Leaves and Buds Bud Color – Green to brownish-purple with 3 pairs of scales. Bud Size – Sessile, subglobose, large, 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Leaf Type and Shape – Simple, cordate. Leaf Margins – Entire, smooth.

Description. Lilac leaves are usually shaped like elongated hearts. Both lilac shrubs and lilac trees are deciduous, meaning they will shed their leaves in the fall after reaching full maturity and after the growing season ends.

Each Leaf. Individual tree lilac leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and about half as wide, dark green above and grayish green below. They are roughly tear-drop shaped, rounded near the stem and with a long “drip tip” at the other end.

deciduous

If lilac bushes are already too large or becoming unsightly, however, pruning the entire bush or tree to about 6 or 8 inches (15-20 cm.) off the ground may be necessary. Keep in mind that you may have to wait for flowers, as it takes about three years for them to develop once the entire shrub has been cut.

You must deadhead the lilacs soon after they finish blooming so you don’t accidentally remove the new buds and ruin next year’s flower cycle. Cut off the old dead flowers as soon as they begin to turn brown and wither.

Water regularly to establish a deep root system. It is best to water them at soil level and avoid overhead watering. Once established, lilacs are water wise. Water weekly in dry conditions, more often in extreme heat.

Lilacs should be pruned yearly to develop a good framework of stems and promote vigorous growth that enhances flowering. Yearly pruning consists of cutting diseased, misshapen, and unproductive stems to the ground. I also thin and remove some stems to encourage properly spaced, vigorous growth.

Lilacs are a woody stem and require lots of water. After cutting, remove most of the folliage from the stem as keeping too many leaves will pull water from the blooms themselves and lead to quicker wilting.

How do you prune lilacs?

1. Get rid of dead, broken or diseased stems first, as well as any weaker branches. In addition, cut branches to prevent rubbing or crossing.
2. Remove old stems that are thicker than two inches.
3. Manage sucker growth.

Best Fertilizer For Lilacs We recommend a 10-10-10 fertilizer mix applied annually in the early spring. (The numbers 10-10-10 represent the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – or as they are commonly known, NPK – in the formula).

This lilac tree blooms twice a year, filling the air with the aroma of its deep purple-lilac, star-like flowers. After an initial stunning show in spring, Bloomerang lilacs take a rest until late summer, when they rebloom until the first frost.

spring

Bloomerang Lilac Has Unbeatable Flower Power, Lasting Through Three Seasons. While most lilacs only bloom once in spring, this reblooming variety has an encore in summer and even into fall.

Young lilacs can take up to 3 years to reach maturity and bear flowers, but once established, they need pruning only to promote flowering, to reshape, and to remove unwanted suckers.

Flowering Shrubs as East Facing Plants No self-respecting east-facing garden would be complete without at least one hydrangea bush. The popular ‘Annabelle’ (Hydrangea arborescens) grows best in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, while Hydrangea macrophylla prefers the warmer zones of USDA 6 and above.

Hydrangeas are classified as rapid growers, or 25 or more inches per year until the plant reaches maturity. A “tree” format plant will become at least 3 inches wide at a point 4 1/4 feet high and grow at least 13 feet high.

Generally speaking, acidic soil, with a pH lower than 6.0, yields blue or lavender-blue hydrangea blooms. With a pH between 6 and 7, the blooms turn purple or bluish-pink. To lower your pH, add garden sulfur or aluminum sulfate to your soil.

Fragrant LilacSyringa vulgaris. The lilac is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub with an irregular, rounded outline. It is fast growing when young, but slows to about one foot a year with age. The stems are dark gray to gray-brown, and the wood is strong.

To clear up any confusion, there is no difference between a lilac bush and a lilac tree, they are the same plant just called by different names. Some lilacs flower two weeks earlier, including Syringa x hyacinthiflora varieties and these are often referred to as early flowering lilacs.

Most people are familiar with lilacs as a shrub, but they also grow as trees and can be as tall as 30 feet with a spread of 15 feet, while shrubs are more likely to grow 10 to 20 feet tall and, depending on the variety, can be much wider. The trees have a lifespan of about 100 years.

Using Fresh Coffee Grounds Grow lilacs in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil (at a pH near 7.0). If your soil is in poor condition, add compost to enrich.

Old, neglected lilacs can be renewed or rejuvenated by pruning. One way to renew a large, overgrown lilac is to cut the entire plant back to within 6 to 8 inches of the ground in late winter (March or early April). This severe pruning will induce a large number of shoots to develop during the growing season.

You can try pulling out the roots by hand if the plant is young. Use a shovel and hoe to dig down on all sides, exposing the roots. Use the shovel to remove the entire rootball. However, for older, established plants, you’ll do better using a tractor or truck to pull out the plant’s root system.

Tips for Pruning Lilacs With some plants, this helps to stimulate continuing blooms. But with lilacs, the only time deadheading seems to help them bloom better is during the first few years of growth. While the plants are young, deadheading the spent flowers helps to direct the plant’s energy into setting more buds.

Lilacs perform well if protected during the winter. Covering shrubs can prevent some of the major types of winter damage, and should be seriously considered by gardeners living in areas where winters are very harsh, or for plants in highly exposed areas of the garden, such as hillsides.

Reblooming lilacs will bloom once in the spring, take a rest period and then bloom again in midsummer. Some varieties, like the Bloomerang dark purple, will continue to bloom into the fall after their spring rest.

Epsom salts are a good natural fertilizer for lilacs and tomatoes. Add about one cup of Epsom salts to the soil around the drip line of the plant.

The lilac usually considered the most fragrant is a Chinese native—S. pubescens. It has small, white flowers tinged with purple. The fragrance is sweet and spicy, very different from the traditional “lilac” scent.

Herbaceous peonies and tree peonies (Paeonia) are wonderful companions to lilacs. They are compatible in color, fragrance and form, and make each other look better. Plant peonies at your lilac’ foot to hide its poorly clad legs and savor the beauty and pervasive perfume they lavish on those who passes-by.

Fragrance. Of course, the fragrance alone is reason enough for some people to purchase lilacs. The exact aroma will depend on the variety of lilac you choose. With that said, however, you can expect most varieties to posses a strong, fresh fragrance that some people compare to a mixture of lavender and wild berries.

Common Lilac is the longest blooming species, lasting for a month depending on cultivar and region. Typically blooming in late spring, it offers the largest flowers with the best fragrance.

Bloomerang Purple lilac is the original reblooming lilac. It blooms in spring along with other lilacs, takes a brief rest to put on new growth, then blooms again from mid-summer through fall. – It’s reblooming! It doesn’t only bloom once in spring – it also blooms summer through fall.

Age: Lilac plants need time to grow before they begin flowering. So, if you have a very young plant, it may not be mature enough to bloom. Most plants start blooming after three or four years but some may take as long as six or seven. The blooms for the first few years will be sparse but should increase with time.

Even though lilac stems, leaves, and flowers pose no health threat to dogs, it is a good idea to keep your dog from chewing on the plant. According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the Persian lilac (Melia azedarach) which is not related to true lilac, is poisonous to dogs.

Meet the most delicious glass of water you will ever taste- Lilac Water! It’s like drinking a glass of spring. Tuck a lilac blossom into your next pitcher of water and let its essence infuse you. Perfect for special gatherings like weddings or showers, or simply keep a pitcher full in the fridge for everyday use.

Lilacs are such a lovely part of spring and summer in my opinion. They’re gorgeous and their amazing scent fills the air in my little town every year, making every a walk a complete sensory experience. The flowers are also completely edible.