The lilac tree, or common lilac, is a species of a perennial flowering multi-stemmed tiny tree that belongs to the Oleaceae family, which is the family of olive shrubs.
The plant is originally native to the rocky hills of the Balkan Peninsula, which include parts of modern-day Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia, etc.
However, the plant today is cultivated and naturalized in a variety of regions around the world, including North America, Asia, and the rest of Europe.
The botanical name of the species is “Syringa vulgaris”, which is pronounced as [ si-RING-gah vul-GAIR-iss].
In the following sections, we’ll walk you through a brief guide about lilac tree care as well as the best uses for the plant.
Lilac Tree Care
Size & Growth
The common lilac can grow anywhere from 10′ to 15′ feet tall and about 11′ feet wide on average. However, there are other varieties of lilacs that are called “dwarf lilacs”.
These usually reach a maximum length of about 5′ to 6′ feet tall and anywhere between 4′ to 8′ feet wide.
One of the largest varieties of the lilac tree is the Japanese one (Syringa reticulata), which can grow up to 30′ feet tall and 18′ to 20′ feet wide.
Flowering and Fragrance
The flowering time of lilacs depends on their variety. Some of them bloom early in the spring while other flowers at the end of spring.
If you combine all varieties the lilac tree will bloom for up to 2 months during the spring season. The flowers are not only purplish and pretty, but they’re also fragrant and have a floral scent with hints of vanilla!
Light & Temperature
Lilacs are pretty hard and low maintenance, making them easy to grow in a wide range of temperatures.
Ideally, lilacs thrive in relatively cool weather. In fact, the plant can tolerate temperatures as low as -40° degrees Fahrenheit (-40° degrees Celsius) if they’re shielded from the wind.
The plant needs plenty of time in temperatures around 50° degrees Fahrenheit (10° degrees Celsius) in order to bloom in spring.
Watering and Feeding
Irrigate the lilac’s soil once every 10 to 15 days during the blooming season. Supply enough water to moisten the soil and avoid overhead watering.
Lilacs also don’t need extensive fertilizing. For the best performance, use a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium mix and apply once a year in early spring.
Soil & Transplanting
The ideal soil to grow a lilac tree is a slightly alkaline one, with a pH level of anywhere between 6.5 to 7.0.
The soil should be well-drained and relatively moist in addition to being rich in organic matter for nutrition.
Grooming And Maintenance
When it comes to grooming and maintaining the health of lilac trees, pruning is the best practice. The ideal time for pruning is usually around the end of the flowering season in the spring.
The earlier you prune the plant after it has finished flowering the better because leaving the job until summer or fall means that you’ll prune most of the buds of next year’s blooming flowers.
How To Propagate Lilac Tree
Propagating lilac from cuttings can be a bit tricky, but achievable. To do it, you’ll need to take cuttings of the lilac from new growth in the growing season (early summer or late spring).
Cut about 4” to 5” inches of the growth and clip off the bottom leaves, leaving a couple at the top.
After that, get a pot and fill it up with a suitable potting mix with perlite and sand. Add some water to moisten the mix, then poke a hole where you want to plant the cutting.
Make sure to make the plant more than one cutting and dip them in rooting hormones to increase your chances of succeeding.
Lilac Tree Pests And Diseases
Lilac is a healthy plant but it’s still prone to a few common pests and diseases. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common issues that a lilac tree can develop:
- Bacterial blight: Turns the leaves black or brown and is caused by “Pseudomonas syringae”
- Ascochyta blight: The stalks of the flower are wilted and brownish in addition to spots that look like fungal infection, which is caused by “Ascochyta syringae”.
- Witches’ broom: A few stems of the tree form clusters with the leaves turning yellow and wilted, which is caused by “Phytoplasma”
- Shoot blight: Another form of blight where shoots and roots of the plants are turning black and dying, caused by “Hytophthora cactorum”
- Powdery mildew: a white fungal growth forms on leaves and distorts them, caused by “Microsphaera syringae”
Suggested Lilac Tree Uses
Thanks to the lilac tree’s fragrant scent and aesthetic look, the plant is common in backyards and gardens.
You can also use the plant to attract colorful birds and butterflies to your garden. Moreover, some gardeners and homeowners use it to deter deers.