There are a few gardens that do not include lilacs. Yet few contain the kinds that best enhance the garden picture throughout the year. The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, its white-flowering variety, S. V. alba, and the numerous so-called “French hybrids” (Ludwig Spaeth,’ Charles Joly, ‘Ellen Wilmott’ and ‘President Grevy’) are practically indispensable in their … Read more
Now that the leaves have fallen, examine bare stems of lilacs for oyster-shell-shaped scale infests several kinds of shrubs and trees and is especially fond of lilacs, Lombardy poplar, and ash. Heavily Infested Plants Heavily-infested plants are gradually weakened and may be killed if control measures are not followed. This scale is difficult to control … Read more
The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, and its hundreds of forms and hybrids have always been garden favorites. Their beauty and fragrance have led horticulturists to expect too much from the approximately 20 late-blooming lilac species that have only recently been introduced into gardens. As a result, there has been rather severe criticism of them as … Read more
This lilac, introduced into England in 1909, is a native of Korea and Manchuria. It is an attractive addition to our hardy, deciduous flowering shrubs, well worthy of a space in our gardens. It makes a shapely bush about 10’ feet high. The large panicles bear numerous fragrant flowers, varying from pale lilac to a … Read more
It is fitting that lilacs, with their faculty of making human beings remember, go back into time beyond the memory of history. Many a family has been outlived by the lilacs beside its threshold; many a house has risen and stood and fallen into dust, with only the lilac bush by the rubble of its … Read more
What could be lovelier than waking on a sunny May morning to the fresh fragrance of a dewy lilac just outside your window? The charm and sweetness of its multiple blooms and its ability to withstand severe cold and neglect are reasons for the lilac’s popularity in this and most other countries. Hardy Lilacs As … Read more
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. … Read more
Autumn is the best time to plant lilacs in all except the coldest sections of the country. You may plant them in spring, of course, but you must be sure to do so only in the earliest weeks of spring before the leaves have started to unfurl. If the plants have leafed out, there is less … Read more