Imagine breathing in the deep and mysterious scent of lilac emanating from your garden on a warm summer evening. It is not difficult to grow lilacs if you give them plenty of water and plant them in full sun. There are over 100 different species, bushes or trees that produce fragrant flowers. Read on to learn how to grow and care for lilacs.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Plant the lilac
Step 1. Choose to plant lilac shrubs
Visit a greenhouse to choose the variety you prefer. In addition to color, pay attention to the height of the plant in full bloom. Palibin and Superba lilacs grow in shrubs up to 150-160 centimeters tall. Others, such as Syringa reticulata, grow into trees of 6-9 meters.
- In the local greenhouse or through mail order, you can purchase plants with bare roots or placed in containers. Lilac sellers should be able to recommend the varieties that grow best in your area.
- You can also transplant saplings, in the form of runners taken from a friend or neighbor's lilac bush. Make a hole and transfer the seedling to the earth, preferably in the spring, when the leaf buds are starting to form or when the leaflets are still small. Choose small plants that are at least 30 cm tall. Use a spade to extract the sapling from the ground with as much base root as you can. Cut the stolons with a shovel to separate the seedling from the mother plant.
Step 2. Choose a place to plant the lilac
This plant requires full sun, so you need to find a place that receives at least six hours of sunshine every day and where there is good air circulation. Lilacs that grow in stagnant air or without enough sun are doomed to die. They also need well-drained soil. If this is a problem, create a raised bed for the plant before burying it.
Avoid planting lilacs too close to the wall or trees. Their roots need space to expand
Step 3. Prepare the lilacs for transplanting
Soak the roots in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Soften the root ball with your fingers to gently separate them.
Step 4. Plant the lilac in spring or fall
Dig a hole deep enough in the soil to bury the roots. The base of the plant should reach ground level. After placing the lilac in the hole, fill it halfway with soil, then wet it, before filling the rest. Bring the ground to ground level even with the natural flare at the bottom of the base. Covering the base beyond this point could choke the roots and kill the plant.
- If the soil isn't very rich where you live, add some compost, bone meal, or fertilizer before you plant your lilac.
- Sprinkle lime over the lilac roots if you have acidic soil. Follow the manufacturer's directions and apply every three to five years. Lilac prefers a pH between 5 and 7, acid-neutral.
- If you are planting more than one lilac bush, spread them 150-180 centimeters apart, depending on the variety.
Method 2 of 3: Caring for the lilac
Step 1. Keep your lilacs wet
Bathe them several times a week during the summer, except during the period of heavy rain. Wet deep from the base of the plant and allow the soil to dry out before watering them again.
Step 2. Give them fertilizer in the spring
Use compost or a well-balanced fertilizer every spring. Depending on the condition of your soil, you may be able to fertilize again when the flowers begin to open.
Step 3. Prune the lilac regularly to increase flowering and air circulation
Eliminate some of the oldest and largest branches, especially if close to the ground, at the end of winter. Choose branches from different points, including the center, opening the shrub when you deem it necessary. Never remove more than a quarter of the branches each time.
- Eliminate damaged branches and spikes growing at the base as soon as you discover them.
- Remove dead flowers to prevent the plant from consuming its resources by forming seeds.
- Prune the shrub again in autumn after the end of flowering to give it a shape or remove the branches with low flower production.
Method 3 of 3: Prune and Water the Lilac
Step 1. Cut the lilac when its buds are ripe
Cut the branches right at the top when color and scent are at their best. This will ensure they last as long as possible in your flower arrangement. Immediately put them in a jar of clean water.
Step 2. Dry the lilacs by placing them upside down
Put together a bunch of freshly cut lilacs and tie its stems with a rubber band. Place them upside down in a safe, cool place for one to three weeks. Carefully remove the elastic when the lilacs are completely dry.
Dry the lilacs using silica gel. Fill a large plastic or glass container with an inch of silica gel. Place a few freshly cut lilac stems in the container so that they stand straight in the gel. Fill the entire container with gel so that the lilac is completely covered. Put a lid on the container and wait about a week for the flowers to dry out. Remove them from the jar and use them in a flower arrangement
Advice
- Sprinkle ash from your fireplace or grill on the ground around and under your lilac bush to increase the size and number of flowers produced.
- While the odds of success are extremely low, it is possible to propagate lilac by taking a piece from a well-grown shrub. To increase your chances of success, try in early spring and cut growing branch tips after the leaf buds have formed, but before the leaves open. Put the end of the branch in water to see if the roots develop.
