Although the purple lilac is the state flower of New Hampshire, it is not a native species of plant. This is difficult to believe because there is frequently an old lilac guarding a long-abandoned home site where just a cellar hole and a few scattered stones can be seen. Purple is one of the other six hues “White, violet, pink, blue, lavender, and magenta are the flower’s official colours. The blossoms can have one or two florets.
Homeowners Liz and Brian Riordan are accompanied by Griz, a chocolate Labrador dog, and Cooper, a black Labrador retriever, who are always by their sides. “Lilacs have the amazing quality that the blossoms get better and better every year! claims Liz.
Nothing makes me feel more sentimental than the perfume of lilacs, a distinctive scent that is renowned to bring back happy childhood memories. The Eastern European common lilac Syringa vulgaris is the ancestor of the fragrant lilacs. There are twenty other lilac species that are indigenous to Asian countries like China and Korea. Some have strong scents, while others have none at all.
The University of New Hampshire’s lilac breeding programme, which ran from the 1940s through the early 2000s, was well recognised for many years. A plant that was created at UNH is a “Miss Kim,” “Agnes Smith,” or “James Macfarlane” lilac.
Liz and Brian Riordan met at UNH while working together in the lab for their introductory zoology course. “I had no idea that we would become companions for life, Liz admits. At UNH, their lilac adoration also started to bloom. ” Looking and smelling at the lilacs in May was one of our favourite activities. It became my favourite flower after becoming Brian’s favourite.
The sole flowering plant on the property when the Riordans purchased their Hampton Falls home in 1991 was a lilac hedge in the front yard. Liz and Brian made the decision to erect a privacy fence behind the house in 2005. Liz explains, “We began with eight immature lilac shrubs and today we have seventy varieties! I always start my visit to a new nursery by looking at the lilacs.
Liz claims she won’t plant a plant if she doesn’t know what variety it is even though the Riordans have labelled every one of their plants.
Around May 18, the lilacs in their yard reach their full glory. “Liz explains, “May is a month Brian and I look forwards to all year.” “We take daily strolls across the lavender field. The scent is wonderful! The Riordans enjoy having guests around to see the lilac display, and in spring they will host a wedding for close family friends in their garden.
The Riordans eagerly await peak lilac blooming in May, when there will be an abundance of blossoms for cutting and the pair will be surrounded by smell both inside and outside.
The following lilac varieties are some of the Riordans’ favourites:
- With its massive pink double flowers, “Katherine Havemeyer”
- Early-blooming, white “Betsy Ross” that resists mildew
- With their rich purples, “Congo” and “Yankee Doodle”
- ‘Maiden’s Blush’ is a wonderful pink that blooms early.
- The plant ‘Beauty of Moscow’ features pink buds that open to reveal white blooms.
- “Agincourt Beauty” has enormous, deep violet blooms.
- ‘Lilac Sunday,’ a single-flowering purple with arching branches that was created by hybridization at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum
The Katie Bentley Lilac Project and associated Katie Bentley Memorial Charity were established in 2007 in memory of John and Cheryl Bentley’s daughter Katie, age 4, who passed away from a rare lung ailment. The Lilac Project seeks to spread enthusiasm for Katie’s favourite flower, the purple lilac.
John speaks about lilacs in fourth-grade schools all around the state. ” He explains, “I give them a quick history lesson on lilacs in New Hampshire “For instance, we are the only state with a Lilac Commission, the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth is home to the oldest known lilacs in North America, and the lilac is our state flower. I make an effort to keep it entertaining and interesting by speaking for only around fifteen minutes and allowing the kids plenty of time to ask questions. We offer each of them a lilac to plant at home if we have enough money for it. We wish to foster a young love of lilacs.
In honour of Katie Bentley, Boscawen Elementary School has installed a stone bench and lilac trees. Her favourite flower was the lilac, and she adored the colour purple.
430 kids around the state asked John for lilacs last year, and donations helped pay for their delivery.
The Lilac Project also encourages the planting of lilacs on public property, such as at libraries, cemeteries, and schools. John can assist you in getting a lilac planting programme started in your community.
John wants to establish a public lilac collection in Hooksett with more than 300 unique and collectable lilacs in order to encourage public enjoyment and scientific research of lilacs. The Katie Bentley Lilac Collection will be the name of this envisioned arboretum. A sizable complex with the lilac collection, associated agricultural fields, a restaurant, an event pavillion, festival grounds, a concert stage, a brew pub, and a hotel has been planned by Concord developer Jeff Larrabee of Larrabee Group, LLC.
A new facility for Syringa Plus Nursery has opened in Hooksett. Stock plants for the nursery are still located in the former nursery in West Newbury, Massachusetts, but the rest of the business has relocated up north. The ultimate goal is to satisfy the needs of lilac lovers in only one trip!
