Over the last 30 years, I have been growing lilacs. No other plant has given me greater pleasure.
Since we are convenient to the private collection of Miss Vivian Evans, who has over 300 varieties of lilacs, and to our local Ewing Park, with more than 200 varieties, it has taken a real effort to narrow our list down to the 150 hybrid varieties and several species that we grow. It is so much easier to try out new varieties than it is to discard the old ones.
Many of these lilacs deserve much wider use by the average gardener than they are now receiving.
Excellent Lilac Species
Several species of lilacs can make an excellent contribution to the landscape. Some of them are low growers, which makes them adaptable to situations where the hybrids grow too large.
Among the species, these seem to us to be especially useful:
Syringa Chinensis
Syringa chinensis (frequently called Rothomagensis and erroneously called Persian). It is a native of China and came to us by way of Persia.
This makes an excellent hedge lilac. It grows as dense as Zabel’s honeysuckle, produces almost no suckers, and has attractive purple flowers in great profusion.
The pink and paler shades are rather disappointing. There is also a true Persian lilac (Syringa persica), a lower grower, but with us, the bloom has not been profuse, and we have discarded it.
Syringa Oblata Dilatata
Syringa oblata dilatata, a species of – Korean origin, has attractive pink flowers and is the earliest to bloom of any lilac we have grown.
Syringa Amurensis Japonica
Syringa amurensis japonica, the Japanese tree lilac, should be used more. It makes a small tree and would fit well with ranch-type homes where many shade and ornamental trees grow too large.
Some of the Japanese tree lilacs in one of our parks are now over 30’ feet tall. The flowers are white.
Syringa Microphylla
Syringa microphylla (daphne or little leaf lilac) has much smaller leaves than most lilacs. At maturity, it makes a small to medium size plant and has pink flowers.
Syringa Velutina
Syringa velutina (sometimes called palibiniana) is another Korean lilac dating back to about 1910.
Blooming late in the season, it has flowers of attractive pink. Inclined to be a dwarf grower, it deserves a place where smaller plants are desirable.
Syringa Pubescens
Syringa pubescens is the most fragrant of any lilac we know. Unfortunately, with us, it has not proved to be a dependable bloomer. The flowers are lavender.
Syringa Villosa
Syringa villosa is another late-flowering lilac. It is a parent of several of the later-blooming hybrid varieties.
Syringa Swegiflexa
Syringa swegiflexa, a cross between Sweginzowi and Refiexa, is another variety worth further trial. It has pinkish flowers which appear late in the blooming season. This plant seems to be a rather dwarf grower, although we haven’t had it long enough to evaluate it properly.
So much for the species, now, if you want a wide range of colors from white through violets, blues, lavenders, pinks, reddish purples, and deep purples—combined with single or double flowers—you must look to the hybrid lilacs.
Not All French
Note that I did not say “French hybrids.” True, many years ago, Victor and Emile Lemoine of Nancy, France, introduced some 214 varieties, and other Frenchmen introduced several more—giving the term “French hybrids” its start.
But many worthwhile hybrid lilacs have come from other sources, and we should prefer to judge the plants on their merits rather than their origin.
Purple Variety
`Ludwig Spaeth,’ the top-rated deep purple variety, came from the Spaeth Nurseries of Berlin, Germany.
Other good varieties came from Holland and Belgium. Paul Dunbar, formerly of the park department in Rochester, New York, developed the top-rated single blue ‘President Lincoln.’
He also developed ‘Adelaide Dunbar,’ the top-rated deep purple. His ‘President Roosevelt’ is a good dependable deep purple variety.
Huldah Klager of Woodland, Wash., introduced more than 80 varieties. Of them all, three that we consider outstanding are ‘Frank Klager,’ `The City of Gresham,’ and ‘My Favorite.’
Theodore Havemeyer, a Glen Head, Long Island nurseryman, originated about 40 varieties, some of which were introduced after his death.
Among these are several of our finest hybrid lilacs, including ‘Charm,’ `Glory,’ Anne Shiach, ‘Night’ and 2ulu.”Charm and Glory are especially valuable in extending the blooming season. They frequently steal the show when our lilacs are in bloom.
About 20 hybrid varieties were introduced by W. B. Clarke of San Jose, Calif. Among them: ‘Clarke’s Giant,’ `Esther Staley,’ and ‘Blue Hyacinth.’
F. L. Skinner of Dropmore, Manitoba, and Isabella Preston of Ottawa, Ontario, is also responsible for introducing several excellent varieties.
These include early and late-season bloomers. Among them are `Assessippi,` Pocahontas,’ Excel,’ ‘Hiawatha,’ Isabella, “Coral,’ and `Royalty,’ which will extend the blooming period for two weeks.
Those who wish to learn about more lilac varieties than those described or listed here should consult the bulletin “Lilacs for America,” published by the A. H. Scott Horticultural Foundation, Swarthmore, Pa. (Price, $1.)
In this bulletin, lilacs are rated as desirability by a group of top lilac authorities from the arboretum, private collectors, and nurserymen specialists.
Hints On Culture
Lilacs do best when planted in a sunny location. They may survive in the shade but will produce few flowers. However, they will do well in any good, well-drained garden loam.
If the humus is low in the soil, it will pay to spade in plenty of manure or compost or to add a balanced commercial fertilizer.
Cow manure is excellent for lilacs. If your soil is acidic, an occasional application of lime is recommended.
Spring Or Fall Planting
One may plant lilacs in either early spring or fall. After unwrapping the plants, be sure to keep the roots well-moistened until they are planted. It would even be good to soak them in water for a few hours.
Place the topsoil to one side and use this to fill in around the roots. Water the plant thoroughly and finish filling the hole.
Set the plants a couple of inches deeper than they stood in the nursery —as shown by the soil line on the trunk. This allows for some future settling of the earth around the plant.
Watering
Water the new plants frequently, especially during dry spells. Keep the soil cultivated about 2” inches deep and free from weeds.
A watering that reaches the bottom of the roots is worth a dozen half-hearted sprinklings.
Pruning
Lilacs require little or no pruning at planting time or for the first five or six years. Then, if the plants become old and too woody, cut out some of the larger limbs as close to the ground as possible.
Save a few new shoots to take their place. If suckers become too numerous, thin them out, but always leave a few new shoots, as they will give you your best bloom a few years later.
Lilac Pests
Lilacs have only two pests of much importance, borers and oyster shell scale. Borers are small white worms that eat their way into the wood and weaken or kill some larger branches. Watch for sawdust being thrown out, usually near the soil line.
These little worms can be dug out with a knife or killed with a wire run into the hole. Another standard remedy is carbon bisulfide squirted into the holes. Some of the newer borer treatments, such as Borgo, seem effective.
The oyster shell scale appears as small raised areas on the bark. These “bumps” can be picked off easily. The scale consists of small grayish insects that attach to the stems and suck out the plant juices.
They spread rapidly and completely cover a plant’s stems in a few years. Cut off and burn the affected parts if they are on only one or two limbs.
For a wider infestation, spray the plants with a miscible oil or with DDT just before the leaves appear. In applying any spray, follow closely the directions on the container.
44659 by C. H. Heard