This year’s winter delayed spring, and when it did, several plants that typically bloom over the course of a month all burst into bloom at once. On our farm, there was a riot of color from forsythia, apples, peaches, viburnums, flowering almond, daffodils, tulips, spirea, crabapples, and lilacs. A complex blend of scents filled the air, making it delightful.
Wedding work always benefits from having white lilacs like the one pictured above. This is a superb early, pure white single of the hyacinthiflora variety “Mt. Baker.”
A row of young lilac shrubs that I planted next to the pond in the fall of 2007 was one of the most beautiful views in this floral spectacular. In contrast to last year, when they were up to nine days apart, they were all in bloom at the same time. The contrast of the blooms’ colors highlighted the diversity of Syringa’s color palette. From pristine white to deep purple, with numerous colors of lavender and pink in between, my tiny collection of roughly 25 shrubs is diverse. One branch of each hue combined with the brilliant green snowball viburnum accents produced a stunning bouquet. I was prepared to double or quadruple my planting since I was so enamored with these blossoms. But first, I made a call to Brian Morley, my lilac mentor, who had given me advice when I planted my first shrubs. Brian has always loved lilacs and is quite informed about every facet of their taxonomy and cultivation. On his farm, he has roughly 60 bushes and several hundred seedlings that are the products of his hybridization studies. Additionally, he is the proprietor of Kansas City’s upscale florist Bergamot and Ivy. He is therefore familiar with both aspects of marketing and was able to share with me some of the techniques for cultivating and promoting lilacs.
First, according to Brian, both market demand and prices are excellent. The majority of the supply originates from Holland, where cultivators have spent 150 years mastering the technique of forcing lilacs out of season. Dutch lilacs are expensive due to the labor-intensive pushing procedure and the cost of shipping the bulky, woody stems. According to Brian, the price this year is $18–22 for a 10-stem bunch. A bouquet of domestic lilacs, also referred to as bush lilacs in the trade, costs between $12 and $15 and has roughly five stems and ten bloom clusters.” They move really quickly, and our supplier never throws them away! said Brian. “People in our area choose white, blush (‘Krasavitsa Moscovy’), and deep purple hues. Value and pricing are influenced by head size, and a more commonplace, traditional shade of purple or lavender would be slightly less appealing. Doubles are regarded as higher-grade flowers and, in my opinion, persist longer and shatter less.
Hybrid hyacinth named “Pocahontas” is a deep purple color. The color of this is not as blue as it appears online (monitors display colors differently). It is one of the first bloomers and a perfect complement to the background’s vivid green snowballs of Viburnum opulus Roseum.
So far, everything sounds pretty fine. Until I start looking at the list of lilac varieties and realize there are at least 1,500 identified cultivars and hybrids, I’m prepared to place my order for plants. The 1988 publication Lilacs: The Genus Syringa by Father John L. Fiala is the most reliable resource for information on lilac variants. The author suggests his preferred cultivars in each color category, illuminating every page with his enthusiasm for lilacs and lilac breeders. However, his obsession with lilacs is so intense that he has 90 white cultivars on his list. So I return to Brian for more menu ideas.
choosing the varieties He suggests selecting types with the aim of having the greatest variety of colors and the longest bloom time.
There are seven distinct color categories for lilacs: white, lavender, blue, violet, pink, magenta, and purple. Lane Greer and John Dole indicate that color preferences vary geographically and even within cities depending on the clientele a grower builds in their book Woody Cut Stems for Growers and Florists. For instance, one producer in Washington, D.C., is quoted as saying that whites sell best; nevertheless, another grower in the vicinity claims that anything other than white sells best for him. Given how common it is for weddings, Brian advises growing white hair without a doubt. But for the widest market feasible, cultivate pink, lavender, and dark purple as well.
Doubles are seen as having a higher value because they transport more efficiently and break less. The S. vulgaris cultivar “Nadezha” is the one in question.
Next, carefully select cultivars based on bloom time to ensure the longest harvest season feasible. A single plant may be in bloom for 16–20 days, from the colorful bud to the time the petals fall. Lilacs are among the bushes that bloom the longest as a result. The harvesting window is fairly little if you are growing them for cutting, and lilacs don’t store well. Choosing kinds that naturally bloom at various periods makes sense.
