Most gardeners and summer residents can not imagine their site without these beautiful and unpretentious bushes. Its large brushes are able to revive any territory, and the smell of lilac (especially on warm spring evenings) delights with its sophistication.
Lilac is popular and loved almost all over the world. In vivo, it is common in Europe and Asia (mainly in China).
Lilac: description
These are quite tall shrubs (from 2 to 10 meters), blooming in May or early June. In an adult plant, the trunk diameter reaches 30 cm. The leaves are falling for the winter, opposite, cirrus-separated or whole.
The inflorescence is a panicle with small bisexual flowers (no more than 10 mm). Color can be varied: from snow-white to dark purple. The flower has two stamens. The smell of lilacs is pleasant and quite strong.
The fruit is a small, dense bivalve box of brown color, in which there are two oblong seeds in each leaf. Lilac bush blooms actively up to 60 years.
Landing
Experts say that even beginners in gardening can grow lilacs on their plot. The description of the plant in special editions suggests that it is very unpretentious and does not require complicated maintenance.
For these fragrant bushes, neutral soil is most suitable. If it is acidic, then it should be treated with dolomite flour or lime. This procedure is carried out once every three years. It is better to plant lilacs in the garden on a site where groundwater passes no higher than 1.5 meters from the soil surface.
The plant prefers the sun, but also tolerates partial shade, in addition, it blooms in this case much more abundantly than in the sun. It is undesirable to choose wind-blown areas for planting. The lilac bush is attractive for many also because it does not need to be covered for the winter, since the plant is highly winter hardy. But even such a strong and hardy plant has limitations when planting. Damp and wetlands can not tolerate lilacs. The description in the specialized literature indicates that clay soils are not suitable for it.
Breeding
Garden varietal species propagate in several ways - layering, grafting, cuttings. If you propagate the plant by layering, by the fall you will already have a lilac bush (annual), ready for transplanting. For this, it is necessary to make horizontal furrows near an adult plant, bend the branches to the ground and fix them in this position. Layers will emerge from the kidneys pretty quickly. At the same time, the mother plant fully retains its decorative properties. Most gardeners find this method the easiest, unlike, for example, green cuttings. However, not all types of lilacs can reproduce this way.
For propagation of the bush by cuttings, well-developed shoots are needed. Work is carried out in the summer (June-July). For cuttings, the middle part of the shoot is used.
Lilac Care: Pruning
As we have already said, lilac, a description of which can be found in all publications on floriculture, does not require complicated care. Nevertheless, special attention should be paid to pruning the plant. Immediately after flowering, it is necessary to remove all faded brushes. This is because flower buds appear on the summer shoots. If you cut off faded inflorescences in the fall, then the next year, in the spring, your lilac will not bloom.
If an adult bush needs to update old branches to new ones, then this should be done gradually - in the spring, one or two branches are cut each year. Today, many gardeners prefer the cultural pruning of lilacs. In this case, they leave 6-8 main branches located at a short distance from each other, giving the bush a sprawling appearance, and the rest are removed. In addition, cut out and branches directed into the bush. Thus, the bush becomes very attractive, especially during flowering.
Species, varieties, hybrids
Until now, botanists have not come to a consensus on the number of species of lilacs. Some claim that there are 13 of them, while others have more than 30 species. This is due to the presence of natural hybrids in lilacs that appear during crossbreeding in the natural environment, as well as during selection. Their number is inconsistent and rapidly increasing.
In addition, sometimes science does not know all the “participants” of interspecific crosses. The most famous and popular hybrids of lilac include:
- hyacinthaceous;
- Chinese
- Persian
- "Henry".
Popular varieties
Varietal variety of lilacs is much wider. Today, there are several thousand varieties that are mainly bred on the basis of common lilac. Today, an international classification has been adopted, according to which, varieties are described depending on:
- flower shapes (terry or simple);
- colors.
Common lilac
A small tree or shrub with a height of 2 to 7 m. It has a branched root system. The trunk and branches are covered with gray bark. On young branches, it is colored yellowish or olive. Thanks to the powerful root system, this type of lilac is successfully used to strengthen slopes that are prone to erosion.
The leaves are oval. At the very base, they are heart-shaped, with pointed ends. They are smooth and matte. The length reaches 10 cm with a width of 5 cm. Mounted on 15-cm petioles.
Broadleaf lilac
Very similar to its ordinary "relative", but blooms in smaller flowers. In this case, the leaves are larger, and flowering begins a little earlier.
Hungarian Lilac
This is a more compact plant, a shrub of this species does not exceed 4 meters in height. Leaves of medium size (8 cm), oval in shape, with a small petiole - only 2 cm. This lilac has upright branches. In a young plant, they are pubescent. Flowers gather in multi-flowered panicles, usually painted in dark purple. They have a strong aroma. Under natural conditions it is found in the forests of Romania, Ukraine, Hungary.
Amur Lilac
This plant is more like a tree than a shrub. Its height reaches 10 meters. In nature, it is often found in the Far East. It blooms in late June. Inflorescences are fluffy, with a delicate cream shade.
Persian Lilac
And this magnificent plant is not found in the wild. Persian lilac seedlings were obtained by breeding, as a result of crossbreeding of lilac small-cut with Afghani. A small beautiful tree does not grow more than two meters in height, branches are spreading, drooping.
Inflorescences are not very large - 10 cm in length and 8 cm in width. Flowers can be white or lilac. They have a strong and pleasant smell. The Persian lilac blooms for a long time - from early May to June. It is used in single plantings and in groups of several bushes.
Terry Lilac
Many species of lilacs have varieties with double flowers. As a rule, they are double: from one tubule with four petals, the second grows, the same. If there are fewer petals in the second tube, the lilac is called half-double.
Lilac "P. Konchalovsky
One of the most prominent representatives of terry varieties, which is rightfully considered one of the best in the world. A 3 cm flower has 4 corollas. Very large inflorescences reach a length of 30 cm. Under their weight, the branches often wilt.
White lilac "memory of Kolesnikov"
Another magnificent terry lilac. Her flowers look like roses. Inflorescences are large. The bushes are spreading, the average height is 4 meters. Named after a famous Russian breeder.
Monique lemoine
Very effective white terry lilac. It belongs to the best grades. The flowers are large (4 cm), the inflorescences are large, their branches droop under the weight. Bushes of medium size, ideal for a small area.