Have you ever looked out your kitchen windows and realized you need a splash of intense color in the corner of your garden that’s seen from every angle through your kitchen windows? A few years ago, I was in that situation and suddenly realized that I needed a showy shrub and a hardy one that didn’t need too much maintenance.
I decided on a Lilac Shrub. The Common lilac bushes (Syringa vulgaris) are deciduous shrubs, so they don’t bloom all year round. The nice things are that corner gets a lot of suns all day, but it’s bare – there’s nothing it in, and lilac was one of the best shrubs to place there; so, we did.
The scent of lilac, wafting through the house and garden in the evening, is delightful and comforting.
Did you know that Syringa is a member of the Olive Tree? Its only drawback is that that particular cultivar is prone to getting powdery mildew disease – it looks like someone sprinkled white bakers’ flour on the leaves – but apart from that, it’s a sturdy, good looking, low maintenance shrub.
Syringes Mereri Palibin(Lilac)
Korean Dwarf Hardy but beautiful Shrub
This plant is an excellent Korean plant that looks stunning in most gardens. It is dense, compact, and low spreading. It is a deciduous Shrub – meaning it doesn’t bloom all year round, and there are a few months of inactivity for it annually.
A Stunning Show
The Palibin starts flowering from late Spring to Early Summer. It puts on a stunning show. Meanwhile, its dark green leaves are never afflicted by this powdery disease; therefore, the plant is almost beautiful.
Won Merit Awards and Gold Medal Awards!
This Meyer Lilac is a lovely looking plant that was the Recipient of the impressive Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society and winner of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society award.
Sturdy, Pretty, and almost immune to diseases
The Shrub is well rounded to oval, compact. This flowering Shrub grows up to 4ft 5ins tall to 5ft 7ins wide. It loves full sun and well-drained soils. Use fertile humus-rich, alkaline to neutral, dry to medium, well-drained soils. It thrives in chalk but dislikes acidic soils. It truly appreciates mulching when planted in full sun.
It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but is deer resistant.
Lovely Scent
You only need to plant one to have the required effect you’ll get to see from the kitchen windows. Once planted and out of its early baby stages, this sturdy little Shrub will reward you by requiring less maintenance, staying healthy, and blooming well for you at the due time. There will always be a faint ‘whiff’ of its beautiful haunting perfume, and you will find yourself wandering closer to this Shrub in the early evening, hoping that its lovely aroma will drift towards you.
17th Century – Presidential Favorites
Lilacs were an early Presidential favorite. The Settlers brought them over in the 17th century, and both Jefferson and Washington had these shrubs in their gardens. Lilacs were also the first shrubs to be grown in America’s first Botanical Gardens.
Syringa vulgaris (common lilac)
Is such a beautiful shrub and possesses all the cultivation and attraction that the other cultivars can brag about? It flowers profusely during its blossoming period, and the profession of blooms can be increased if you deadhead them immediately after they bloom has died. It’s surprising what a big difference it can make.
They are widely grown in Northern Europe and North America.
It’s been grown widely in the western and northern European areas. It seems that as a sign of its complete naturalization in North America, it was selected as the state flower
of the State of New Hampshire. This was because it “is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State”.
Extra Hardiness in Canada
Additional hardiness for Canadian gardens was bred for in a series of S. vulgaris hybrids; many of the later-blooming varieties were also introduced. Their later-developing flower buds are better protected from late spring frosts. The Syringa × prestoniae hybrids range primarily in the pink and lavender shades.
Details on the growth of Lilac Shrubs
- Lilacs are to be planted about four to six feet from the wall or fence,
- Lilacs need a lot of space around them for growth.
- Lilacs should be planted anywhere they can get full morning sun for 6 hours then shade for afternoon and evening.
- Lilac shrubs grow fast – about six to eight inches per year.
- Lilacs grow better in humus and bone meal as their soil is more alkaline, so no coffee grounds for them.
- Lilacs need good drainage.
- Plant your Lilac Shrubs about four feet to six from the fence of walls.
Make the cut just above a new shoot or bud, and then use the clippers to improve the shape of the dwarf Shrub to ensure blooming takes place where it will look the best.
Cut branches back selectively on this dwarf Shrub.
Here is the full range of Lilac Shrubs and Small Trees
| Japanese Tree Lilac | Sensation Lilac |
| Syringa Meyeri | President Grevy Lilac |
| Miss Kim Lilac | Tinkerbelle Lilac |
| Common Purple Lilac | Beauty of Moscow Lilac |
| Hungarian Lilac | Boomerang Dark Purple Lillac |
| Syringa x Persica | First Edition Japanese Snowdance Tree |
| Syringa Komarwii | President Lincoln Lilac |
| Syringa x Laciniata | Charles Joly Lilac |
| Mark Baker Pocohontas Lilac | Golden Eclipse Lilac |
| Miss Canada Lilac | Dwarf Korean Lilac Palibin |
| Ludwig Spaeth Lilac | Mme Lemoine Lilac |
| Scent and Sensibility pink lilac | Assessipi Lilac – Syinga |
| Declaration Lilac |
Generally Speaking
If you don’t have them in your garden already – give lilacs a try. You can see that there are many variations to choose from, and you’re bound to find many that will be a brilliant addition to your garden.
These plants will bloom for you year after year after many years, and they will give you a show for the senses with their colorful blooms and sweet scents. There’s so much to be grateful for with lilacs – they are a particular plant.
Patricia Godwin
