Lilac

Lilac in the mind of a person is the most dear and close, the most romantic plant. She was sung in verse by Fyodor Tyutchev and in the famous romance by Rachmaninoff. Fragrant lilac branches were painted by Vrubel and Polenov, Konchalovsky and hundreds of artists, inspired by their magical beauty. Meanwhile, it appeared in our gardens not so long ago – only at the end of the XNUMXth century.

Lilac (Syringa) is an unpretentious shrub of the Olive family (Oleaceae), it is a relative of the Mediterranean olives. At least 20 species of lilac are known. Most of them come from the mountainous regions of Eurasia, thanks to which the plants adapt well to the climatic features of our country. Lilac is a centenarian, so in gardens and parks you can see plants at the age of 60 and even 100 years.

Types of lilacs

In the vast majority of gardens, common lilac grows. But there are other types that can be found on sale. And they are no less interesting.

Lilac Ordinary (Syringa vulgaris). An unpretentious shrub up to 4 m high with ovate dark green leaves up to 13 cm long. The flowers are small, lilac, very fragrant, collected in erect pyramidal panicles 10–20 cm long. Flowering is long, in May-June. The shrub gives abundant shoots.

On the basis of the common lilac, most varieties for parks and gardens have been created. They differ in the size of both the flowers themselves and the inflorescences. Flowers can be simple, semi-double and double, the color scheme is not only lilac, but also purple, and there are also varieties with white flowers. The first flowering occurs on the 4th year of planting.

This species is characterized by a high degree of frost resistance and drought resistance. Able to grow in the shade and on loamy soils. When planting, it must be borne in mind that the common lilac has an extensive root system.

At the moment, there are more than 2300 varieties of common lilac in the world today. Their most famous creators are the Frenchman Victor Lemoine, as well as his son and grandson, and in our country the self-taught breeder Leonid Kolesnikov was engaged in breeding varieties.

This type of lilac is widely used in landscape design as a solitary (single) plant, in group plantings and hedges (1).

Amur lilac (Syringa amurensis). It is a multi-stemmed, slow-growing shrub with a spreading crown up to 10 m high. Its leaves change color from greenish-purple in spring to purple or orange-gold in autumn. The flowers are cream or white, collected in numerous panicles up to 25 cm long. It blooms in June or July for 2 weeks. The aroma is strong, honey. 

The species is highly frost-resistant, shade-tolerant and moisture-loving.

Lilac Hungarian (Syringa josikaea). Branched shrub up to 7 m high with shiny dark green large leaves, decorated along the edge with a ciliated border. Small purple flowers are collected in narrow longline panicles. The flowers have a subtle, faint fragrance.

There are two varieties of this lilac – with pale purple flowers and reddish purple.

The species is characterized by unpretentiousness, high winter hardiness and resistance to gas contamination of the urban environment.

Lilac Meyer (Syringa meyeri). Especially popular in small gardens and gardens in a regular style. It is a compact shrub up to 1,5 m high, which is often grown on trunks. The leaves are small, 2-4 cm long, with a ciliated edge. The top of the leaf plate is dark green, the bottom is much lighter. Lilac-pink flowers are collected in erect small inflorescences from 3 to 10 cm long. They have a strong aroma.

Remontant species: blooms in May-June and again in August-September.

The plant is unpretentious, with a high degree of frost resistance. Used for low hedges, borders and containers.

The most popular variety of this species is Palibin. It is grown both in the form of a dwarf shrub, there and on the trunk. In recent years, dwarf varieties of the Flowerfesta series and the original variety with red flowers have been actively promoted on the market. Red Pixie.

Persian lilac (Syringa x persica) Natural hybrid between Afghan lilac and finely cut lilac. Shrub up to 3 m high with thin lanceolate leaves up to 7,5 cm long. Light purple flowers, large, up to 2 cm in diameter, collected in wide loose panicles. They have a strong aroma, but not typical of lilacs.

The species is rarely found in our gardens, although it has several spectacular forms – with white and red flowers and a dwarf with small pinnately lobed leaves.

Lilac Chinese (Syringa x chinensis). Shrub up to 5 m high. A hybrid of common lilac and Persian, created in France in the 1,8th century. The leaves are large. Flowers up to 2 cm in diameter are very fragrant, collected in wide pyramidal panicles. In bud, the flowers are dark purple, and the dissolution is reddish-purple. There are forms with double purple flowers, flowers of pale purple and dark purple color. Blooms in June for XNUMX weeks.