The hyacinthaflora hybrids, or Syringa x hyacinthiflora, are the earliest blooming lilacs. Then, a week to ten days later, come the varieties of S. vulgaris, the common lilac. The Preston hybrids follow the ordinary lilac by 10 to 2 weeks.
A spring day’s early morning light illuminates Syringa vulgaris ‘Maiden’s Blush,’ which glows. Three additional varieties’ plants can be seen in the background, providing some insight into the range of color options available in lilacs that bloom at the same time.
Requirements Most lilacs are planted predominantly from Zone 7 north since they need a cooling time to blossom successfully. They can be cultivated in Zone 2 since they are extremely robust and can withstand temperatures as low as 40 below zero. They are genuinely grown in practically every state, including California, and perform best in Zones 3, 4, and 5. Due to their lower chilling requirements, two species—S. meyeri and S. microphylla—can be grown in the South. Any lilac is preferable to none at all, despite their less impressive hues and scents compared to the types that farmers in the north can choose from.
Lilacs do not tolerate heavy clay soils and need well-drained soil. They favor a pH between 6 and 7. They need to be grown in direct sunlight. Some types can reach heights of 30 feet and widths of 10 feet, but a successful cut-lilac grower who harvests a significant portion of the plant each year won’t experience these growths. Lilacs need to be planted at a distance of around 5 feet apart to produce cut flowers. During the initial stage of establishing the plants, landscape cloth may be utilized, however after a few years the plants will outgrow their holes. The three main issues affecting lilacs are deer, borers, and bacterial blight. Irish Spring soap has worked well for Brian in keeping deer away from his plants. Branch wilting that occurs suddenly is a sign of borer infestation, which is widespread in the Midwest. To stop the borers from spreading, they must be severed right away and disposed of. The most serious and pervasive lilac issue is bacterial, or Pseudomonas blight. Select resilient varieties, and remove any affected branches with pruning.
Post-harvest and harvest Unfortunately, lilacs have a short-lived attractiveness. Most growers estimate that vase life lasts only five days. By trimming in the evening and using a hydrator and floral preservative, you can extend that by a few days. As is frequently advised for stems that are made of wood, stems should be cut at a sharp angle rather than being pounded. (Punching woody stems is never a good idea since the little fibers that are produced will degrade and clog the plant’s stem.) Remove any foliage from the stem. When placed in a bucket of deep water as opposed to just a few inches of water, lilacs hydrate better. Before using them, they can be kept in the cooler at 39-41F for three to four days. Recutting stems and changing the water every day will help the flowers last longer in arrangements. Local lilacs can be cut when one-third or more of the panicle is open, however Dutch lilacs must be dry and in tight buds in order to be sent.
financial outlook Lilacs are not a get-rich-quick scam, I’ve got to say after doing research on them. The time between planting and the first harvest will be at least four years. Annual trimming, weeding, fertilizer, and pest and disease inspections are all necessary for the plants. They usually bloom before most other flowers, including those in hoophouses, and their bloom time is unpredictable, as I saw this spring. They don’t store well, they can’t be picked until a very certain time, and they won’t last long in a vase. Despite all of that, lilacs have enough beauty and scent to make up for their drawbacks.
What do lilac blossoms represent?
Despite the fact that the species as a whole represents regeneration and confidence, each shade of lilac has an own meaning. Purple lilacs stand for spirituality, while white lilacs are symbolic of innocence and purity. Blooms that lean closer toward the blue end of the color wheel stand for joy and peace. Magenta lilacs stand for passion and love. Primrose, a golden type of lilac that was only introduced in 1949, is not frequently seen in American gardens and is not believed to have any symbolic significance.
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What distinguishes the two flowers, lavender and lilac?
The primary distinction between lilac and lavender is that the former is a pale purple with a bluish undertone, while the latter is a pale purple with a pinkish undertone.
