Syringaspp.
Flowering in the mid- to late leap garden with massive display of declamatory , sweet fragrant flowers , lilac are admired throughout the landscape painting and beloved as a cut flower as well .
The large , pyramid - like panicle are dazzling in mythic specter of magenta , mauve , empurpled , white , and yellow , broadcast their robust perfume in wide , mesmerizing swaths .
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Tough , authentic , and easy cultivated , these multistemmed deciduous shrub or modest Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree are orderly in growth habit and highly various in the landscape .
They ’re also long - endure and can grow for over 100 years .
With early , mid- , and late season selections , it ’s potential to plant for an extended time of year that lasts several weeks . And there are even reblooming smorgasbord that flower all summertime !
plebeian lilac ( Syringa vulgaris)are winter hardy , and typically necessitate a cold wintertime in USDA Zones 3 to 7 to countersink flower bud – but there are other species and several newer hybrids which can thrive in the affectionate climates of Zones 8 and 9 as well .
The sweet blooms are also highly attractive to authoritative pollinator like bees , butterflies , and hummingbirds , but deer leave mature plant alone .
If your garden needs some trouble - loose , fragrant flowering shrub , join us now for a look at how to acquire and worry for lilac .
Here ’s what ’s coming up :
What You’ll Learn
What Is a Lilac?
Syringais a genus of florescence shrubs in the olive family Oleaceae , with around 25 species and hundreds of cultivar .
The vernacular lilac , aka English or Gallic lilac , S. vulgaris , is a species aboriginal to the jumpy slopes and hills of the Balkan Peninsula in easterly Europe , while most other mintage are aboriginal to temperate neighborhood of southeast Asia .
Widely naturalise for its beautiful , perfumed prime in the spring garden , these deciduous shrubs or small trees generally reach fledged top of three to 20 feet , depending on the cultivar .
However , the Japanese tree diagram lilac ( S. reticulata ) , among the large metal money , can grow as marvellous as 40 base . you may scan all about it inour guide to growing and worry for Nipponese tree diagram lilac .
industrial plant colonise pronto and each year produce several subaltern shoots , or suckers , around the base which can eventually organize a pocket-sized brush if not selectively pruned out .
The large single or bivalent peak panicles bloom in wraith of magenta , mauve , purple , rosy - mauve , and ashen , and there are a few lemon yellow cultivars as well .
Lilacs flower in spring , and there are early , midseason , and late season natural selection as well as lately introduced reblooming varieties that flower intermittently throughout summer .
The dim-witted leaves are warmness - mold or oval in wraith of lighting to glaucous green .
Most cultivar ofS. vulgarisdo best in regions with cold winters .
A period of about 42 nerveless Clarence Day with temperatures below 50 ° F is required for bud bent , accord to “ Lilacs : Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden ” by Naomi Slade .
lilac : Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden
This book isavailable on Amazon .
But there are also several selections suited for sphere with mild winter , such asS.xoblata‘Betsy Ross,’S. patula‘Miss Kim , ’ and the cutleaf lilac , S. laciniata .
Other popular , ornamental selections for the abode gardener include varieties such as Chinese ( S. ×chinensis ) , shadow Korean ( S. meyeri ) , other hybrid ( S. xhyacinthiflora ) , Persian ( S.×persica ) , and Preston lilacs ( S.xprestoniae ) .
Cultivation and History
The genus nameSyringacomes from a Grecian word for tubing or pipe , syrinx , call back to reference their sententious but easy hollowed stalk .
accord to Grecian myth , the river nymph Syrinx get away the attention of the lustful satyr Pan by wrick herself into a bush of empty reeds ( lilac ) , from which he made his first readiness of panpipes .
The word lilac fare to us from an old French variation of the Persianlilakornylac , intend blasphemous or bluish .
By the 15th century , lilacs had spread out west along craft road through Europe and came to North America with the other colonist . Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were known to grow them in their garden .
Lilac Bush Propagation
The easiest agency to propagate lilacs are to transplant suckers from a parent works , or to root stem cuttings .
The season before transplant , check that the sucker ’ leaf are the same as those on the parent works .
If they ’re not , the parent scion is grafted to rootstock of another motley , and propagated suckers will not be dead on target to the parent .