Liz claims that Evie King from Syringa Plus in Hooksett is a true specialist on lilacs and that she has taught her a lot about the flower. When I have questions, she is the one I turn to. King offers the following three recommendations for lilac success:
Where in NH can I find lilacs?
The New Hampshire Lilac Festival It’s unlike anything else.
- The Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site in Portsmouth, which served as the former Royal Governor of the colony, may be well known to you.
- The location is at its best in the spring when its lilacs bloom—the breathtaking sight and perfume are not to be missed.
When do lilac bushes bloom in the year?
Did you know that the National Gardening Bureau has designated 2022 as the “Year of the Lilac”? They have a sweet, eerie aroma and are among the easiest shrubs for your landscaping to maintain that bloom in the spring. Find out how to plant, nurture, and prune your lilacs.
About Lilacs
Syringa vulgaris, or common lilac, is prized for its tenacity, dependability, and scent. Lilacs are so hardy that they can live for more than 100 years and frequently outlive the houses they were planted near.
This tiny, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub (or tree) has approximately ten canes and blooms at eye level. The height of a common lilac can range from 8 to 12 feet, depending on the cultivar. The aromatic flowers attract butterflies and make good cuttings.
There are lilac types that come in white, cream, and even pink and yellow, though the blooms are typically lilac/purple in hue (ranging from very pale to extremely dark). Flowers can be solitary or double in number.
Lilacs bloom in northern states from mid- to late spring for around two weeks. However, there are lilac varieties for early, mid, and late seasons that, when cultivated together, guarantee a consistent bloom for at least six weeks.
Lilacs do best in soil that is fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, and neutral to alkaline (at a pH near 7.0). Add compost to your soil to improve it if it is in bad condition. (Learn more about adding amendments to the soil and getting it ready for planting.) Lilacs don’t enjoy having their feet wet and won’t blossom if they are kept too moist, so make sure the planting area drains well.
Lilacs should be planted in full sun, which is defined as having at least six hours of sunlight each day, for the finest blooms.
How to Plant Lilacs
- If you’re fortunate, a friend may offer you a sucker, or offshoot, of the plant’s root system. The sucker will first appear pitiful, but all you need to do is dig a hole, fill it with soil, and then insert the sucker. water next, and then wait. You’ll be rewarded with enormous, fragrant blossoms in 4 or 5 years.
- Lilacs purchased from nurseries can also be planted easily. If the plant was cultivated in a container, spread its roots out as you plant it; if it was balled or burlapped, gently remove the covering and any rope before doing so. Set the plant 2 to 3 inches deeper than it was while it was growing in the nursery and cover the roots with topsoil. in water Then add more topsoil to the hole to finish it.
- Depending on the kind, place multiple lilac bushes 5 to 15 feet apart.
- Apply a layer of compost under the plant each spring, followed by a layer of mulch to keep moisture in and weeds under control.
- If the weekly rainfall is less than 1 inch, water during the summer.
- If lilacs receive too much fertiliser, they won’t bloom. In the late winter, they can manage a few 10-10-10, but no more.
- Spread some lime and thoroughly composted manure around the base of your lilac bush once it has finished blooming. Remove suckers while you form the shrub by trimming it.
Pruning Lilacs
- Since lilacs blossom on old wood, it’s important to prune in the spring immediately following their bloom. You risk removing the wood if you prune later in the summer. A word of advice: It’s time to prune if your lilac flower clusters are getting smaller!
- After bloom each year, cut away any dead wood. Remove the oldest canes by pruning (down to the ground). Take out the tiny suckers. Reduce weak branches until a robust shoot remains. Reduce tall canes to eye level.
- Remove one-third of the oldest canes (down to the ground) in year one, half of the remaining old wood in year two, and the remainder in year three if your lilac is very old and in poor condition. Cutting the entire plant back to a height of approximately 6 or 8 inches is another option for elderly lilacs. Although it sounds dramatic, lilacs are remarkably resilient. This option’s drawback is that it takes some time for the hair to grow back. The lilac will grow back bursting with blooms, so there will be less work and more reward.
- It is important to understand that extreme trimming causes bloom loss for one to three years. For these reasons, a smart pruning programme gives the bushes yearly attention in an effort to avoid making dramatic and severe cuts.
The Syringa vulgaris kind of lilacs is the most widely grown and fragrant:
- Try the double magneta variety “Charles Joly” for an early bloom.
- Lilacs in the middle of the season include “Monge,” a deep reddish purple, and “Firmament,” a delicate blue.
- Miss Canada, a reddish pink, and Donald Wyman, a solitary purple, are two late-season beauties.
Syringa x hyacinthiflora, an early-flowering lilac cultivar, opens 7 to 19 days before those of the common lilac. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to its fragrant blossoms.
