Your CartHappy Monday everyone! Today I’m sharing my new kitchen table/island, with a pitcher filled with the most heavenly pink roses and lilacs. Lilacs. Oh, whenever I see these at the flower market, I can’t resist! They smell heavenly, and then there is that stunning color – they were perfect for my Pitcher Perfect Lilacs & Roses arrangement for Monday Morning Blooms.
I think our Monday Morning Blooms is always something to look forward to, don’t you? You can find my flower friends’ links and blooming inspiration at the bottom of this post.
Today our common theme was a flower arrangement in a pitcher or a tureen. When I spied the gorgeous lilacs with long stems, I thought of this stunning antique ironstone pitcher -a perfect match!
Did you know that 2022 is the “Year of the Lilac,” according to the National Gardening Bureau? Lilacs are fairly carefree spring-flowering shrubs, beautiful to look at and with a sweet fragrance. In our neighborhood we have a neighbor who grows lilacs in their garden, when we walk Bentley around the block we enjoy their fragrance so much!
The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is tough, so tough that they can grow for 100+ years. A deciduous multi-stemmed shrub usually has 10 canes with flowers at eye-level. Depending on the variety, they grow between 8 and 12 feet tall. The flowers can be lavender, purple, cream, pink, and even a soft yellow.
Lilacs are the perfect spring flower for arrangements, their multi-flowered blooms add color, texture and a sweet scent to your arrangements.
Before we look at the delicious spring flowers arranged in this pitcher, I am so excited to share our new kitchen island/table with all of you. I’ve always wanted an island, but because our home isn’t big, and we put a couch and t.v. in the dining area to make this into our own version of a “great room” we still needed a table to seat 10 or so people at times.
I worked with our custom carpenter {who has worked wonders in other parts of our home} to design this table and he built it. LOVE. On one side are four counter height stools, on the other side and ends are square leather stools that can slide all the way under the table when we don’t need them. It’s the best of both worlds. The top is quartz {it weighs 500 pounds!} so we had to make pretty sure about where we wanted it before they added the top to the base. But it’s perfect for our family.
This is the first Monday Morning Blooms arrangement on this table, and I’m happy it’s such a pretty one. An antique ironstone pitcher with black floral details is the right size for the tall stemmed lilac blooms.
The ruffled pink spray roses are like little confections, aren’t they? I also added my old stand-by favorites because they last forever, white alstroemeria. Altogether they create a pitcher perfect lilacs & roses arrangement.
I set up a buffet with antique flow black plates and a matching platter, I love this pattern with the Chinoiserie design.
These black linen napkins with embroidered bees look wonderful on the table, that little ruffle adds an extra zing of style. Antique mother of pearl handled knives are ready for cutting the muffins, slathering them in butter and cutting off some brie cheese. {adding to the platter later.}
The metal black and gold champagne cooler holds a bottle on ice, with a black checked napkin to tie around the neck because I’ll be serving mimosas later!
Flowers are such a delight, especially in the spring! I hope you have enjoyed this flower therapy Monday – thank you so much for joining me today. It’s always a delight to have you visit, please leave a comment so I know you’ve been here!
For your own Pitcher Perfect Lilacs & Roses, follow these tips:
TIPS FOR KEEPING CUT LILACS FRESH LONGER
GATHER:
To help the lilac blooms last as long as possible, take a bucket filled with fresh cool water into the garden with you when you cut the blooms. Pick your lilacs either early in the morning or in the cool of the evening. Choose stems that have 3/4 of the flowers open. Remove all the leaves of each stem so the flowers get 100% of the hydrating. Place each stem in the water as you pick it. Leave the lilacs in the bucket in a cool, dark place so they can drink in the water for at least one hour.
CUT:
Using clippers or a knife, recut the stem ends, then slice vertically up the middle of the stem 1-2 inches. Peel a little of one half upwards, and place the stems back into the bucket of water. It’s really best if you allow your lilacs to take up more water in that same cool dark place for another 1-2 hrs. Then arrange them and enjoy! They should last for 3-4 days.
Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you subscribe to my blog so you can read all the latest news. {It’s the little box for your email on the top right of this page}
Please visit my bloom friends for more spring beauty:
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
and me, Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
I hope you are enjoying SPRING in all its beauty! What’s your favorite spring flower?
A BIENTOT
Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and above all uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com
Lidy, Your arrangement of roses and lilacs in your ironstone pitcher is stunning! I adore lilacs and know your arrangement must smell heavenly. I’m hoping to find a lilac for mild climates at the garden center to plant this spring that doesn’t need cold winters to set the blooms. Your new island is SO handsome and versatile for seating and working in the kitchen. I can see why you are so pleased with it’s beauty and functionality! Your styling is always impeccable…I adore your champagne bucket, favorite bee napkins, transferware dishes and sink full of flowers. 🙂 As always it’s a treat to share blooms with you, especially so on a rainy morning like today. Happy Monday <3
Hope your Monday was gorgeous Mary! Sorry for the late reply, our little people were still here yesterday and we had a wonderful day at the beach. {sorry!} It’s always a blessing to join you for our beloved flower therapy.
My first time of viewing your blog, thru Home is where the boat is. I would like to receive your weekly/monthly blog.
So nice to welcome you Jan! I have signed you up for the blog, and I hope you will love it. xo
Lidy, your new island is beautiful and so perfect in your lovely kitchen. It will be enjoyed by you and your family immensely. How wonderful to find lilacs at the flower market, I can imagine the heavenly scent wafting through your great room. We can’t grow lilacs in our climate…sigh! The antique pitcher of roses, lilacs, and hard-working alstroemeria look stunning with a sink full of blooms in the background. The flow black dishes are so pretty along with the champagne bucket.