This is sometimes dependable of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree form plants , and it was once common to graft lilac with privet rootstalk .
you could also circularise lilac by sow in seed or melodic phrase layering .
From Suckers
Transplant suckers in late wintertime or early spring when the plants are still dormant .
Choose good for you , strong suckers at least one year old , with their own roots , and develop a minimum of 24 inch forth from the parent bush .
The further away they are , the less hazard there is of damage the parent when you turn over .
make a planting kettle of fish eight inches deep with a 16- to 24 - inch diam .
Amend the grease with a mates shovelfuls of organic matter such as compost and mix well . agitate in a bit of os meal to aid with sound root ontogenesis .
To nobble suckers , employ a fair , sharp nigga and push directly down about eight to 10 inch out from the stem .
Circle the prow with several swing , severing the stolon ( or contrabandist ) where it attach to the parent plant life as you go .
slip the jigaboo under the radical glob and pry softly to plagiarise it out .
Set your chump inside the inclined hole , carefully disperse the theme on the bottom and setting the crown at the same profundity as in its original location .
Backfill with soil and business firm in place . Water gently but deeply .
From Softwood Cuttings
cutting are a routine less reliable , but propagate new plants with these is still doable . Plan to skip a few more than you ’ll need to better your chances of success .
It ’s best to take cuttings in early summertime after flowering , and you should avoid using old wood for propagation . Instead , choose new growth that has ripen for at least a month , flexible stanch that are about as thick as a pencil .
Take cuttings in the morning when temperature are cooler and flora are well - hydrated .
Use clean , acuate garden shears to cut four- to six - inch stems just below a folio client .
dispatch the bottom leaves but result the top cluster in place . To help with rooting , douse the stripped part of the stem in root hormone pulverisation . Shake gently to transfer the excess .
Fill a six - column inch muckle with a starter soil mix and water until it ’s moist but not wet .
Insert two or three bow per pot , hide all knob where leaves have been removed , space them equally and firming them in place .
Place in a warm , bright fix out of direct sun , such as on top of a heat mat near a window . hatch with a perforated absolved formative bag to continue humidness . Keep the dirt moist but not wet .
Cuttings should root in four to eight hebdomad , which is indicate with the appearance of new growth .
Once rooted , move pots alfresco to a protected location with shining , indirect light and let the top inch of grime to dry out between lachrymation .
Provide frozen stem cutting with protection against freeze temperatures for their first winter , then plant out the next spring .
From Seed
The most time - consuming method , it will be quite a while before you see blooms on lilacs started from seed . But this can be a fun way for zealous growers to develop their own unique salmagundi .
at once after accumulation from ripe plants , seed the saucy seed into small containers with drain pickle , fill with semen - starting admixture . Cover gently , and urine well .
Containers can be aim outside in a protect area to cold stratify the seed . Keep the grease moist , and be on the lookout for seedlings to sprout in the spring .
Via Air Layering
Branches growing near the ground are everlasting for starting new plants – but again , this is not the best selection if you like to see speedy results , and rooting can take calendar month or even years .
Bend a sizable , pliable arm to the soil and trap it down with a rock , wire , or floral clip . stay on care for the matured industrial plant as you normally would , and roots will develop where the branch has made contact with the soil .
To speed this procedure , some agriculturist will wound the branch by scraping the outer bark where it will make contact with the soil , and then dip it in a small-grained rooting internal secretion . Loosening the dirt or slenderly bury branch that you like to root can also help to bucket along things up .
When unattackable roots acquire , clip off the arm , dig it up , and organ transplant .
How to Grow Lilac Flowers
Lilacs are well planted in the declension before block temperatures arrive , or in early fountain after the soil thaws .
They thrive in a full sunlight location in humus - racy , well - drain , somewhat alkaline grunge with a pH of 7.0 to 8.0 . They can tolerate a little shade but too much results in few blooms .
Prepare the planting site by dig out a hole the same deepness of the root formal and double as wide .
To enrich the dirt , mix in generous amounts of well - molder compost or aged manure . Add a small handful of os meal for healthy ascendent development .
Set the industrial plant in the gob with the crown positioned about an inch above the land transmission line . Backfill with enriched soil and house in place .
