Lilac: planting and care in the open field, popular varieties and applications

In spring, lilac bushes become one of the most beautiful plants. Their lush, cluster-like inflorescences exude a delicate bitter aroma throughout the area. Many summer residents admire lilacs, and planting and caring for them in the open field is not difficult. The plant is completely non-capricious, resistant to negative factors, therefore it is suitable for those gardeners who rarely come to home gardens.

Description of the plant

Lilac belongs to the Maslinov family. It includes more than 30 shrub species, the natural range of which covers almost the entire Eurasia.The most common species is the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris). It is she who is most often found in green areas of cities, parks. Under natural conditions, the shrub range covers the Balkan and Carpathian territories, the mouth of the Danube.

In nature, lilac prefers to grow on drained soils, chooses river valleys, mountainous areas for growth. Under acceptable conditions, the plant is able to live up to 80-100 years, but the usual lifespan of a shrub is 20-50 years. In cultural cultivation, lilac is considered one of the most unpretentious shrubs. The plant is resistant to frost, practically does not need care, blooms every season and profusely, is highly decorative. Therefore, in popularity, lilac is not inferior to jasmine.

Biological characteristics

Lilac is a dicotyledonous flowering plant belonging to the clasic flowers. This is a large shrub with several trunks, reaching a height of 2-4 m, in some varieties up to 8 m. The plant is deciduous, due to the climatic conditions of the habitat.

How resistant a plant is to negative temperatures depends on the variety. Some varieties of lilac can withstand up to -15°C, others are more frost-resistant, survive at -30°C.

Lilac blooms from April to July. The aromatic properties of lilac flowers are due to the content of essential oils. And the bark of the plant contains syringin, a glucoside promising for medical use, which has an immunostimulating and anti-inflammatory effect. Lilac bark and leaves are toxic if ingested.

Lilac is propagated by seeds and offspring from surface roots. Such a feature of reproduction, in certain cases, puts lilacs in the category of weeds, since the offspring of the shrub are able to fill a large area in a short time. Therefore, in cultural cultivation, it is so important to control the growth of the bush.

Crown features

Lilac - a sprawling, tall shrub. While the plant is young, the trunks are directed almost vertically. As the shrub matures, the outer trunks bend, the crown acquires a spherical or conical shape, or even breaks up, becomes shapeless. The crown is not characterized by density, the shrub looks light, graceful. Separate hybrid varieties of lilacs have "weeping" outlines, their shoots bend down.

Lilac trunks, despite their elegant appearance, are quite thick. The old trunks of the shrub reach 20 cm in diameter, their bark is rough, grayish-brown, covered with many small cracks. Lentils are clearly visible on the bark. On young shoots, the bark is thin, even, grayish green or yellowish green.

One or two buds can be seen at the end of the shoot. They are large, with a sharp end and 4 faces, olive, reddish-green or brick-brown in color, 8-12 mm long. The appearance of the lateral kidneys is almost the same, only the size is slightly smaller.The location of the scales on the kidneys is cruciform. Flower buds form on last year's bush shoots.

Leaves

Lilac is one of the earliest spring shrubs. Leaf buds open as soon as the snow melts. And leaf fall begins in late autumn. The last leaves from the lilac fall almost before the arrival of frost.

Leaf plates reach a length of 10-12 cm, painted in light green or deep green. They are usually entire, in some varieties of lilacs, pinnate separate. The shape of the foliage is also determined by the variety: it can be oval with a rounded or sharp tip, ovoid. The arrangement of foliage is cross-paired, two leaves are formed at each node.

What flowers look like

The color of flowers is very different: most often light purple, also white, dark purple, lilac, pink, dark pink, blue, purple, burgundy. Some rare varieties have 2-color petals.

The flowers are connected in paniculate loose inflorescences, which reach a length of 20 cm. The lilac flower consists of a shortened 4-petal bell-shaped calyx, 2 stamens, a long tubular corolla. The fruits of the shrub are 2-winged boxes, inside which lionfish seeds ripen.

Popular varieties

There are several genera of cultivated lilac, which, in turn, have over 2000 varieties, including hybrid ones. Breeders managed to bring out a variety of varieties not only in appearance, but also in terms of resistance to weather factors and diseases. Small-leaved varieties have been bred, with long, late or repeated flowering, terry, dwarf for pot growing, with intense aroma. But, no matter what varieties are bred, the culture is characterized by endurance, unpretentiousness.

Let's consider the most interesting and popular varieties of lilac.