It is always a treat to share Monday Morning Blooms and flower therapy with you! ??
Pam, we can’t grow lilacs really well either. Some people can, I guess not in our small “zone” by the ocean. They are absolutely heavenly though, aren’t they? Always a blessing to have you visit, dear friend.
Love your black and white pitcher and dishware. They certainly make those beautiful flowers “pop”. A lovely presentation.
And, as usual, you’ve given me ideas. I’m getting out my deep blue Mexican glass pitcher and we’ll just see what flowers I can find at Trader Joe’s!
Oh great, I bet your flowers in the Mexican glass pitcher look amazing! I love that glass, it’s so pretty!
Lidy, lilacs are the epitome of spring blooms in my book! I have at least four neighbors with the standard, mature lilac bushes bursting in bloom right now and the fragrance is so wonderful. It’s another reminder of my mom too, in that purple was her signature color, and she was from Rochester, NY where the lilac is celebrated with its own festival. I have a reblooming variety, but the standards are best. Your new table design with quartz top and accompanying stools is FABULOUS! The black & white vintage/antique wares with the flowers and new table are magazine worthy!
Oh,how lucky you are! Hoping those neighbors S H A R E !! And now that you have your garden again, how wonderful that the lilacs will remind you of your Mom. I love that Rita. And thank you for the table love, it solves a problem in our smallish home. xo
Your flowers in the black and white pitchers are gorgeous.I love to put flowers in pitchers. Thanks for sharing .Your presentation is absolutely beautiful.
Thank you Della. Flowers make everything better and every home prettier, don’t you think? Wishing you a beautiful day!
Just love your arrangement in your beautiful kitchen on that custom table! The ironstone pitcher with the black ice bucket and the addition of soft delicate flowers is so classy and lovely! I love the topiaries in the background too! Are they real and if so what plant are they? Much appreciation for your posts Lidy!
Thanks, Linda. The topiaries are faux. I love having lemon cypress topiaries there, but they are so persnickety, they sometimes have the habit of suddenly dying overnight if they are indoors. So now I have faux inside, and the real ones just outside that window on a shelf.
Oh I am faint this is so pretty, the ironstone pitcher and those lilacs, swoon! Love love your new island, I am sure you are already wondering how you existed without it! Perfect for informal gatherings. I hope you had a lovely Easter and thank you for all the beautiful arrangements and tips you share~
Oh thank you Jenna, you’re right, we are wondering that. I hope you had a beautiful Easter too, dear Jenna!
Lidy…be still my heart, lilacs and roses! How very elegant they look in your beautiful black and white pitcher and all the coordinating plates, napkins and pretties!….So happy that you have a wonderful island in the kitchen to seat your family and of course your “Little People” around. And..such a wonderful area to stage your flowers and treasured pieces…Your carpenter did an amazing job. Love the chairs too! May you create many beautiful memories at this table/island!!
Happy to be sharing blooms with you today Lidy!!…Have a great time with the family!
Thank you so much Shirley. The island/table has already gotten plenty of use this Easter weekend! Always a treat to share our special blooms days with you. xo
Lidy, Your arrangement is so lovely. I know it is deliciously fragrant! Lilacs make my heart sing! Their fragrance and sweetness are delightful in your gorgeous pitcher combined with roses and alstroemeria.
I love your new kitchen island/table. Your floral arrangement and antique flow black plates, and platter look beautiful along with your appetizing refreshments.
Sorry, I am late as I have been out of town for Easter.
Thank you so much Bonnie! Lilacs make my heart sing too. They are such an old-fashioned flower, aren’t they?
Thank you Lidy, I’ve planted three of lilacs at the beginning of spring and hope they’ll be okay! Since plating them it’s gotten so cold. What do you think?.
Hi Gloria, I’m not an expert, but I think they should be okay still. It would be a lot worse if it had gotten super hot right away. Wishing you good luck with your plants, I hope you will be able to enjoy them in your garden for years and years to come!
Oh, what a perfect table/counter, perfect for memory making
And fun decorating.
The ironstone pitcher with your perfect choice of
Roses and lilacs ( favorites) etc. couldn’t be prettier. I have wanted one forever but have so many pitchers and little storage left I haven’t bought one…Until now, I’m on the hunt, it will be perfect with my black and white transfer ware.
Thank you so much for an excuse, but we do have flowers on
the table most months.
Lovely post.
.
How beautiful this post is Lidy! It makes me so impatient for lilac time in my own garden.
The roses in this bouquet are such a lovely pink and paired with this
beautiful pitcher are truly a delight for the eyes!
….sending hugs
June
Oh my gosh. Your arrangement is outstanding, and the instructions as to cutting plus to keep in a cool dark room etc is much needed by me. We have a lilac bush that has finally decided to bloom this year. Thanks.
Lucky, lucky lucky!! So happy to hear that you have lilacs, I hope the tips help. They can be SO temperamental when cut!!
Oh my goodness – I missed a Monday Morning Blooms post! What?!? So I’m enjoying the 4/18 MMB as the 6/17 FNB (Friday Night Blooms)! 🙂 Lavender and roses – 2 of my favorites, and I almost missed it.
The arrangement is so beautifully perfect for your new island and I love the pitcher you chose to arrange them in. Black is my favorite color, so I especially love the black accents you chose!
Thank you for the tips you so generously shared with us! Have a wonderful weekend, Lidy!