Variety appeared on the domestic market Saugeana with curved shoots and numerous reddish-lilac flowers collected in large paniculate inflorescences up to 20 cm long.

Lilac hyacinth (Syringa x hyacinthiflora). Hybrid of Victor Lemoine from broad-leaved lilac and common lilac. Based on it, many varieties have been created with a variety of flower colors, especially spectacular ones have a terry shape. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, dark green, turning brown-purple in autumn. The flowers are large, collected in loose small inflorescences. It blooms first, 2 weeks earlier than common lilac varieties.

The peculiarity of this hybrid is that the plant wakes up early, therefore, it can be damaged by return frosts, and in a warm autumn, re-growth of shoots can begin, which weakens winter hardiness. Therefore, protection from cold winds is required and in the spring, when the peduncles are advanced, the shelter of the crown in case of night frosts below -5 ° C.

Care for lilacs

Lilac is unpretentious, but one feature of this culture is important to consider – it is best to plant seedlings in the period from late July to early September. This ensures a good adaptation of the plant and by spring it is ready to actively develop.

Ground

For planting lilacs, soils rich in humus with a pH of 5,0 – 7,0 are needed. They should be moderately moist and well-drained.

Lighting

Lilac can also grow in the shade. However, only in well-lit places can you get abundant and high-quality flowering.

Watering

Lilac does not tolerate prolonged flooding, but drought is fatal for it. Therefore, it should be planted where melt and rainwater do not linger for a long time. In the first half of summer, lilacs, especially young plantings, must be watered as the soil dries up. A young bush requires 20 to 30 liters of water.

After watering, it is important to loosen the soil, or keep the tree trunks under high mulching.

In August-September, plants are watered only during a long drought. In October, in dry autumn, water-charging irrigation is carried out at the rate of 60 liters of water for young plants and 80-100 liters for old bushes.

fertilizers

When planting, use humus (at least 15 kg per bush), superphosphate and wood ash. On acidic soils, the proportion of ash is increased or fluff lime is added to the planting pit. During the growth period, complex mineral fertilizer, mullein infusions and phosphorus-potassium complexes are used.

Feeding

If the planting pit is properly filled and the soils are fertile, then in the first 3 years after planting, urea or ammonium nitrate (5 tablespoons per bush) is used for top dressing in the spring, and wood ash (2 cups per 10 liters of water) at the end of August.

Adult bushes are fed in the spring with mullein infusion (2-3 buckets per plant), and once every 1 years they are brought into the tree trunks to a depth of 2 cm 10 tbsp. spoons of potassium nitrate and 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate.

Trimming

Sanitary pruning is carried out in early spring, removing damaged shoots.

Formative pruning begins from the 3rd year of planting and also in early spring, before the start of sap flow. First of all, improperly growing shoots and root shoots are removed. In the crown, 5 – 7 beautiful branches are left, evenly spaced on the plant. Then, 6-8 healthy buds are left on each skeletal branch so as not to overload the plant with flowering.

When forming a lilac on a stem, 1 strongest, even and beautiful shoot is left at the seedling. They cut it at the desired height of the stem and then form 5-6 skeletal branches on the stem, removing not only the root growth, but also breaking out the buds on the stem. At the formed standard tree, the crown is thinned out every spring (2).

Reproduction of lilac

Summer residents actively propagate lilacs by cuttings, layering and grafting.

Layers. This is the easiest way. To obtain new seedlings from the plant, a young, beginning to lignify shoot is selected and in the spring at the base it is pulled with copper wire. The second constriction is made at a height of 80 cm from the first. The shoot is bent down and placed in a groove to a depth of 1,5 – 2 cm, pinned and covered with wet soil, leaving only the top of the shoot on the surface. Constantly make sure that the soil above the shoot does not dry out.

As soon as new shoots grow by 15 – 17 cm, they are highly spudded with loose, moist soil. Before cold weather, layering is watered, spudded and freed from weeds. Then the pieces of the shoot are separated with secateurs so that each has a developed root system and a healthy, even stem. Seedlings are grown in school for growing. In the first winter, be sure to cover with a dry leaf and spruce branches.

