plant. Here in New England they continue to flower where old homesteads have crumbled to their stone foundation, leaving only the memory of the planter as they flower on.
Heavenly Eliza… 💜
French hybrids became popular here years ago because they bloom reliably with minimal chill, as if common lilac does not perform well here. However, I remember that it does perform well even in some of the milder climates. It even performs reasonably well in the Los Angeles region, so must not need ‘that’ much chill. Unfortunately though, no one knows how to prune it properly. Instead of alternating canes, they try to prune out what they think are suckers, while salvaging deteriorating old stems.
Ah, those “white bleeding hearts” 🤌🏻🤍
Such a lovely flower they are!
You don’t actually live ‘inside’ the house Eliza…do you? Well, during daylight hours anyway 🤗🤣 Beautiful flowers kind lady, and spoiled well. As we are too, thank you 😀❤️🙏
Thank you, Mark. You are correct, garden season finds me outside a lot!
Glorious. We actually live in Lilac California. The wild lilac are rejoicing.
Thank you, Cindy. That must be a wonderful sight!
I enjoy flowers with a pleasant fragrance.
Sight and olfactory pleasure combined!
Ah! the fragrance.
Indeed… heavenly!
a stunning collection, Eliza… I can almost smell that lilac!
Thanks, J&A! I’m loving having them so close to my nose. 🙂
😎
marvelous tributes to spring!!
Thank you, Catherine. They are a joy!
Lilacs are such a treat! I have the opposite— white lilacs and pink bleeding heart. I haven’t seen the lily of the valley yet. 🤔
Agreed, they thrill the senses!
Gorgeous! Smellishesness. I do admire you for being ‘able’ to cut lilacs.
Thank you, Alice. They have grown too tall to smell, so are much more appreciated inside. 💜
Such classic spring flowers. Lilacs and lily of the valley are two plants I have not experienced in many years.
They are classic for sure, with a well-deserved reputation! 🙂
Two beautiful vases to delight the senses! The colors are so bright and cheerful and I can only imagine the wonderful scents you’re enjoying every time you pass by.
Thank you, Barbara, I am enjoying them immensely!
Two of my favourites in two gorgeous arrangements! Love the white bleeding hearts with the lilacs (mmmmm).
And lily-of-the-valley! My fave of all and I miss it so. I must plant some.
Thank you, Dale. 🙂 I’d send you some roots, but I think Customs would flag them.
They would… damn us for being honest!!
😀
How lovely Eliza! I see you are also enjoying the fragrances of spring! The white dicentra is a lovely addition to your lilacs. And I am envious of those Lily of the Valley. Enjoy! 💕
Thank you, Cathy! I surely am inhaling them every chance I get. Their time with us is so fleeting. 🙂
Heavenly Eliza… 💜
(I think this comment may have also went on as a reply of another comment. Oops! 🙃)
Yup, it did, no worries, though. 🙂 Thanks much! x
I do love lilacs, even though my mom used to say they reminded her of funeral homes. And those white bleeding hearts and lily of the valley are simply stunning!
Thanks, Debbie. Some flowers just get stuck in our minds. For me, I associate gladiolus with the same!
Striking images Eliza.
Thank you, Maria!
Lilacs are my favorite scent. Your flowers are beautiful! 🩷🌸
Thanks much, Kymber!
Hi Eliza . I do love your bouquets. And both of these are enchanting, one big and blowsy, one more subtle. I shall pretend they are on my window sill.
MJ
Thanks, MJ. I would share one with you if I could!
Nothing better than lilacs!
Agreed! Thanks, Sandy. 🙂
{Deep digital inhalation} What a beautiful bouquet. It evokes such a simpler way of life that I miss. My Great Grandmother always seemed to smell of lilacs and that scent would linger in her house.
Thank you, Monika. Sweet memory.
Lilac season is always too short!
Oh my these are my favorite scented flowers….why I love May. Your vase is so full and the bleeding heart is stunning as a crown.
Thank you, Donna. May is the best month, IMO!
Beautiful, Eliza! I love both lily-of-the-valley and lilacs, neither of which choose to grow in my climate. The former is a plant I adored as a child. The latter is one I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing/smelling elsewhere. I’ve always thought it was funny that Ceanothus is called “California lilac” as it had no scent that I can detect.
Thanks, Kris. Once one smells LOV, one is hooked for life! (I have hand lotion of that scent, which is wonderful the rest of the year.) My patch has grown large and I could pick an armload if I wanted, but it is enough to just walk by. 🙂
Gorgeous, the lily of the valley is fantastic, you must have them in a great location. I don’t think I have ever seen a real lilac! They are fabulous in your vases. Enjoy the scents of spring – and sights!
Thanks, Amy. I’ve allowed the LOV to overtake the western edge of the lawn, so I get to pick as many as I want… a vase for every room! 🙂
Such beautiful bouquets. The lilacs are also in full bloom in Montreal and the city seems to smell lilacs everywhere we go. It is very nice. (Suzanne)
Nothing like a whole hedge of them to scent a neighborhood. Thanks, Suzanne!
Lilacs are a gardeners catnip. 😀
So true! 🙂
Such beautiful arrangements 😊. I love the scent of these flowers!
Thank you, Belinda. I dream of and await this time all winter!
I feel the same way!
The first vase is a knockout arrangement and a lovely photograph. I’ve been sniffing lilacs on walks for a couple of weeks now.
Thank you, Tom. Sadly, they go over too quickly, esp. in this heat.
What a beautiful set of arrangements. The bleeding hearts are lovey. I’d love to experience the lilacs.
Thank you, Susie. No lilacs where you are? My sister in GA has one. She used to live in FL and really missed them and the first year in GA, she had to put one in first thing!
I know of one lilac, but don’t see them. Maybe I’m just not attuned to them.
Eaten up with envy, I am. No lilacs bloom down here, and I miss them terribly. I keep trying to find something that reproduces the scent, but I’ve not had any luck so far.
There really is no equal. I love them!
OMG, I know I’ve had favorites, but Scentsational is now an all-time favorite!!! I love the lilacs and bleeding hearts combination and the wonderful lilac aromatherapy is something I look forward to every year.🙂
Thanks, S, I wait all year for them to bloom!
There seem to be a lot of fragrant blooms in vases today! Those lilacs must be lovely in the house – will they last long when cut? I don’t have any lilac myself, but have occasionally cut some growing in a local hedge, a garden escapee. The white Lamprocapnos is such gloriouly pure colour, but then again, so are the lily-of-the-valley, Thanks for sharing all of them
Thank you, Cathy. To help make lilacs last in a vase, I pound the woody ends to splay them for better uptake and add a floral powder packet to the water. Then repeat in a couple days.
What’s in the floral powder packet, do you know?
Not sure, but here is their website: https://floralife.com/
Most florists here include a packet with the cut-flower bunches they sell.
Yes, I suppose many bunches of flowers here are sold with a packet of something, aalthough I think itis usually a liquid. I will be intersted to see what the website says…
Beautiful 💜💜💜
Thank you, Karen! 🙂
Spring captured in a vase – it’s a good thing. 🙂
Thank you, Judy!
Beautiful bouquets Eliza, some of my favourite flowers ❤
Thank you, Agnes! 🙂
I can never walk past a lilac bush without pushing my nose into its scentilicious blossoms.
I know the feeling, pure heaven!
My father would have loved that last one; purple was his favorite color and Lily of the Valley his favorite flower. I thought of him as soon as I saw it.
Glad to have triggered fond memories, Mic. 🙂
Thank you. 😊