Few people know that the most beautiful variety of lilacs is called Beauty of Moscow (selection of Kolesnikov).
This lilac decorates the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. It grows in Buckingham Palace, and in the square near the US Congress (Washington). You can meet her in many parks of the world, and in botanical gardens. But only in the Lilac Garden of Moscow did the very lilacs that were planted by the creator of this wonderful variety of lilacs survived. It is with this man that not only the creation of the most wonderful varieties is connected, he still did a lot to turn the streets of Russian cities into beautiful lilac alleys. Soviet breeder L. A. Kolesnikov created hundreds of the best varieties of lilacs. It should be noted that he was self-taught.
There are many varieties of this plant. Here we will talk about some of them.
Quick reference
The genus Lilac of the Olive family includes approximately 30 species growing in Iran and Asia (northeast). They are deciduous shrubs, rarely evergreens, with simple leaves and numerous flowers of a wide variety of shades, collected in panicle inflorescences. The peculiarity of the plant is a wonderful aroma of flowers. Fruits in the form of boxes ripen in the fall, in September-October.
To date, more than 2000 varieties have been created, which differ in the size of both bushes and flowers, as well as the color of inflorescences and the degree of their terry.
The article presents photos and characteristics of the most popular varieties of lilacs.
Bit of history
After the French cultivator Victor Lemoine bred the first variety of this plant in the 1880s, which laid the foundation for its selection and became a reference, more than 2000 varieties were created, among which a large number of L.A. Kolesnikov's forms.
The best varieties, according to references on the Internet, are about 80. The most popular types and varieties of lilacs (photo in the article) are distinguished by their magnificent shades and shapes of flowers, as well as the sizes and shapes of bushes.
Moscow Lilac Garden
In the east of Moscow (near the Cherkizovskaya metro station) there is a wonderful, fragrant lilac garden during the flowering period. On the basis of the lilac nursery, he was laid with his own hands of the aforementioned famous breeder Leonid Alekseevich Kolesnikov back in 1954. Speaking about his merits, it should be noted that in 1952 he received the Stalin Prize for his work. In 1974, he was posthumously awarded the Golden Lilac Branch medal by the International Society of Lilac Breeders. In addition, the varieties bred by him were included in the international register.
The article presents some of the most beautiful species and varieties of lilacs: a photo with a description, features, etc.
A little about the features of lilac
- Almost all plant varieties exude a pleasant delicate aroma, which many associate with the approach of summer.
- The best place for lilacs is open, sunny. This plant is quite unpretentious in almost everything. Well it tolerates a dry and hot climate, as well as urban conditions. Prefers neutral and slightly acidic fertile, but not too dry soils.
- Easy pruning of the bush in early spring stimulates abundant flowering, and pinching the side shoots allows you to get a compact crown.
- The most original varieties of lilacs are used in landscape design. They are good both in single landings and in group ones. They are also used in creating magnificent living walls and hedges. At the same time, the distance between the plants should be at least 70-80 cm. Often, the lower part of the shrub is exposed to be decorated with herbaceous perennials or undersized shrubs.
- In bouquets, lilacs are better and longer when cutting branches in the early morning. In this case, the ends of the shoots should also be split.
- Lilac propagates by dividing bushes, layering, green cuttings (root stimulant should be used), grafting and stratified seeds.
Lilac growing in the garden provides a wonderful atmosphere of freshness and fragrance. However, to enhance the effect, it is better to combine several varieties of plants with different shades of flowers and with varying degrees of terry.
Below are the best types and varieties of lilacs (photo with description).
Species and Hybrids
- Amur lilac - a tree or shrub with a height of 4 to 5 meters (there are 10-meter ones). Fragrant flowers located in paniculate dense inflorescences have a white color with a greenish or cream tint. Blossom a little later (May-June) of many other lilacs, but grow quickly. Native places in the wild: Korea, China (northeastern part), Far East.
- Hungarian lilac - dense shrub from 3 to 7 meters high. Mauve-pink flowers are very fragrant, bloom in May-June. It grows rapidly and does not give offspring. In the wild, grows in the Carpathians and Transylvania. Decorative shapes available.
