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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2007 - 10:15:57 AM |
Having a beautiful purple lilac in my family’s home garden while I was growing up gave me a special fondness and appreciation for this spectacular flowering shrub. The arrival of the fragrant and colorful flower buds always meant that spring was on the way and the joys of summer were not far behind. The lilac that we planted when I was a kid running around the garden is still going strong, some 30 years later! Now I hope my own kids can enjoy this wonderful plant when they visit their grandparents. In fact, lilacs can actually live for centuries, making this plant a great investment!
Lilacs require a bit of patience to get established, but are well worth the effort and the wait. They typically flower their second year after being transplanted from the nursery. Lilacs vary widely in color and size and they will give you a broad palette to work with in your garden. In your local nursery you can find lilacs that will provide pink, purple, white, yellow, sky blue, red, and bicolored flowers. Lilacs can reach between four and fifteen feet in height.
You should plant your lilac in full sun and in well-draining soil. Planting in the fall is recommended if you’ve purchased a fairly mature plant from a nursery. Transplanting in early spring also works, but your lilac will doubtfully produce blooms that same year.
When transplanting, it’s always a good idea to mix in a good dose of organic compost to the soil before you backfill. If you need info on composting, we recommend this excellent site: Guide to Composting. You’ll also need to pay close attention to the soil pH to grow a healthy and strong lilac. A slightly alkaline soil with a pH of 6 to 7 is appropriate for growing lilacs. You should call up your local agricultural extension service if you need help with soil-testing or altering soil pH. Mulch with a good quality bark mulch to help with weeds and retain soil moisture.
To preserve a healthy lilac, you’ll need to put in a little effort in maintenance and pruning. After the flowers are spent, make sure to cut off the old blossoms and prune back the branches to keep your lilac from setting seed. This way, your plant will have more energy to produce blooms the following year. Frequent pruning is necessary also to maintain the plant’s shape. Cut off a third of the most mature stems to the ground. New stems will sprout and the plant will generally be healthier. Most sources recommend this type of pruning for a period of three years to achieve a full renewal of the plant.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, you should be on the lookout for some common pests that could affect the health of your lilac. The oyster-shell scale, the lilac borer, and powdery mildew fungus are all common problems, but if you catch them and treat them in time, you should have no troubles. This article about lilacs from Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum gives some great advice on how to deal with these problems.
As lilacs have a short blooming time, it’s good to have other shrubs or plants nearby in your garden that will follow the lilac with more beautiful blooms. This site on organic flower gardening has great tips on planning your flower garden and what kind of plants to use for some spectacular effects. Enjoy gardening with your lilac and enjoy creating wonderful memories!
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