But soggy soil can lead to root rot and poor blooming. Water young lilacs regularly to keep the soil lightly moist. Mature plants typically will only need watering during periods of drought. Lilacs bushes prefer climates that have fairly cool summers. They are not recommended for hot, humid areas, such as the Southern United States.
High humidity can lead to fungal diseases on the plant. Moreover, lilacs can tolerate temperatures well below freezing, though they prefer protection from bitter cold winds, which can damage their flower buds and break stems. Lilac bushes can benefit from a spring feeding, especially if you have poor soil.
However, don't use a fertilizer that's high in nitrogen, which can lead to poor blooming. Instead, use a balanced fertilizer, following label instructions. There are several types of lilac bushes that vary somewhat in appearance, including:. Pruning is critical for lilacs, both to promote flowering and to ensure air circulation to prevent powdery mildew and other problems.
The right time to prune is just after flowering is over, as lilacs bloom on old wood. Prune branches to thin out the growth for better air circulation and to keep the height of the shrub in check. Cut the oldest branches to the ground, as they won't be strong flower producers anymore, but don't take off more than a third of the total branches.
Also, prune any weak or damaged branches. Anyone who has grown lilacs knows how readily they expand. Most lilacs are clump-forming plants that spread via shoots extending from the trunk.
And these shoots can be used for propagation. Not only is this an inexpensive way to gain a new lilac bush, but it also prevents the existing lilac from becoming overcrowded. The best time to propagate is in the late spring to early summer to give the shoot enough time to become established before cold weather sets in. To propagate, simply dig down around one of the shoots and cut it from the main plant, keeping the roots intact. Then, replant the shoot in rich soil wherever you wish, and keep its soil lightly moist but not soggy at all times until it's established.
Lilacs are fairly hardy shrubs and can survive most pest and disease problems. However, they are susceptible to several. The variety that is the latest to bloom in the year is the Japanese lilac tree. All lilac flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the landscape. The flowers can be removed from the shrub as they fade for better aesthetics. During the flowering stage, check the shrub for signs of a scale infestation.
The insects hatch during the spring and attack the shrub. The pests are slightly yellow in color and attach themselves to the wood of the shrub.
Treat the pests with an insecticide spray. The flower buds for the following year are set in the fall before the lilac shrub goes dormant. It is for this reason that lilac shrubs are pruned right after flowering, if needed. Dead or diseased branches should be removed and cross branches should be cut out. Look for the lilac borer while pruning in the late spring or summer. Thank you Frank. Are you fertilizing these plants? Too much nitrogen will favor leaf formation over flowers.
Do not fertilize. They do like soil with a pH of 6. Do a soil test—even a simple one—and see if the pH is within the range. Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. By Catherine Boeckmann. Huge blooms, wonderful scent. Wally Patrick. Lilacs thrive in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil at a pH near 7. If your soil is in poor condition, add compost to enrich.
Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. For strong bloom, lilacs require full sun—at least 6 hours—or they will not flower well. Make sure the site drains well. Plant in either spring or fall, although the latter is preferred. Your sucker will look pathetic at first but just dig a hole, backfill it with soil, and stick the sucker in. Then water and wait. Transplanting lilacs from a nursery is also easy. Set the plant 2 or 3 inches deeper than it grew in the nursery, and work topsoil in around the roots.
Water in. Then fill in the hole with more topsoil. Space multiple lilac bushes 5 to 15 feet apart, depending on the variety. Each spring, apply a layer of compost under the plant, followed by mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. Water during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
They can handle a handful of in late winter, but no more. After your lilac bush has finished blooming, spread some lime and well-rotted manure around the base. Trim the bush to shape it, and remove suckers at the same time. If you prune later in the summer, you may be removing the wood. Every year after bloom, remove any dead wood. Prune out the oldest canes down to the ground. Remove the small suckers.
Cut back weak branches to a strong shoot. Cut back tall canes to eye height. If your lilac is old and in really bad shape, remove one-third of the oldest canes down to the ground in year one, half of the remaining old wood in year two, and the rest of the old wood in year three. Another option for old lilacs is to chop the whole thing back to about 6 or 8 inches high.
It sounds drastic, but lilacs are very hardy. The downside to this option is that it takes a few years to grow back. The upside is less work and more reward, as the lilac will grow back bursting with blooms. It must be recognized that severe pruning results in the loss of blooms for one to three years. For these reasons, a wise pruning program aims to avoid severe and drastic cuts by giving the bushes annual attention.
Prone to attack by slugs and snails. Powdery white mildew may appear after a summer of hot, humid weather. It may be unsightly, but it does no harm. Ignore it. Because of their sheer size and root systems that love their freedom, they can be hard to grow in containers or indoors. Lilacs are pretty hardy plants, but there are a few things you can do to keep them in the best shape possible so they bloom as well as possible.
To start with, each Spring add a thin layer of compost and mulch to help keep the root system moist. This also has the added benefit of keeping the ground free from weeds.
Lilacs, like many flowering plants, require annual pruning to keep the blooms at a maximum. The best time to do this is in late Spring after the tree has bloomed. When pruning, start by removing any dead wood and any small suckers that have appeared at the base of the tree. However, if it is not flowering the way it once did, a more severe pruning may be required. If you find yourself with lilacs in this condition, the only way to revive the tree may be to cut the tree down much more.
This does mean that it will be some time before the tree blooms again, but it may be your only option at certain times.
Deadheading is the removal of dead flowers throughout the blooming season and is something that can be done to improve the yield of the plant. That said, deadheading lilac trees really only seems to be beneficial if done early in the life of the tree. As with almost any type of plant, dealing with pests and diseases is another thing to concern yourself with. That said, there are a couple of things to watch out for.
Other issues could be lack of sunlight or poor soil conditions. A: The key to stopping lilac bushes from spreading is to get rid of the suckers.
These guys are the ones that cause lilac trees to spread all over the place, so tearing them out of the ground will stop the spread for good. A: No, lilacs are not poisonous to cats. Cats can be poisoned by lilies on the other hand. This is something too few people know about. A: Lilacs are considered deer resistant. A: No, lilacs and lilies are completely different types of plants. A: No, lilacs and lavender are not the same thing. A: Yes, lilacs do like coffee grounds, at least to a certain extent.
A: Lilacs are said to symbolise the joy of youth. No one is sure where this meaning came about exactly, but flowers have had a meaning of their own for quite a while.
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