- Chinese lilac is a hybrid of Persian and ordinary lilacs. The height of the bush is 5-6 meters. The shoots are thin, beautifully hanging. Lilac-purple flowers are very fragrant. The plant blooms in May and June.
- Common lilac is an extremely hardy luxurious shrub about 4 meters high (found up to 7 m). It grows well in Europe (south and north). In addition to the main form, which has lilac flowers, there are varieties of white lilac and pink in the culture. Flowers bloom in May-June. In the wild, this species grows in the Balkans. Homeland: Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey (north-west). It has a large number of decorative varieties, there are hybrids.
- Lilac is hairy or shaggy - a compact dense shrub about 4 meters high. Fragrant pink flowers with the smell of privet are collected in pubescent, dense panicles. Opening time - May-June. Homeland: North Korea, China. The species also has decorative forms.
- Persian Lilac is a hybrid of finely cut and Afghani lilacs. The height of the bush is 2.5-3 meters. The branches are arched, thin. Lilac-pink flowers have a smell not typical of lilacs. It blooms from May to June. It should be noted that in Russia (the middle band) a plant can freeze during severe frosts. This species has a decorative Alba form with white flowers.
The article below describes the varieties of common lilac.
Grade Jeanne d'Arc
This variety has a strong aroma and luxurious flowering. Created in 1902 by Lemoine. Shrub of medium height (approximately 2.5 meters) has a wide pyramidal, sprawling shape. The buds are cream in color, and terry white flowers, which are collected in round inflorescences (15 cm), have a pleasant strong aroma.
Lilac blooms profusely for 17 days.
Grade Marceau
This foreign variety of lilac with large flowers, also created by Lemoine, but in 1913, is also beautiful. The tall bush has a spreading crown. The buds and flowers are dark purple, but they fade to a purple hue. The aroma of flowers collected in loose, wide-pyramidal inflorescences (length 24 cm), medium.
The duration of relatively moderate flowering is about 15 weeks.
Grade Mme Lemoine
Created by Lemoine in 1894, a lilac with beautifully shaped flowers. They have a white tint and strong aroma. Collected in inflorescences of a pyramidal shape. The shade of the buds is greenish-cream. The bush is erect, tall.
Abundant flowering lasts for 14 days.
Variety Mrs Edward Harding
Among the varieties of lilac, this stands out for its early flowering and beautiful flower shape. Created in 1922 by Lemoine. This is a medium-tall erect bush. The buds have a purple color, double flowers - pinkish-purple. The second are collected in pyramidal inflorescences and have an average aroma.
The duration of flowering is approximately 16 days.
Sensation variety
This foreign variety of lilac has a unique color of flowers. It was created in 1938. This is a medium-tall erect bush with reddish-purple buds and purple with a white border flowers with a faint aroma. Inflorescences are pyramidal, dense.
Abundant flowering with a duration of about 16 days.
Variety Paul Hariot
The variety was created by Lemoine in 1902. This is a medium-sized sprawling bush. The buds are purple-violet and the double flowers are purple with a silver back. They have a light aroma, collected in inflorescences of narrow pyramidal shape.
Early flowering, lasting about 17 days.
Grade Sevastopol Waltz
This is one of the most beautiful varieties of terry lilacs. It was created in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden by breeders Z. K. Klimenko, V.N. Klimenko and V.K. Zykov in 2013. The shape of the bush is wide pyramidal. The buds have a reddish-purple hue. Non-double flowers are painted in a pink and purple hue and have a strong aroma. They are assembled in a pyramidal shape panicles.
The duration of flowering is 15 days.
Grade Blue
The variety has a rather rare blue tint. Created in 1974 by L. I. Kolesnikov. The bush is erect, tall. The buds are lilac, the flowers are lilac blue. The latter are collected in pyramidal inflorescences and have an average aroma.
Abundant flowering with a duration of about 17 days.