Two hues of purple and violet are lavender and lilac. Due to how similar they are to one another, many people frequently mix up these two hues. The same namesake flowers are also referred to by these two titles. In actuality, the colors of the blossoms are what inspired the names of both of these hues. The differences between lavender and lilac will be covered in this article under the headings of bloom and color.
Which lilac has the strongest scent?
I had the impression that lilacs were meant for me at times. Working with my grandfather, a nurseryman who specialized in these enthralling beauties, for many hours during my formative years. The tall, pink-flowered “Esther Staley” lilac that grew next to my grandparents’ back door captured my attention the most. Like some people dream of authoring the great American novel, I once fertilized that plant in the hopes of creating a fantastic new lilac. Even though my first attempt at hybridizing failed, I still enjoy breeding lilacs. I also keep an eye on the lilac collection at the Boston-area Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.
Why are lilacs so alluring? Certainly, the approach of spring is signaled by their wonderful scent. Lilacs are exceptionally simple to grow, and they are distinctive enough to define a color and a fragrance. Additionally, lilacs now come in an astounding range of colors, habits, bloom sizes, shapes, and flowering times. Previously, they were only available in two flavors—purple and white.
There are many modern uses for these traditional plants. Species that are vibrant and fragrant may draw attention. Lilac shrubs can be arranged to create a hedge or screen. Lilacs that grow tall provide shade for a patio. Lilacs can also be underplanted with perennials that will bloom at the same time as them, such as bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) or spring bulbs.
With lilacs, fragrance is the number one priority
Different lilacs have different levels of fragrance. For instance, many white lilacs only have a little aroma. Other lilacs range in flavor from quite sweet to extremely pungent. I am able to perceive pleasant smells, yet my olfactory system seems to swiftly adapt to a fragrance. This makes it challenging to discern between the aromas of various flowers. I still grin when I smell lilacs.
I started a project a few years back to keep track of which lilacs were and weren’t fragrant. I had to find willing sniffers. Now, based on other people’s noses, I can offer fragrant lilacs with assurance.
French hybrids are the best-known lilacs
All lilacs are members of the Syringa genus, which has roughly 20 species and hundreds of widely grown cultivars. Asian species predominate. None of them were born in North America. The common lilac, S. vulgaris, with its heart-shaped leaves and big blooms that bloom around the third week of May here in Boston, is significantly different from many of the species, or wild, lilacs.
The common lilac is an Eastern European native that was brought to Western Europe before 1600 and most likely from there to North America. Named cultivars weren’t created until the 1800s. Since so many of these superior cultivars originated in France around 1900, the word “Even though many common lilac cultivars were developed in other European nations or North America, the term “French Hybrid” is frequently used to refer to all of these varieties.
Other Syringa species have some highly intriguing characteristics outside of the common lilac. Each has a pleasant scent, however some are fairly distinct from S. vulgaris.
S. pubescens, a native of China, is the lilac that is typically regarded as having the strongest scent. It has tiny, purple-tinged white blooms. The aroma is sweet and spicy, extremely unlike the conventional scent “lilac aroma
An lovely native of China and Korea, S. oblata is an early bloomer and blooms approximately two weeks before the common lilac, which it mimics in appearance and aroma. This species is well recognized for being the parent of the S. hyacinthiflora early-flowering hybrid group. The common lilac serves as the other parent. S. oblata and common lilac cultivars have been crossed by breeders to produce some lovely early-flowering, fragrant selections, many of which are disease-resistant. This collection contains some of my favorite cultivars. These include my favorite white lilac, “Sister Justina,” as well as the exquisite lilac-pink varieties “Asessippi” and “Excel.” These three generate a lot of flowers from the top of the plant to the ground, although none of them have particularly large blooms. They have a pleasant scent, and in Boston, the common foliar diseases powdery mildew and leaf-roll necrosis rarely affect them.
Because of its small, intricately cut leaves that resemble ferns, another Chinese species known as S. protolaciniata (which is related to S. laciniata) is called cut-leaf lilac. Unlike the typical lilac, it has inflorescences that appear all the way down the stem from a branch terminal back approximately 18 inches, producing a large number of tiny, light-purple flowers. Some plants can grow up to 8 feet tall and 10 feet across, although they are always incredibly delicate-looking.
