Contents
The lilac on the trunk is not a separate variety, but an artificially formed decorative tree of compact size. Ordinary lilac refers to a multi-stemmed shrub. Standard lilac has a single trunk and a rounded even crown. This form is well suited for gardens of various types, including small areas.
What is a lilac on a trunk
The stem is a part of the trunk without branches, which is located from the root collar to the beginning of the branching. The stem is about 1 m. Further, a compact crown is located on it.
Lilac tolerates pruning well, so it allows you to create various crown shapes. From the photo of the lilac on the trunk, it can be seen that the plant is characterized by abundant flowering. A new variety or several different varieties can be grafted onto the stem of one crop, resulting in the flowering of one tree in different shades.
A grafted lilac on a bole does not require constant removal of side shoots, unlike a self-formed one. But the roots of the tree grow over a longer period. Some varieties of standard lilac can be used as a pot culture.
Benefits of growing standard lilac
Without shaping and pruning, the lilac bush grows and becomes unattractive, flowering weakens. The standard plant, with proper care, blooms profusely, looks well-groomed and original. Usually a standard tree is formed with a rounded crown of small size. You can grow lilacs on a trunk in a bonsai style or twist young branches, getting unusual branches.
Compact standard plants do not take up much space in the garden, they look neat and decorative in a group planting and singly. Standard lilacs adorn the alleys, the periphery of the plots. Trees are more successfully combined with other plants than bush forms, and serve as a background for mixborders. Lilac, like a standard tree, is decorative not only during flowering, but also left with one foliage.
Sort of sirens on the stamp
Lilac varieties differ in shades of flowering, the size of leaves and flowers. Standard plants are distinguished by the intensity of annual growth and the size of an adult tree, by height and diameter.
Beauty Moscow
Beauty of Moscow is an old variety, distinguished by original double flowers and fragrant aroma.
During the flowering of the tree, pink buds are replaced by pearly white flowers with a slight pink tinge in the middle, turning to pure white at the end of flowering.
Meyer Palibin
One of the smallest varieties. The dwarf tree gives a small annual increase and grows no more than 1,5 m in height.
Blooms profusely, pale lilac. Re-blooms at the end of summer.
Charles Jolie
Fast growing lilac with luxurious blooms. Small flowers are collected in inflorescences-brushes of dark purple color.
In adulthood, the plant forms powerful skeletal branches, as well as a densely leafy, dense crown. The leaves of the variety are small.
Katerina Havemeyer
Variety 1922, characterized by large, double flowers, lilac-pink hue and heavy, dense inflorescences.
From the photo of the standard lilac, it can be seen that Katerina Havemeyer is distinguished by abundant flowering. The leaves are large. The variety has a rich aroma.
Ready-made standard lilacs on sale are not cheap. Depending on the variety and age of the plant, the price is 3000-8000 rubles.
How to make a lilac on a stem with your own hands
You can create a standard lilac by grafting or shaping. For this purpose, dwarf varieties are well suited, as well as shrubs with a compact crown. But a standard tree can be formed on any lilac. Own-rooted plants withstand frost better.
How to make a stem tree from lilac using grafting
To form a standard tree, a stock is needed – a part of the tree on which the scion will be planted. Up to several different varieties of shrubs can be grafted onto one stock. In this case, the varieties should have the same flowering time, as well as leaf size.
Instructions for making lilacs on a trunk with your own hands:
- Rootstock cultivation. A stock for the formation of a bole can be an escape from any lilac. They take it from the vegetative propagation of the bush, for example, by layering or cuttings. Dug up root shoots are also suitable. The resulting shoot is grown separately to a height of about 1 m. In order for the fragile bole not to bend, at first it is grown tied to a peg.
- Vaccination time. The vaccination is carried out at the time of the onset of sap flow and within two weeks after it.
- Preparation double. The day before grafting, excess roots are cut off from the grown shoot. To do this, they are chopped off with a shovel in diameter at a distance of 20 cm from the trunk. The shoots that protrude beyond the soil are cut off with a sharp pruner. The buds are removed from the rootstock. If additional vaccinations are planned in the future, then a few kidneys are left on top.
- Vaccination methods. A varietal shoot is grafted onto a stem by budding with an eye or behind the bark.