Sort Beauty of Moscow
Some names of varieties of lilacs are known to gardeners. For example, Beauty of Moscow, which is one of the most beautiful forms of the global assortment of lilacs. It was created in 1947 by L. I. Kolesnikov. The shape of the bush is wide-pyramidal, high. Terry flowers, painted in a pinkish-white color, have an average aroma. They are collected in openwork, wide-pyramidal inflorescences.
The duration of abundant flowering is approximately 2 weeks.
Variety Sky Moscow
This is another variety of ordinary lilac, bred by L. Kolesnikov (1963). Its flowers have a rare blue tint. Bushes of medium height are broadly pyramidal in shape. The buds are purple-purple, and the double flowers turn purple-blue. They are collected in dense, wide, pyramidal inflorescences.
Long flowering - 23 days. The variety has good resistance to powdery mildew.
Grade Lights of Donbass
Created by Soviet breeders (L. I. Rubtsov, N. A. Lyapunov, V. G. Zhogolev) in 1956. The buds of this variety of lilacs (see photo below) have a dark purple hue, double flowers - purple lilac with light purple tips. Collected in narrow pyramidal inflorescences and have a strong aroma.
Early and profuse flowering lasts approximately 20 days.
Variety Kolesnikov Olympiad
A variety was created in 1941 by L. I. Kolesnikov. The bush is erect, tall. Terry flowers, lilac-pink and very fragrant. They are collected in openwork pyramidal inflorescences. Early flowering with a duration of about 18 days.
It has a good resistance to powdery mildew.
Varieties of dwarf lilacs
In the design of various flower arrangements, dwarf lilacs are widely used. The compact and neat bush looks great. Its delicate inflorescences last a little longer than on varieties of larger forms. Below are the most popular varieties among gardeners.
- Meyer is a compact beautiful shrub. Its height is 1.5 meters. The plant is unpretentious. The variety also has decorative forms: Meyer Polybyn with lilac-pink flowers, blooming in May Red Pixies with pink inflorescences, fast-growing Bloomerang Ash with purple flowers (bloom twice), remontant Jose. Meyer's flowers are fragrant, lilac-pink, blooming in May-June. Found Meyer in China, and today is known only in culture. In Russia (middle lane), this variety can freeze in cold winters.
- Madame Charles Suchet has one wonderful feature - inflorescences of a wide pyramidal shape have a sky-blue hue. Flowering occurs in May – June. However, this variety also has not very pleasant features - the bush is susceptible to pests and diseases.
- Monge is a hybrid early-blooming French lilac with flowers of a bright purple hue. Feature - can grow up to 30 years.
- Captain Balte is a shrub that grows up to 1.5 meters in height, with delicate lilac or pink panicle inflorescences that densely cover the crown.
Almost all of the presented varieties of lilacs are not demanding on the conditions of growth and care. They fit perfectly into the most diverse styles of site design.
Using
Many people know that in addition to the fact that lilac is an excellent decoration of gardens and parks, it is widely used in medicine, as well as in the manufacture of cosmetics and perfumes. Products prepared from lilacs can restore skin freshness and elasticity, as well as bring health.
In perfumery, despite the abundance of different varieties of lilacs, this ingredient is almost worth its weight in gold. This is due to the fact that for the production of only 1 kilogram of aromatic oil, it is necessary to process more than 40 million lilac inflorescences, moreover, collected from one hectare. It’s easier to get the lilac aroma in an artificial way, rather than the traditional extraction method, which was used by ancient alchemists. Therefore, the creations of perfumers, where the most natural lilac aroma is present, are very expensive and are attributed to masterpieces.
It should be noted that for the production of perfumes, lilacs are grown only in the French city of Grasse. Fragrant oil produced in these places is sold to the most famous perfumers, who, in turn, create true works of art.
Conclusion
Currently, like hundreds of years ago, this plant, due to its unpretentiousness to conditions and care, as well as due to decorativeness, is one of the most popular among beautifully flowering shrubs. Since ancient times, lilacs have been widely used in planting parks and gardens. They appreciate it highly for its beautiful appearance, long and plentiful flowering, for a pleasant delicate aroma. Most often used in landscape design of gardens and parks, ordinary lilac, which has a considerable number of varieties. Other decorative types of lilacs are very effective in landscaping.