Some lilacs are trees
There are tree lilacs that can grow to the size and shape of an apple tree rather of just being large shrubs. They grow beautifully as shade trees, and the second season of interest is provided by their striking bark. My garden is now bordered by a sizable, untrimmed hedge of tree lilacs that was originally planted as a nursery row.
A week to ten days following the late lilacs, which bloom around a month after the early lilacs, come the tree lilacs. They have ivory blooms with a privet-like scent, which is a related relative. Compared to the Chinese tree lilac, the Japanese tree lilac (S. reticulata) often has broader, rounder leaves (S. pekinensis). Both tree lilacs have lovely bark that resembles cherry bark, but the Chinese tree lilac sheds more frequently and comes off in strips. This characteristic makes the cultivar “China Snow” beautiful. The Japanese tree lilac has a cultivar called “Ivory Silk” that is now widely accessible. In addition to being useful in gardens, it seems promising as a little street tree.
A few are short and sweet
I’ve planted a kind of S. patula called “Miss Kim” on either side of my front door. ‘Miss Kim’ is a little shrub that reaches heights of 8 to 9 feet while not being a dwarf. Its leaves acquire a port-wine hue, making it one of the few lilacs with good fall color. It blooms a week or so after the common lilac and sports a profusion of deliciously fragrant blooms.
The cultivar commonly referred to as “Dwarf Korean Lilac” is another compact lilac. This lilac, S. meyeri ‘Palibin,’ though a dwarf, is a cultivar of a Chinese species rather than a Korean one. Its rarely taller than 4 to 5 foot plants have tiny, circular leaves and tiny blooms. The blooms are a light purple color in the buds, but when they are fully opened, they are white, numerous, and fragrantly pleasant. This variety can be utilized to grow a short hedge.
Late-blooming lilacs have a distinctive look and smell
About a week to ten days after the common lilacs, the late lilacs bloom. As opposed to breeding within a species, most of them are the result of hybridizers crossing two or more species and choosing their strongest offspring. To produce the hybrid group S.prestoniae, Canadian plant breeder Isabella Preston initially crossed S. komarowii ssp. reflexa and S. villosa. Others have since crossed late-flowering species with Preston lilacs. However, these late-flowering lilacs don’t have the typical “lilac” appearance or scent. Sincerely, I believe that these shrubs would be more well-known if they were known by a different name. Miss Canada, a true red-pink lilac, and ‘Agnes Smith,’ with white blossoms, are a couple of my favorites.
Lilac flowers range from creamy shades to purples
Although I like purple, I grow lilacs in a variety of hues, including white, blue, purple, magenta, violet, and pink. Even the yellow-lilac S. vulgaris ‘Primrose’ exists. It is a rich, creamy yellow, not the color of dandelions. S.vulgaris ‘Sensation’ is another unusual cultivar; it has purple flowers with white pinstripes encircling each petal. I grew a tall, slender variety of lilac named “Krasavitsa Moskvy,” a Russian introduction of the common lilac, next to my back door. I’m reminded of pink opals when I see its emerging buds, which later bloom into double, white blooms.
Although lilac flowers typically have four petals, many double-flowered cultivars have also been created by hybridizers. Each of these flowers has more than four petals, frequently 12 or more. These can occasionally be put hose-in-hose, which means a four-petal bloom is enclosed by another four-petal flower. Some of the more recent introductions have all of the extra petals radially arranged daisy-style in the same plane.
What qualities should a lilac have? Naturally lovely blossoms. In addition, flowers should be plentiful, fragrant, and come in the color of your choice. And disease resistance is a significant bonus.
My preferred lilacs in the past had huge blossoms. Since then, I’ve come to understand that even the largest lilac flowers can only be seen up close, and that the majority of lilacs are best seen from across a garden or even a street. The quantity of bloom therefore becomes crucial, as well as presentation. You might need to smell your lilacs from a window on the second floor if all of your plant’s blossoms are at the top. Many lilac cultivars grow so tall that single-story homes cannot accommodate them.