Most lilacs sold today are not grafted , and this is more vernacular with tree diagram forms . Some gardeners commend planting grafted specimen with the grafting point below the soil to further the scion of your selected cultivar to modernise roots .
Bare etymon specimen should be soaked in weewee for an hr before planting , spreading the roots out in the hole over a small mound of soil before backfilling .
Water deeply , providing one to two inches of water per week throughout the growing season for the first two years in the absence seizure of pelting . Mulch can be used around the root zone to continue wet .
From the third year onwards , water during bud exercise set and unfolding , and only when you go without rain for a calendar month or longer otherwise .
For container outgrowth , choose thickset or dwarf varieties . pick up more about fear and cultivation inour template to growing lilacs in flock and planters .
Growing Tips
Lilacs are in the main low - maintenance , but the following tips can help ensure hefty , floriferous growth :
Along with these acquire steer , a little annual maintenance can aid to keep them at their best .
Pruning and Maintenance
For their first two old age in the garden , fertilize lilac in other springiness with a 5 - 10 - 10 NPK formula .
After that , the bush mostly require only a two- to four - inchlayer of organic mulchapplied over the root geographical zone in former spring .
In fall , some gardener broadcastgarden limeover the root geographical zone . This helps to maintain a slightly alkaline pH and intensifies blossom colors .
Wood ashcan also be used to increase alkalinity . But be sure todo a ground testfirst – there ’s no need to supplement naturally alkaline soil .
To channelize more energy into bud formation for the following year , deadhead wither flowersas shortly as they start to droop and wilt . But do n’t wait too long or you ’ll be removing next year ’s nascent buds .
For annual maintenance , prune to size of it or flimsy shrubs as needed to meliorate airflow by cutting back branches mighty after flower , using fair , tart garden shears .
Cut back at a 45 - point angle , cutting just above an outbound facing folio bud .
Also , remove most sucker when you see them by cutting just below the dirt level .
As shrub mature , it ’s a in force musical theme to select and allow a few of the strong and healthiest soft touch to go forward growing – these will be used to replace old , underperforming stems when needed , and they will start to raise flowers in two to three years .
Select patsy that are further off from the parent plant if you could , to avoid ascendant kerfuffle when you transplant .
To regenerate shrubs that have become leggy or those with declining flower production , remove up to one - third of the lankiest stems by geld right to the ground in early saltation while they ’re still sleeping , selecting canes that are at least two inches in diam .
Repeat each leap for the next two years .
Lilac Species, Hybrids, and Cultivars to Select
With hundreds of selections uncommitted , you ’re trusted to receive the correct lilac – or several – for your garden !
Here ’s a sampling to get you started . And for more thought , be certain to understand our usher to23 of the best lilac varieties .
Baby Kim
Compact , floriferous , and extremely fragrant , ‘ Baby Kim ’ ( aka ‘ SMNSDTP , ’ which is much more hard to pronounce ) features beautiful , perfumed panicle of mauve bloom that retain their color without fading .
bloom in late bound to former summer , ‘ Baby Kim ’ has healthy emergence and is self - cleaning – which means it does n’t need deadheading .
The midget plant reach a mature stature of two to three foot with a like spread .
‘ Baby Kim ’
Low maintenance with a trim shape , this hybrid cultivar lay down an salient choice for containers , groundwork , miserable hedging , terrace planters , and lining entryways or walkways .
These shrub are hardy in Zones 3 to 8 , and are among the beneficial for regions with mild winter .
Plants in quart- and congius - sizing nursery container areavailable at Home Depot .
Common Lilac
A garden classic , common lilac ( S. vulgaris ) delights with masses of large and highly fragrant mauve flowers in the late fountain garden .
The lush , attractive foliage turns yellow in fall for a second season of interest and plants get through a peak of 10 to 15 feet with a spread of six to 10 feet .
A gorgeous choice where the fragrance can be enjoy in a hedgerow , privateness screen , or as a stand - alone specimen in butterfly , bungalow , and cutting garden , these plants are hardy in Zones 3 to 7 .
This species isavailable at Fast Growing Treesin several sizing .
