Making Cut Flowers Last (Southern Living Magazine 5-12)

Since hydrangeas are in full bloom I wanted to share a great tip I found in Southern Living Magazine on how to help keep their blooms fresh longer after cutting them.

"Plunge the stems of cut hydrangeas in cool water immediately after cutting.  Pour about 1 inch of boiling water into a container, and let it cool for a minute or two.  Cut the stems to the lengths you want for your arrangement.  Hold the bottom 1 inch of the stems in the hot water for about 30 second.  Then transfer the stems to cool water."

I wonder if this would work for lilacs, too, since they also have woody stems?