Ordinary

This is the most common lilac genus, associated with ancient overgrown parks and gardens, spread around the world from the highlands of the Balkan Peninsula. These are large, sprawling shrubs, the average height of which is 5 m. The leaf plates are rich green, oval, their surface is smooth on both sides. The flowers are lilac, delicately scented, collected in a paniculate inflorescence 12-15 cm long. Flowering occurs in mid-April, continues through May and June.

Of the most notable varieties of common lilac, one should name Beauty of Moscow, Sensation, Capitaine B altet, Madame Lemoine.

Pros	Cons
a huge variety of varieties frost resistance -20-35°C abundant blooms hassle-free growing	typical, non-original appearance

Hungarian

This small-leaved species is naturally found on the Balkan Peninsula, in the eastern part of the Carpathian Mountains. As a cultivated plant, it has been grown since the middle of the 19th century.

The shrub is characterized by straight, branching, upward shoots. The height of the plant varies from 4 to 7 m. The leaves are small, rich green, have a beautiful shape of a wide ellipse, are 6-8 cm long. The surface of the leaf plates is glossy, in the lower part it has a bluish tint. Large leaf veins are covered with fluff. Purple flowers are tightly connected in narrow straight panicles 20 cm long. Hungarian lilac varieties bloom in June.

Pros	Cons
unpretentiousness urban pollution resistance decorative for single and group growing	slow growth not strong fragrance

Japanese (mesh)

This is a large plant that can stretch up to 15-25 m, also called Japanese crackling. Under natural conditions, it grows in the northern part of the Japanese islands. As an ornamental culture, this variety of lilac began to be grown in the second half of the 19th century. Flowering covers the end of June. The snow-white or cream inflorescences look like loose panicles formed from lateral buds, attracting bees.

Pros	Cons
honey, abundant nectar production can be molded into a tall shrub or small tree	short late blooming

Pinnate leaf

This is a rare variety of shrubs growing up to 3 m. Cirrus lilac varieties bloom from early April to late June. A decorative feature of the shrub is feathery foliage of rich green color. It contrasts beautifully with the light colored buds.

Pros	Cons
long flowering highly decorative	difficulty finding seedlings

Chinese

This hybrid lilac was bred by French breeders in the 18th century by crossing common and Persian varieties. The shrub is popular for its compact size, optimal for front gardens, small household plots. Most varieties have a small height - 1.5-2 m, although some stretch up to 5 m. Spreading shoots. In the first growing seasons, the seedling must be regularly watered and fertilized.

Chinese lilac leaf plates are smooth, about 10 cm long, ovoid with a sharp tip. The flowers are pinkish-purple, collected in wide, paniculate, loose inflorescences 10 cm long. Chinese varieties bloom from early April to late May.

Pros	Cons
double flowering of some varieties possibility of using low varieties to create hedges thick blooms intense fragrance	whimsical, demanding on soil fertility and fertilizing

Small-leaved

This is a compact shrub, not exceeding 1.5 m in height. The shoots are thin. Leaf plates are small, ellipsoid. The flowers are pink or deep pink.Flowering begins in May, continues abundantly until July, but individual inflorescences appear in small numbers until September.

A variety of shrubs for full growth and flowering needs fertile, moderately moist soil with a weak alkaline reaction. The place of cultivation should be sunny, protected from strong winds.

Pros	Cons
possibility of growing in a pot intense fragrance long-blooming, some varieties double-flowering	demanding to soil conditions and location winter cold sensitivity

Planting instructions

Lilac is an unusually hardy plant, resistant to adverse weather factors, survives in the summer heat and winter cold, feels great in the middle zone, the Urals, Siberia and other areas of the temperate climate zone.But the shrub acquires such resistance only after rooting, adaptation to growing conditions. And in order for the seedling to take root, take root, it must be planted correctly.

Lilac is not just cold hardy. If the winter is frosty, more lush flowering of the shrub can be expected in spring.

Lilac looks good in the garden and when planted alone, and in a group, and in the form of a hedge. Shaping by trimming the crown is an optional procedure. The sprawling, slightly messy crown of lilac looks picturesque in its natural form, without a haircut. And if you let the shrub grow in a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe territory, you can form a real shady grove. Some summer residents grow dwarf varieties of lilacs in outdoor pots on terraces.

Seat selection

Lilac prefers a sunny location. Although the plant is unpretentious, it may well grow fully in partial shade, but the shrub still blooms more magnificently in bright sun.In order for the lilac to please with abundant flowering, direct sunlight must fall on it for at least 6 hours a day.

