Create Style: Lilac Centerpiece

A few years back I was sent to the Lilac Festival in Shelburne, Vermont for Country Gardens magazine at the Shelburne Museum.  I worked with photographer Jim Westphalen covering hundreds of Lilac varieties and shooting the grounds abundant with lilacs trees.

With masses of lilacs available to us, I created this table top centerpiece on our shoot.

You can make this: Old Vintage crates or wood boxes are fabulous containers for flowers, especially larger blooms, like lilacs. Fill the crate with large jars or plastic containers of water. Place a large hurricane in the center. Add the lilacs and anything else that is growing in the garden like Pansies, Tulips or flowering branches.


Cutting the lilacs: To get the most longevity from your cut lilacs: cut the bottom of the woody branch with a sharp knife slicing vertically for a few inches down the stem exposing the center of the branch that drinks the water.

Learn about The Shelburne Museum Lilac Festival: Shelburnemuseum.org