Josee
Superbly fragrant with lavender - pinkish prime , ‘ Josee ’ is a sensory midget shrub with a heavy load of rosy-cheeked - mauve flowers in belated leaping . It reblooms intermittently until first freeze .
The compact loan-blend plants are low criminal maintenance and reach a mature height and spread of four to six feet .
They also have fantabulous heat tolerance , and they ’re well - suited for quick winter climate .
‘ Josee ’
A brilliant choice for barrier , container , foundation garment , and low hedges , or in metropolis and court gardens .
This cultivar feature moderate tolerance for pollution and the plants are hardy in Zones 3 to 9 .
‘ Josee ’ isavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
New Age White
A dwarf cultivar of the common lilac , ‘ New Age White ’ ( S. vulgaris‘G13103 ’ ) is part of the Bloomables ® collecting from Star Rose and Plants that impart mickle of thoroughgoing white , fragrant flowers to the late spring garden .
The heavyset plant life are freely branch , disease tolerant , and grow to a height and breadth of four to five foot . They ’re dauntless in Zones 4 to 8 .
‘ New Age White ’
idealistic for minor space , ‘ New Age White ’ is perfect for containers , fundament , low hedges , patio plantation owner , and arrangement in metropolis or courtyard garden .
This cultivar is also a proficient selection for regions with mild winters .
chance plantsat Nature Hills Nursery .
Purple Glory
True to its name , ‘ Purple Glory ’ is rumbustious , prolific , and telling with big strobilus of dark , magenta - royal buds that open to fantastically fragrant , gentle - mauve blossom .
These early-floweringS.xhyacinthiflorashrubs are in full flower two to three weeks before the commonS. vulgarisvarieties start to flower .
Plants maintain a small size of it , with a mature height of six to eight ft and spread of five to six feet , and the deep green leaf turn handsome shades of burgundy in evenfall .
‘ Purple Glory ’
Hardy in zone 3 to 8 , they make a superb hedge , privacy screen , or specimen , and provide fantabulous track blossom as well .
Plants areavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
Managing Pests and Disease
Lilacs are known for being trouble - free , but a few pest or pathogens may from time to time issue forth to call .
rabbit , mouse , and voles may prize a nibble . Consider fencing if these pests are a common trouble in your garden .
Be on the lookout for foliage excavation moth , lilac borers , andthrips .
bantam graduated table insectsmay also attack lilacs , and these insects are often confused for cotton plant - like or waxy growths on branches , leaves , and stems .
If groups of scurf are bunch in a single localisation , prune and destroy the leg where they ’re located . Otherwise , spray with neem oil and repeat as needed until plant are problem - free .
These plant may occasionally suffer from blight or armillaria . But the most coarse disease number for lilac ispowdery mildew , which is get by fungous pathogens in gamey humidity .
The skilful bar method acting is to select resistant potpourri .
Improving air circulation is the best treatment for septic plant . Thin mature plant annually if powdery mold is a recurring problem in your area .
Learn more about diseases that may affect lilac .
Best Uses for Lilac Shrubs
Lilacs are outstanding as resist - alone specimens anywhere their color and fragrance can be relish .
plant life beside entry , in foot planting , around patios , and under window to enjoy their scent indoors as well .
Large shrub also make attractive hedges and privacy screens . And compendious or dwarf varieties are splendid for container and planter or in smaller city and courtyard garden .
They also make a sweetly scented cut heyday and are a staple in thin out gardens .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Perfumed Beauty
A longtime garden favorite , lilacs are beloved for their gorgeous , sweetly scent flowers .
down in the mouth maintenance and well-fixed to naturalize , they ’ll blossom for decades with little endeavour on the gardener ’s part .
And you wo n’t be able to resist bringing these heady blooms indoors for cut arrangements !
Remember to deadhead promptly after flowering for plenty of flowers next yr and encourage a few tidy shoot to get for cycling out the old with healthy newfangled stem .
Andfor more information on florescence shrubs , add these template to your reading list next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more point . in the beginning published May 24 , 2017 . Last update May 3 , 2023 . Product photos via Fast Growing Trees , Gibbs Smith , Home Depot , and Nature Hills Nursery . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With additional authorship and editing by Allison Sidhu .
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Lorna Kring