Lilac is able to adapt to any soil conditions. But still, the shrub grows better and blooms more abundantly when the soil:

• moderately humid;
• fertile, rich in organics;
• limestone;
• drained, permeable.

The last requirement is the most important. Lilac can survive a short dryness of the soil, lack of nutrition. But excessive soil moisture, stagnant moisture, waterlogging for shrubs are detrimental. To saturate the soil with organic matter, you should use compost. Recommended soil acidity is 5-7 pH units.

Because of its spreading and propensity to grow, lilacs need enough space around. What radius to leave free around the seedling depends on its variety.But if we talk about ordinary lilac, then the distance between the shrub and neighboring large plants should be at least 2 m. At the same distance, seedlings should be planted in a row when creating a hedge.

Time selection

It is advisable to plant lilacs not in spring, but in late summer or early autumn. The optimal time for planting in open ground is from the second half of July to mid-September. It is not recommended to plant lilacs in spring or late autumn, because in this case the shrub will take root and adapt for a long time. It will practically not grow during the whole season.

To count on the quick survival of the plant, you should choose seedlings with developed, branched roots. The root system of the selected plant should be carefully examined for damaged, infected, shrunken roots. Anything that looks sick and injured should be cut off. He althy roots should be trimmed 10-30 cm depending on their length.

Open ground planting

Step-by-step instructions for planting a lilac seedling in open soil:

1. Determine the landing site. Dig a planting hole, its size should be twice as large as the root system of the seedling.
2. Pour a small amount of gravel, crushed stone into the hole. This will be the drainage layer.
3. Throw a clump of peat or compost the size of a shovel into the hole over the drain.
4. Insert the seedling into the hole so that the beginning of the root system is flush with the soil surface.
5. Fill the hole around the roots with prepared fertile soil. Slightly trample down.
6. Dig a shallow hole around the bushes for easy watering.

Planted young lilacs should be watered abundantly in the first few weeks so that they take root faster.In the future, in the summer months, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the lilac with pine bark. Mulch helps maintain soil moisture and prevents the development of weeds.

Planting in a pot

Dwarf lilac is suitable for growing in large pots, for example, Flowerfesta White, Dark Purple, Red Pixie, Bloomerang Purple varieties. Despite their compact size, these are still shrubs and trees, so the floor pot must be roomy. Its height must be at least 60 cm.

Instructions for planting pygmy lilacs in a pot:

1. Put a drainage layer of expanded clay or pebbles on the bottom.
2. Insert the lilac seedling into the pot so that the upper edge of the root system is flush with the intended soil surface.
3. Fill the roots of the plant with fertile soil, leaving 2-3 cm to the edge of the pot for easy watering. Lightly tamp the soil with your fingers.
4. Water the seedling generously for better rooting.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionFor growing potted lilacs on the terrace, you should choose a sunny place for the plant. If the plot is located in the southern region, a place where a light “lace” shadow falls will do. In the future, the lilac will have to be transplanted into a larger pot every 2 seasons. In the summer heat, the plant must be watered twice a week.

How to grow lilacs

Lilac practically does not need care, the shrub grows beautifully on its own, without losing its decorative effect, even if the gardener does not use any care measures. But still, in order for the lilac to be he althier and live longer, you should take care of it using the simplest care.

Water and fertilize

In summer, if the weather is dry and hot, the shrub should be watered as the surface soil layer dries. At a time, under a medium-sized plant, it is necessary to pour 2-3 large buckets of water. Watering is recommended to continue in early autumn if the weather remains dry.

During the growing season, you need to loosen the soil surface around the shrub 3-4 times to a depth of about 5 cm, simultaneously removing weeds.

The first 2 seasons after planting, only nitrogen fertilizer is used to feed lilacs in a smaller amount than indicated in the instructions. From the third season, 70 g of ammonium nitrate or 50 g of urea should be applied annually under the plant, as well as organic top dressing. From organic matter, mullein is preferable, it is dissolved in water in a ratio of 1:5. Under one plant, depending on its size, 10-30 liters are poured. It is necessary to pour not under the very trunk of the lilac, but stepping back from it by 50-60 cm.

Once every 2-3 seasons, lilacs are supposed to be fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer. For one plant, 30-40 g of superphosphate or about 30 g of potassium nitrate are used. Granular fertilizer is dug into the soil around the shrub to a depth of 5-8 cm, then the plant is watered abundantly.

