How do you take care of a lilac plant?
Lilacs grow best in full sun and slightly acidic to alkaline, well-drained soil. They may take three to four years to establish, but once they do, they can live for many years. You do not need to fertilize them often. Doing so may result in all foliage and no flowers. 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.Lilac flowers last for about two weeks once they bloom. However, the plants themselves are quite long-lived, with some lilac shrubs living for over 100 years. Regular pruning helps extend the lifespan and improve the health of these plants.Lilacs can become leggy and unproductive if not pruned regularly after flowers fade. Younger growth blooms better than older growth. Lilacs will lose their lower branches with age. If you cut the entire plant to the ground, you will not have blooms for a couple of years.Lastly, Lilac plants do not like acidic soil. Epsom salts during the dormant period to help promote blooming.
Where do lilacs grow best?
Most lilacs require a chilling period to bloom well, so are grown primarily from Zone 7 north. They are very hardy, withstanding temperatures as cold as 40 below zero, so can be grown in Zone 2. They are best in Zones 3, 4, and 5, and are actually grown in almost every state, even California. Lilacs are easy to grow and make an attractive feature plant in a border. Choose a sunny spot that has well-drained soil and plant during autumn or spring to allow your plant to settle in while the ground is warm and the weather is not too cold or hot.Can you Prune Lilac Bushes in the Fall? It’s better to prune lilac bushes in the late spring, not the fall. By pruning in the fall, you cut off the majority of new buds, which is a common reason why lilacs don’t bloom in the spring.Lilac is a tough shrub that requires minimal pruning, is incredibly low maintenance, and is great for beginner gardeners. As long as lilac is planted in an area with plenty of sun and well-drained soil, this shrub should wow in the landscape for many years, with some lilac shrubs lasting up to 100 years.When To Prune. As a general rule for all lilacs, they should be pruned immediately after they’re done flowering in the spring. Since lilacs set next year’s flower buds right after the current year’s flowers have faded, pruning later in the summer or fall will result in cutting off many or all of next year’s flowers.
Do lilacs need shade or sun?
Lilac bushes bloom best in full sun, which is at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Persian lilac (Melia azerdarach) which is not related to true lilacs, is poisonous to dogs and horses, according to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Other names for Persian lilac include Chinaberry tree, the bead tree and Pride-of-India.Lilacs do not contain any chemicals that will poison animals or humans, nor do they irritate the skin. 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.Lilacs are susceptible to fungal leaf diseases, most of which cause only cosmetic damage to leaves. The severity of leaf spot diseases can be reduced by proper care (pruning, mulching, watering) and sanitation (cleaning up fallen leaves).The benefit of deadheading lilacs is purely aesthetic unless a plant is under stress, which will prevent the expenditure of plant energy into seed production that will otherwise contribute to plant defence and its energy reserves.
Do lilacs grow well in pots?
The most important thing to remember is that they have large root systems, need plenty of sunshine, and require regular watering. If you choose a small variety, use a large pot, and give them plenty of love, your container grown lilacs will give your hardscape a pastel bouquet of sweet-smelling joy year after year. After they’ve bloomed in the spring, feed lilacs with Miracle-Gro® Shake ‘n Feed® Flowering Trees & Shrubs Plant Food (following label directions) to help grow strong roots.Bone meal is also a great fertilizer for lilac plants because it makes soil more alkaline. Bone meal is a natural plant food that is easy for the lilac to intake.Lilac shrubs or trees (Syringa vulgaris) are loved for their heavenly fragrant flowers in spring and summer. In autumn their heart shaped leaves change colour, before they lose their leaves for winter. Lilacs grow in a full sun to part shade spot, with a free draining soil and grow best in a cool to mild climate.planting lilacs in pots they grow well when they can stretch their roots and develop into larger plants. We recommend a container as large as you can manage- no smaller than 12 inches deep and 24 inches wide. Larger containers mean better insulation of the roots from extreme heat or cold.Lilacs are dormant in the late fall to late winter. 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.
Do lilac plants need a lot of water?
Tolerates most soil types, but will grow best in loose, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Lilacs are not tolerant of excessive moisture, nor are they tolerant of drought. Water sparingly, but never let the plant dry out. Too much water can result in wilted, pale, or yellowing leaves. Established shrubs can tolerate short periods of drought like conditions without damage. Longer periods of dry conditions can cause the leaves and the stems of the lilac to wilt.Lilacs bloom on the previous season’s growth and develop next year’s buds shortly after blooming in the spring. Pruning needs to be done at the same time that the spent flowers are removed within a couple of weeks after the plant blooms so that next year’s buds are not removed.Two weeks of lower temperatures and the heavy rainfall caused many common lilacs to break dormancy as if it were spring.Watering Your Lilac Once it is matured and the roots are established, it will rarely need watering, unless there is extreme heat or drought. Make sure the roots don’t sit in water or soggy soil because that can lead to rotting and other diseases.
How to keep lilacs blooming all summer?
Fertilize in spring with a general-purpose organic or conventional fertilizer, and thin overhead tree branches to ensure plenty of sunlight — a key factor for healthy lilac blooms. To keep lilacs looking their best, prune, fertilize and shape them almost every year — soon after they finish blooming in late spring. Unlike the more common lilac bush, lilac trees grow taller and can make a striking statement piece in any landscape. Their blooms, ranging from deep purples to light pinks and whites, are not only beautiful but also attract pollinators like butterflies and bees, adding life and activity to your garden.You may need a pruning saw for the thicker stems, which should be cut just above a pair of buds if they are visible. Lilacs generally respond well to hard pruning. That said, hard pruning comes at the expense of flowers for a season or two and is not completely without risk.If left to grow and spread on their own, lilac bushes will eventually only flower at the tips of their uppermost branches. Once a lilac bush is over two years old, it requires annual pruning. Removing dead, diseased, broken and weak stems helps rejuvenate the shrub and make it more visually appealing.Common lilacs (Syringa vulgaris and its cultivars), also known as French lilacs, should be pruned every year to produce a pleasing shape and a healthy plant.You can rejuvenate an old lilac by cutting all stems to about 6″-8″ from the ground. The best time to do this is in the early spring before the shrub leafs out. As you noted, you will sacrifice all the blooms on your plant. However you will be rewarded with a flush of new branches.