Before our last freeze warning I went outside and rescued my lisianthus ‘Mariachi Blue’ flower from death-by-frost.
I had read recently that lisianthus make excellent cut flowers, and I can say with certainty that it’s no exaggeration.
When I cut my flower it had already been blooming in the garden for more than a week. I plunked the stem with its lateral shoots in a vase of water. Ten days later the original flower is still going strong and the buds on the side shoots have opened or are starting to open.
The second flower bloomed in a stunning shade of lilac. It looks like the remaining two flowers will be cream-colored.
I hope I can find lisianthus at the garden center again next year. I want to buy plants in several different colors and use them as cut flowers throughout the summer. I’ve never seen anything last this long in a vase before.