The cutleaf lilac, a fragrant pale lavender, is one of the common lilacs that may flourish as far south as Zone 9. Common lilacs appreciate cold weather. The beautiful shrub Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ has light lilac-blue flowers that eventually become white.
There are tiny kinds for gardeners who simply don’t have the space for the conventional larger lilacs, particularly those in urban settings. Even in a container on your balcony or patio, they will grow.
- ‘Baby Kim’ has a lovely rounded shape, only grows 2 to 3 feet high (and 3 feet wide), and has purple flowers that draw butterflies. Hardiness from Zones 3 to 8 extended.
- Compact lilac ‘Little Lady’ (Syringa x) has dark pink buds that open to lilac-pink flowers and grows to be 4 to 5 feet tall and wide at maturity. Zones 2 to 7 are tough.
- Syringa vulgaris cultivars “New Age Lavender” and “New Age White” were developed for mildew resistance and are quite compact, growing from 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. Hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to their fragrant blossoms. Zone 4 hardy.
Lilacs can be found in New Hampshire?
Lilacs and the purple hue of the bloom are favourites of Guy Giunta Jr. Consequently, he dresses in purple “essentially all the time. His two vehicles both have “lilacs” and “His vintage Cadillac has “lilac” on its licence plates.
Guy is the ideal choice to lead the Governor’s Lilac and Wildflower Commission, which encourages civic, community, and gardening clubs to plant lilacs and wildflowers. He’s always been a lilac lover, “even growing up as a child. I never saw myself serving as the lilac commissioner.
The lilac commision will distribute lilacs, but they must be planted on public grounds, according to the former landscape specialist supervisor for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. He also estimates that the commision “has planted at least 100,000 lilac plants in the state.”
The state flower of New Hampshire is the Syringa vulgaris, a purple lilac. The legislature vigorously debated which of nine flowers should be taken into consideration in the early months of 1919. On March 28, 1919, the state eventually approved the purple lilac after much debate “because it represents the resilient nature of Granite State residents.
Lilacs have a long history and can live for several centuries. The Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth, a New Hampshire State Park and a National Historic Landmark, is home to some of the oldest surviving lilacs in North America that are said to have been planted from English stock around 1750. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both planted lilacs in their backyard gardens in the late 1700s and documented the process.
Lilacs come in more than 20 different species, all of which are native to Europe and Asia. In addition to purple, lilacs are also available in red, blue, pink, white, mauve, and yellow. According to Guy, a resident of Sanbornton, who plants “probably 20 varieties of lilacs,” “all lilacs perform beautifully in N.H.
It takes three to four years for a fresh lilac shrub to grow. Lilacs require a cold, dormant period before flowering, and they are hardy in zones 3 to 7. They also require acidic to alkaline soil that is well-drained. Full flowering needs to take place in a sunny area. Traditional bloom time for many lilacs is from the second to the fourth week of May. The clump requires weekly watering of about one inch, either from the hose or from nature. Utilize compost or a balanced, all-purpose fertiliser to fertilise lilacs in the spring.
The most prevalent fungal disease issue with lilacs, according to the Governor’s Lilac and Wildflower Commission, is powdery mildew, which appears as white spots on both sides of the leaves. The symptoms manifest during humid summers, however they often pose no threat to the health of the plant. Plant lilacs away from other plants, place them in full light, and prune the bushes to allow air to flow through them.
Gardeners who want their lilacs’ leaves to stay healthy and green or who have a recurring powdery mildew issue should apply a preventative fungicide by carefully adhering to the label’s instructions. If you’re planting lilacs for the first time, look for cultivars that are resistant to powdery mildew at your neighbourhood nurseries and garden centres.
If you regularly prune, take out one or two of the oldest stems close to the ground first. Instead of having four or five stems on one side and two on the other, the shrub should have a “fountain shape.” The shrub is asymmetrical as a result of too much emphasis being placed on one side.
Begin by thinning at the top. Cut the branch just before it joins another branch “When trimming, he advises, be sure to provide space for light and air to enter the plant. Look for and remove any discoloured, diseased, or dead stems. Gather clippings and throw them away to avoid infection in the future.
Lilac clusters that have been neglected are a common occurrence, claims the expert pruner. “This is especially true with common lilacs since they send up a lot of suckers, spread out widely, and grow to an excessive height. Remove any overgrown lilacs while pruning them “Cut a few of the oldest stems close to the ground first. David advises against leaving six-inch stubs. ” Remove stems that are rubbing or contacting one another. Small shoots, or suckers, will sprout; progressively remove the weak shoots while leaving the stronger ones in place.
The conclusion
The ultimate goal, according to him, is to swap out old stems for new ones so that the entire clump contains stems that range in age from one to seven years old or more.