Later, when the grafted lilac grows together and the crown grows, it is formed by cutting the branches to the required length. On the trunk of the grafted lilac, side shoots are not formed, which greatly facilitates the care of the tree.
How to form a lilac on a bole without vaccination
You can grow a lilac on a bole without grafting using a young bush. You can get a new bush from a planted shoot or use an already growing one on the site.
For the formation of the trunk, a central, even and strong shoot is chosen. To speed up its growth, side shoots are pruned, leaving the central branch. Feed with organic or mineral fertilizers, water and mulch. It will take about 4-5 years to grow a standard lilac.
To support the trunk, as in the case of vaccination, it is tied to a peg. 5-6 buds are left on top of the trunk, which later form lateral branching and crown formation. When the side branches begin to grow, pinch them or immediately create the necessary shape.
The formed bole is kept bare, removing excess shoots. On the resulting bole, you can also additionally graft another variety of lilac or leave only the initial one.
The crown of a standard tree needs to be thinned out over time. For abundant flowering, dried inflorescences are cut with a small part of the branch. In the first years of cultivation of the stem tree, about half of the flowering brushes are also cut off in order to achieve more lush flowering in the next season.
In order not to damage the formation of the crown, the branches should not be broken off, but only a sharp garden tool should be used to remove them.
Planting and caring for standard lilac
Planting and caring for lilacs on a trunk is similar to caring for a regular crop. A permanent place is chosen for planting, but an adult standard tree can be transplanted.
For planting, choose a bright place, some varieties can withstand light partial shade. But the spectacular and rich flowering of the stem tree occurs only in well-lit, calm areas. The culture is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but prefers loose fertile soils with neutral acidity. Lowlands and wetlands are not suitable places for cultivation.
Planting and transplanting is carried out on a cloudy day or in the evening. The landing pit is prepared 2 times the size of the root system. If planting is carried out on depleted soils or uncultivated areas, the pit is made even larger in order to change the soil composition to a more fertile and breathable one. Acidified soils must be deoxidized in advance by adding lime or dolomite flour.
In depth, a hole is dug according to the size of the seedling and taking into account the drainage layer. The root collar of the plant is not buried when planting. A layer of drainage is laid at the bottom of the landing pit. To do this, use pebbles or expanded clay. The soil for planting is mixed with fertilizer.
The plant is lowered vertically into the planting hole, the roots are straightened. The planting is covered with soil, carefully distributing it so that air layers do not form between the roots and the roots do not dry out, then the soil is tamped.
After landing around the trunk, retreating 25-30 cm, an earthen roller is poured. So, when watering, the water will not spread. A bucket of water is poured into the formed circle. In the future, the roller is compared with the general level of the soil. The soil around is mulched.
Standard lilac care:
- Watering. Young plants need additional watering in the first half of summer, especially when there is a lack of moisture from precipitation during dry and hot periods. In the autumn, with the beginning of leaf fall, an abundant water recharge of the soil is carried out so that the plant prepares for winter.
- Top dressing. For abundant flowering of an ornamental tree, fertilizers begin to be used from the second year of cultivation. To do this, both organic and mineral top dressings are introduced into the soil. The first top dressing is carried out in early spring after the snow melts. At this time, fertilizers with a nitrogen content are used. The next two top dressings are carried out with an interval of 3 weeks. To do this, take herbal infusions, as well as infusions of mullein or ash.
- Mulching. It is useful to cover the soil under the tree with peat or tree bark. This allows the top layer to not dry out, remain loose and breathable.
- Removing root growth. The resulting root growth must be cut exactly into a ring. A method in which no hemp remains after pruning, from which growth only increases.
- Pruning. Most varieties of lilac grow quickly. The formed crown requires maintaining the height of the branches at the required level. In the spring, all dry and broken branches are removed. They also periodically relieve the crown from thickening so that all flower buds have enough light.
In the first years of growing standard lilacs, in winter, care must be taken to ensure that the fallen snow does not break the crown and the stem itself. The trunks are wrapped with burlap so that they are not damaged by freezers.
Conclusion
Lilac on the trunk is a compact tree that will decorate the garden in any style. Any gardener can become the owner of a tree with an exquisite silhouette. The process of creating a standard lilac with your own hands is simple and exciting, but it takes some time. In addition to the decorative function, the lilac fence traps dust and cleans the surrounding space.
