Middle Eastern Marvels - Garden Plants – Lilac

Name – The Persian lilac was a feature of Indian and Persian gardens for hundreds of years before it was introduced to Europe early in the 17th century – it was an immediate hit with the rich and noble families of the time and John Tradescant the Elder was growing it in Lambeth by 1640!

Description – The lilac is mainly grown for its fragrant purple flowers in mid-spring, however, because lilacs are related to the privet family, some of the more visually impressive varieties, Preston hybrids in particular – have been bred for a good shape and flower colour rather than for the superb scent that we expect from lilacs, so before you buy, decide if you’re purchasing for fragrance or appearance and if the scent is what you want, choose the lilac persica, which has the best scent of all.

Origin – Lilacs are generally considered to be low-maintenance shrubs in our climate, which is one reason for their popularity. All lilacs like sun and well-drained soil, chalk or limestone suits them better than acid soils, but they can cope with fairly poor conditions. Lilacs do not like to have wet roots for a prolonged period of time which means they tend to perform at their best on hillsides, slightly elevated areas, or level ground where there is good drainage, Pruning is not essential, unless the lilac is getting out of shape or taking over the garden, but removing the spent flowers will encourage new blooms and keep the shrub looking tidier. Because so many gardens have an old lilac, it’s worth knowing how to deal with them - old bushes should have a third of their wood cut back to base to rejuvenate them, do this every two years as the cut stems will take a few years to recover before they build up to flowering again – by the end of six years you should be seeing a good range of flowering in the first cut branches.

Middle east lilac photograph by v_spike_30001, used under a creative commons attribution

 

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