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Lilac
Lilac is one of the most popular shrubs in Irish gardens. A part from Roses there are few flowers as beautiful and fragrant as the Lilac shrub. It’s scent can travel quite a distance and draw you to its full blooms. The only down side of this plant is that the blooms only last for a few weeks each year. If you find that this would be too brief a period for you try to extend their presents by planting different varieties to cover from early to mid season, this could give you up to six weeks of lovely scent and blooms ( if you are lucky with the weather).
Lilac is happy to grow in all soils and can easily grow up to 12 ft tall. Shrub do not usually flower until the plant is at least three years old so this should be bared in mind when you are purchasing them. Even though these plant will grow in any soil type they still need to be fed or you might find yourself waiting for those lovely blooms and find nothing but leaves and branches. Feed them with plant food or mulch at least once a year and remove both dead blooms and sucker.
The Lilac is a hardy plant and not really bothered by insects or though there might be an occasional problem with aphids or borers so this should be treated with insecticide soap or mild insecticide.
The biggest pest are the moles and mice, in bad weather they can chew at the bark near ground level and sometimes this kills the plant.
Lilac are susceptible to a few diseases, the most common being powdery mildew. It is important to treat any out break as soon as it is noticed. A general all purpose fungicide will treat the plant if it is caught in the early stage of infection but if it is a major out break it is best to cut off branches that are affected and burn them to prevent the disease being passed on. Do not under any circumstances put the branches a compost heap.
Lilac can be eaten and in May the newly opened blooms can be added to cookies, cakes and cream cheese dishes.
There are over one thousand varieties Lilac that can be purchased Their colours are vast from ranges of almost red down to pink and white and its name sake Lilac to blue with mild and strong purples in between
You can grow the shrub for yourself from seed for which you have to collect dead flower heads, but this will take at least three years or even upto five years before you have the pleasure of blooms.
Lilac is so loved over the world that in May there are many Lilac Festival’s to celebrate it’s beauty.
Landscape & Gardening
Popular Plants , Aspect of a Garden , Types Of Garden , Garden Tips
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