FedEx Shipping is offered from spring through fall. usually departs the nursery within five business days of receiving the order (orders placed too late in Fall will ship the next Spring season).
The McKay Nursery’s ubiquitous White lilac flower shrubs are anything but ordinary! Purchase vintage plants for your landscaping to be used as screens or hedges. They feature solitary, white blooms that bloom beautifully and go well with their light blue-green foliage. They also have a strong perfume. They feature solitary, white blooms that bloom beautifully and go well with their light blue-green foliage. They also have a strong perfume. Because it resembles the Common Purple lilac so much, the Common White lilac makes a good informal screen or hedge in the landscape. These are also fantastic cut flowers!
Which month is ideal for lilac planting?
Lilac trees grow best in the fall, just after the leaves have fallen and before the ground freezes. Lilacs can be planted in the spring before the buds open. However, springtime is a relatively brief season, therefore transplanting at this time is only advised in regions with really harsh winters.
How large can a white lilac shrub grow?
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 fertilizer, 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 program 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.
Exists a white dwarf lilac plant?
The Flowerfesta White Dwarf Lilac is a lovely shade of lilac, but beware—it has a lot of flower power! The gorgeous look, scent, and size of this shrub make it a truly alluring addition to any garden, no matter how big or tiny!
The characteristic angelic white lilac blooms of this White Dwarf Lilac, which cluster to form lovely panicles, are complemented with a beautifully sweet aroma, just like its sister plants. The pure white blossoms contrast beautifully with the light green leaves, adding a magical touch to any garden!
Although they are lovely, regular-sized lilacs can occupy a fair amount of space, which can be an issue for lilac fans with small gardens and patios. Choose a Flowerfesta White Dwarf Lilac instead of compromising what you grow because of limited space! Due to its compact growth habit, it can easily fit in patio containers or small garden patches. Since the panicles on these tiny lilacs are almost the same size as those on a standard lilac, you won’t have to worry about giving up flower size either!
A Flowerfesta White Dwarf will provide a delightful spring full of blooms and fragrance in your tiny blooming hedges, mixed borders, or patio pots. But the fun doesn’t stop there. This lovely plant will blossom once again as the season changes and you start to consider fall! Yes, this particular type blooms repeatedly.
This shrub is ideal for you if you’re concerned about the types of plants you buy since you live in a particularly chilly area or one that experiences frequent drought. Once established, the Flowerfesta White Dwarf Lilac can withstand some drought and is cold hardy down to -18 degrees Fahrenheit. What a resilient plant!
This vigorous flower won’t just captivate you—your neighborhood pollinators will also adore it! For a springtime snack, butterflies and hummingbirds swarm to this plant! Enjoy the flutter a Flowerfesta White Dwarf Lilac gives to your patio by taking a seat back and unwinding.
You should plant this shrub in a location where it may get all-day light and well-drained soil. The Pink Dwarf Lilac will do just well with only occasional watering after the first season of being irrigated.
Do not let your garden’s size dictate whether you get to experience all the advantages of owning a lilac. The Flowerfesta White Dwarf Lilac is ideal for little patios or expansive landscapes. Get yourself one of these beautiful lilacs right now!
How much time do white lilacs bloom for?
Here are seven interesting facts about these beloved garden plants to honor the lilac bushes that are currently putting on a magnificent, fragrant display.
Kate Chopin described how Sister Agathe would frequently turn to the window during the day when the aroma of lilac blossoms started to fill the air, wearing the joyful, beatific expression that simple, pure souls wear as they wait for the arrival of people they love.
We could not have put it more succinctly. Here are seven things to know about cultivating and caring for these beloved garden plants, in honor of the lilac bushes that are putting on their magnificent, fragrant display at this time of year.
| Climate for Lilacs
While some lilac types may survive warmer environments, most prefer chilly weather (zones 37). They require a period of hibernation before they can bloom, which cold winters cause. Lilac plants typically bloom in the spring and only for two weeks, though the exact timing depends on the kind and location.
| Sun, Soil and Fertilizer
P. Allen Smith, a landscape and garden designer from Arkansas, lists lilac bushes among his top 15 favorite scented plants for the yard. He said to Flower, “Plants should be treated with a general fertilizer in early spring and then again after the bloom cycle. Lilacs bloom best when planted in full sun and well-drained, alkaline soil. For your early spring feeding, switch the general fertilizer out for super phosphate or another fertilizer heavy in phosphorus to promote blooms.
Mara Tyler of the Farm at Oxford in Pennsylvania, a grower of flowers, also provided her lilac-growing advice, beginning with full sun. Don’t overfeed the lilac, she advised, but we do give it a dose of compost and an organic local fertilizer in the ratio of 3-5-4 every year. We want to encourage blossoms rather than foliage growth because we want our lilacs to produce blooms. Additionally, it may take 34 years after planting tiny lilac pups before we can actually harvest from a bush. The first few years they grow more slowly, but around year 45 it seems like their growth really takes off.
The best time of year to plant lilac bushes, according to Tyler, is: “Whenever we have the time, we plant in the spring or the fall. Care, however, is influenced by the time you plant.” As with any plant, if you plant in the spring, be careful to water it regularly throughout the summer’s heat. The plants typically settle in well in the fall thanks to drainage from winter showers or snowfall.
| Pruning Lilacs
After they finish blooming, lilac bushes should be pruned and shaped since they produce buds on old wood. You run the danger of removing the blossoms for the following year, Tyler warned.
| Varieties of Lilac Bushes
While there are countless lilac types to choose from, here are a few to take into account if you have certain needs.
- Plant “Miss Kim” or “Blue Skies” in zones 8 or other warmer areas.
- Consider “Excel,” which puts on its major display between February and March, or possibly “Charles Joly” when thinking of early bloomers.
- recurring blooms: Select “Josee.”
| European Descent
North America does not have any native lilac bushes. Eastern European mountains in Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania are where the Common Lilac first appeared. The species was raised by the Turks for many years. Lilac plants eventually made their way to Vienna and Paris in the 1500s. Since they created so many different types, the common lilac is frequently referred to as a French hybrid or just a French lilac. Lilac bushes now adorn the gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson after these European species finally made the voyage to the New World.
If you cut flowers from your lilac bushes for an arrangement, you may keep the flowers fresher longer by misting the petals, which can absorb water, and changing the water in the vases every day.
| A Whole Island of Lilacs
On Mackinac Island in Michigan, there are two additional species in addition to more than 100 types of common lilacs ” (pronounced “Mackinaw). The best growing conditions are cold winters and sunny, warm summers with enough precipitation. And the island’s well-drained soil, which has a limestone rock basis, is perfect for lilacs.
The oldest lilac bushes on Mackinac date back to the 1870s and can reach heights of 20 feet and a diameter of 27 inches “Lavander trees Since 1949, the town has celebrated the beginning of the June flowering season with a 10-day Lilac Festival. Even the Lilac Festival Queen and the Grand Parade are present. Plan to travel around this small town by foot, a bicycle, or a horse. In 1898, vehicles were outlawed.
Bonus | A Book of Lilacs
What better way to mark the passing of the seasons than with the flower that seems to herald the arrival of summer? For many years, lilacs have been a favorite flower and a source of creativity for painters like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. In the eighth volume of the Gibbs Smith flower series, Lilacs: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden (Gibbs Smith, April 2022), Naomi Slade provides straightforward gardening advice to show that anyone can cultivate these vivid blooms. Beautiful images by Georgianna Lane also provide a ton of visual inspiration.