Removing growth

Root shoots should be removed in the spring, before sap flow and swelling of the kidneys begin. The procedure is carried out every season, it not only gives the shrub a neat look, does not allow it to grow, but also prevents the depletion of the mother bush.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionTo remove the growth, it is removed from the soil along with the superficial root from which it climbs. Then cut as close to the base as possible. It is recommended not to cut off all the shoots, but to leave a few of the most viable processes.New trunks will grow from them, thus the shrub will rejuvenate.

In addition to the shoots, it is recommended to cut off the inflorescences as soon as they fade, preventing the formation of seed boxes. This measure will stimulate budding next season. And it also prevents the bush from wasting energy on the formation of seed material.

Cutting

During 2 seasons, young lilacs should not be cut, because during this period its main trunks are formed. Formative pruning should be started at 3 years old, carried out for 2-3 seasons. The procedure is supposed to be carried out in early spring, before the sap flow begins.

To form a beautiful bush, you should choose 5-6 of the prettiest shoots spaced approximately the same distance from each other. Everything else will have to be removed. Next season, half of the flowering shoots of lilacs will be cut off. One main trunk should have a maximum of 8 viable buds, the rest of the shoot must be removed so that the plant is not overloaded during the flowering period.

Simultaneously with the forming, sanitary pruning of lilacs is carried out. It is necessary to cut off damaged, shrunken, frozen, infected shoots and those that are ugly directed.

Shrub is easy to turn into a tree. To do this, you need to choose the largest and strongest trunk, directed vertically. It must be shortened to standard height. Further, 5-7 skeletal branches are formed from the growing shoots. Around the trunk will have to constantly remove the shoots. When the standard formation of lilacs is over, it will remain to thin out the crown annually.

Pest Control

Lilac is resistant to pests and infection, even without the preventive use of insecticides and fungicides, it practically does not get sick. Although the shrub is not 100% immune from damage, you should therefore know how to deal with the main pests and lilac diseases.

Infectious diseases characteristic of lilacs:

1. Bacterial necrosis. Becomes noticeable at the end of summer. Lilac foliage turns gray, and young branches, which should be olive green, darken, turn brown. To prevent necrosis, it is necessary to thin out the crown every season so that the inner parts of the shrub are better ventilated. If the disease has already affected the lilac, it will spread quickly. In the end, the bush will have to be cut, burned along with uprooted roots.
2. Bacterial rot. The infection captures all parts of the plant, including buds and buds. The affected parts of the shrub dry out, deform, after a while the dead leaves fall off. At the first signs of damage, it is necessary to treat the lilac with copper oxychloride. Repeat the fungicidal treatment 2-3 times with an interval of 10 days.
3. Powdery mildew. Signs of a fungal infection are a soft gray or whitish coating, gradually turning brown and thickening.The affected parts of the bush will have to be cut off, burned. The remaining parts of the plant must be sprayed with a fungicide. In the next season, at the beginning of spring, it is recommended to add bleach to the soil in the amount of 100 g / m2 when digging^{2, without affecting the surface roots.}
4. Verticillosis. In this fungal infection, the foliage curls, red or brown spots appear on it. The crown becomes bare in a short time, and the leaves begin to fall from the top of the plant. Contact fungicides are used to treat lilacs. From folk remedies, you can use for spraying a solution of 100 g of sodium carbonate and the same amount of laundry soap, taken in 15 liters of water.

Common lilac pests:

1. Khrushch. Attacks lilacs on warm days in May, when the shrub is in bloom. The beetles are large, they are clearly visible on the greenery of the bushes, so they are easy to collect by hand.
2. Lilac hawk. Big night butterfly. Its large caterpillars, reaching a length of 10 cm, having a characteristic horn-shaped outgrowth at the end of the body, devour the foliage of many ornamental and berry bushes. Phthalophos insecticide is recommended to kill the caterpillar.
3. Lilac moth. The small butterfly breeds twice a season. Its small caterpillars are so voracious that they leave only streaks of lilac leaves, and devour the buds and buds cleanly. The most toxic insecticides for the pest are Fozalon and Karbofos.
4. Leaf mite. Microscopic insects suck out plant juices, and multiply so actively that they destroy a large shrub in half a month. As soon as the leaves begin to turn brown and dry, spray the lilacs with copper sulfate. Prevention of plant damage by a tick - thinning the crown, potassium-phosphorus top dressing, autumn burning of fallen leaves.
5. Kidney tick. Feeds on kidney juices. Symptoms of damage are deformation of the kidneys, from which small and improperly developed leaves then grow.Young shoots look weak, budding is practically absent. The medicine for the plant is copper sulfate. For prevention, fallen leaves should be removed in a timely manner.
6. Mining moth. Symptoms of damage to a shrub by a pest are brown spots on the leaves, which gradually curl. The affected plant does not bloom, dies in a season or two. For the destruction of moths, Bordeaux solution, the drug "Fitosporin" is used. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to rake and burn fallen leaves in a timely manner, and in the spring to dig up the soil around the shrub.