Cuttings. Propagation by cuttings is not the easiest way – they take root with difficulty. To be successful, certain conditions must be met:

• cut cuttings only from young plants;
• take cuttings from non-lignified shoots with short internodes;
• to harvest cuttings immediately after flowering or even during it;
• cut the cuttings in the morning, until the dew has dried.

The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, the upper ones are cut in half. The upper cut is made straight, and the lower oblique – under the kidney. The cuttings are soaked for 16 hours in a root formation stimulator. A container intended for growing cuttings should be treated with Fundazole – this is an antifungal drug. A light substrate of peat and sand (1: 1) is poured into the container, then a layer of hot coarse sand. The cuttings are washed in clean water and planted obliquely so that they do not touch the leaves. The container is covered with a film and placed in partial shade. Regularly watered and sprayed with clean water, sprayed once a week with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

The roots of the cuttings begin to grow in 1,5 – 2 months. After that, they gradually begin to remove the film, continuing to maintain the humidity of the soil and air.

For the winter, the container is added dropwise in the garden and covered with spruce branches. In spring or summer, rooted cuttings are planted on a seedbed for growing.

Inoculation. For grafting, you need a stock – a seedling of common lilac, Hungarian or common privet, on which the variety of interest is grafted. For spring grafting, cuttings are cut from ripened annual shoots at the end of winter or at the very beginning of spring, wrapped in paper and stored in the refrigerator.

Budding is carried out in dry warm weather in the early morning or evening.

Before grafting, a seedling is prepared in advance, cutting out the shoots and cutting the stem at a height of 10–15 cm and removing the lower buds. A week before grafting, the stock begins to be watered abundantly so that the bark is easily separated from the stem. On the day of vaccination, the earth is raked from the root neck, the grafting site is rubbed with a damp cloth, the rootstock stump is split to a depth of 3 cm with a budding knife. Then all damage and places where the kidneys were removed are treated with garden pitch. They put a plastic bag on the grafted stalk, fix it with twine or tape below the grafting site. The package is removed only when the buds begin to swell on the scion.

Lilac diseases

Fungal diseases most often affect plants that are weakened by insufficient care.

Systemic fungicides are used for treatment.

It is important to prevent bacterial rot and various types of spotting by collecting and burning the affected leaves, applying mineral fertilizers with a minimum dose of nitrogen, spraying ferrous sulfate solution in the fall and Bordeaux mixture in the spring.

powdery mildew и verticillium wilt suppress by spraying diseased plants with a soapy solution of soda ash or Abiga-Peak (3).

Mycoplasma diseases delay the development of plants, leading to dwarfism, chlorosis and wilting. Sick bushes are dug up and burned to prevent the disease from spreading to other plants.

For prevention, plants are sprayed with Agat-25 (3), all work with plants is carried out only with disinfected tools, pests must be destroyed.

Viral diseases also impossible to cure. As long as the damage is insignificant, you can leave the plants, cutting off and destroying only the affected leaves. But severely affected specimens must be destroyed, because viruses are transmitted not only with planting material, but also through the soil, insects and nematodes. The first signs of the disease appear already in the spring, when spots, rings, mosaic or torsion appear on young leaves.

Lilac pests

The Mite. It causes deformation of the buds, leaves and shoots, which leads to the cessation of flowering and the death of the plant.

Leaf mite. Damages the leaves, which leads to their drying out.

In both cases, at the beginning of leafing, before flowering and 15 days after flowering, the plants are sprayed with sulfur preparations.

Mining moth. Causes the appearance of brown spots and the folding of the leaves into a tube.

For protection, double treatment of the leaves with Aktellik’s solution (3) is used. Fallen leaves are collected and burned for prevention in the fall.

Lilac moth. It is capable of completely destroying lilac leaves, leaving only the leaf veins rolled into a tube and the skeletons of peduncles.

For protection, spraying with Intavir, Karbafos or Fufanon is used (3).

False shields. They cover the shoots and the underside of the leaves, causing a weakening of the plant, a decrease in the size and number of leaves.

For protection, treatments with Inta-vir, Iskra and Fufanon are used (3).

Popular questions and answers

We asked about the siren agronomist Oleg Ispolatov – he answered the most popular questions of summer residents.

Sources of

1. Kolesnikov L. Lilac // M .: Moskovsky worker, 1952
2. Okuneva I. Lilac. Care, pruning, reproduction, varieties // M .: Fiton XXI, 2019
3. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii- i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/