How to propagate a plant

The lilac reproduces by seed in the wild. Also, this method is used by breeders who develop new varieties, and nursery owners who sell seedlings. Summer residents, on the other hand, propagate lilacs by vegetative methods: cuttings, layering and grafting. Such methods are easier. And also shrubs obtained by cuttings or layering are more hardy, wake up faster after winter, live longer.

Layers

For propagation of lilac, a young shoot is used, which has just begun to woody. Then proceed as follows:

1. Drag the selected shoot with copper wire in 2 places: at the soil surface and at a distance of about 80 cm. Try not to damage the bark.
2. Lay the shoot in a previously dug furrow 2 cm deep. Fix it with pins, lightly sprinkle with soil.
3. Wait until stalks 15-18 cm high grow on the layer. Sprinkle fertile soil, filling the shoots half their length.
4. During the growing season, water, weed the shoots. Add fertile soil if necessary.
5. In autumn, before frost, cut off the layers in places tied with wire.
6. Cut the layer so that each part has a process with roots.
7. Plant young plants outdoors. Be sure to insulate for the winter.

Shanks

To propagate lilacs by cuttings, you can take young green cuttings, or you can partially lignified. The first should be cut in late June or early July, when the lilacs have faded. The second - at the end of August or September. The secateurs must first be disinfected.

Instructions for propagating lilacs with cuttings:

1. Cut off the selected cuttings. Leave a side branch of about 15 cm on each of them.
2. Cut off leaves to reduce water consumption when rooting. Leave only 4 leaves on top.
3. Dip the bottom of the cutting into any root growth stimulator.
4. Make a substrate out of garden soil and sand. Fill a large container with it.
5. Having made an indentation with your finger or a stick, insert the cutting into it so that it is half its length deepened.
6. Water cuttings generously. Close the container with polyethylene.
7. Place the container in a shady place outdoors. Lift up the plastic sheet to ventilate for 10-15 minutes daily.
8. In late autumn, plant rooted cuttings in pots with fertile soil. For the winter, move young plants to a cool room.
9. With the onset of spring, dig pots into the ground in your garden. Let young plants develop like this for 2-3 seasons. Then plant shrubs in permanent places.

Scions

Propagation of a plant by root offspring does not require any effort from the gardener. The lilac sprouts itself. You just need to choose a strong and viable shoot, wait for 5 seasons until it grows up, then dig it out in late autumn, separating it from the mother root with the tip of a shovel, immediately transfer it to the chosen place, water it abundantly.

Application

Lilac is a honey plant. Although the bees are not very willing to fly at him. The fact is that the corolla has a long tubular shape, and it is difficult for bees to penetrate it with their proboscis. Although a lot of nectar is formed in the flower. The bees are satisfied with only pollen and a small amount of nectar from the shallow parts of the corolla.

Lilac wood is valued in the manufacture of furniture. It is hard, straight-grained, hard to split, well polished. On the cut of the trunk, the wood is reddish in the marginal part, light in the core, has a red-brown core with dark veins. The density of lilac wood is 0.9-1% g/cm^{3 at a moisture content of 12-15%.}

Lilac flowers are used in pharmaceuticals for the production of diaphoretics, anesthetics, malaria medicines. The leaves become the raw material for anti-tuberculosis formulations. Flower infusion is effective for whooping cough.Lilac leaf gruel is applied to wounds and abscesses to speed up healing and draw out pus.

But the main purpose of lilac is to use in landscape design, growing as an ornamental plant. Shrubs can be planted on slopes subject to erosion, then the lilac will perform not only a decorative, but also a soil-protective function.

In landscape design, lilacs are planted:

• in front of the groves, in front of taller trees and bushes;
• in the form of different sort groups;
• a separate shrub in the middle of the lawn;
• in a row behind the curb;
• behind a flower bed as a background plant;
• in the form of a hedge.

A popular landscape design option is the combination of lilacs with other ornamental shrubs that bloom at other times. So the shrub composition will look beautiful throughout the growing season: one plant fades, the other blooms.Forsythia, Japanese quince, rhododendron, aflatunia elmifolia, spirea, red root, crimson can be a good choice to combine with lilac.

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