In spring, one of the first lilacs blooms, which pleases not only with beautiful flowers, but also with a strong pleasant aroma. Looking at this beautiful large flowering plant, people are trying to understand: is lilac a bush or a tree?
Types and varieties of bush lilacs
Although lilac is a fairly tall plant, it belongs to shrubs. Lilac genus Shrubs, family Olive. Currently, more than 30 species are known, most of them are wild plants. They can be found in the southeast of Europe and in Asia (mainly in China). Like domestic varieties, wild representatives of this genus have beautiful flowers.
Lilac bloom
Flowers can be of different colors: white, lilac, lilac, pink. Collected in a whisk. The leaves are usually whole, opposite in location, fall in autumn. The fruit is a box.
In the gardens, different types of lilacs can be found in all corners of Eurasia. The most common is the common lilac.
Common lilac
Large shrub up to 6 meters high. Description of all varieties is similar. The leaves are dense, smooth, dark green, the length reaches 12 cm, are located on 3 cm petioles. Flowers of different shades of purple, collected in pyramidal inflorescences, up to 20 cm long, blooms at the age of 4 years. Southeast Europe is considered the homeland.
For active flowering, fertile loamy soil is needed. It grows well on poorer soils. Tolerates minor drought, frost resistance is average. It can grow in urban environments, allows a small shadow. The root system is powerful, which must be considered when planting.
Lilac in the city
It has a large number of varieties, with different flowering periods and various shades of flowers. Breeders bred varieties even with yellow and pure pink flowers. The following varieties are popular:
- Lilac varieties Hydrangea;
- Jambul;
- India;
- Bohdan Khmelnytsky;
- And other varieties.
Persian lilac
As a result of selection, when crossing a lilac of small cut with Afghan, a bush of Persian lilac was obtained. Its height does not exceed 2 meters, branches are widely spread out. Young branches have a slight pubescence. Adult branches are brown, thin.
The flowers have a strong aroma, have a white or white-lilac color. From the upper lateral buds, inflorescences develop, up to 10 cm long, up to 7.5 cm wide.
Persian lilac
Persian lilac blooms in May. Fruiting occurs in July-August. In the wild, does not occur.
Chinese hybrid lilac
In 1777, another type of lilac was obtained in France - the Chinese hybrid. It was brought out by crossing the common lilac with the Persian. This is a powerful shrub with spreading branches, its height reaches 5 m. It has pointed ovoid leaves and large flowers, the diameter of which reaches 1.8 cm. Collected in panicles, the length of which is up to 10 cm.
After blooming, the flowers have a reddish-purple hue and a delicate pleasant aroma. Currently, varieties with white, pink and dark pink double flowers are bred.
Shaggy lilac
It has a second name - hairy. Shrub up to 4 m high. The foliage is dense, the branches are erect. Branches older than 2 years are naked, brown-yellow. Grows in China.
It has fragrant flowers of delicate violet color, collected in inflorescences, the length of which reaches 15-30 cm. It blooms in June-July. Frost resistance is good. Used for landscaping, both in group plantings, and as a hedge.
Lilac Zvyagintsev
It got its name in honor of the Governor of Riga - Zvyagintsev. Was discovered recently by the expedition of G.N. Potanin. In the natural environment grows in the mountain valleys of China.
Variety Zvyagintseva
The height of the bush is up to 5 meters, the crown is dense, the branches are erect. Leaf length - from 4 to 11 cm. There are rare hairs on top of the leaves. The buds are pink. The flowers are very fragrant. When flowering, the bush looks spectacular, the flowering period is about 2 weeks.
Amur Lilac
In vivo, it can be found in the Far East and China. Under favorable conditions, grows to 20 m. In gardens, the maximum height is about 10 m.
The biggest minus is that Amur lilac blooms in the 9-10 year of life. Flowering is quite long - 20 days. It grows well in urban areas, frost-resistant.
Hungarian lilac
In the wild it is found in the Carpathians, in Hungary and Yugoslavia. The shrub is relatively low, on average 3-4 m, the maximum height is 7 m. There are many branches. The flowers are long, tubular, often lilac, not very fragrant.
The plant is unpretentious, growing rapidly even in an urban environment. It tolerates dust and natural anomalies. Flowering lasts 3-4 weeks.
Types and varieties of tree lilacs
Tree lilac is very similar to a tree, but in reality it is a shrub.
Meyer
Compact bushes of dwarf lilacs of this variety do not grow more than 1.5 m. For a year the plant grows only 10 cm. The shoots are brown in color, the leaves are small, up to 47 cm. The length of the inflorescence is on average 10 cm. The color is varied: white, purple, red . It blooms in the last decade of May - the first decade of June. It can withstand both severe winters and dry summers.
Ludwig Shpet
A sprawling shrub with bright purple flowers gathered in a large panicle. Grows to 3.5 cm. Lives over 100 years. Growing fast. Homeland - Germany.
Miss canada
An unpretentious plant, reaches a height of 2.5 m. It blooms profusely, the flowers are small, burgundy red. Prefers sunny areas with loose soil.
Michelle Buchner
Photophilous bush up to 4 m high. Prefers fertile soil with good lighting. It grows well in a city, this variety is used for landscaping. Terry flowers, purple. It blooms in late May and blooms for quite some time.
Madame Lemoine
The variety acquired its name in honor of the wife of the French breeder Victor Lemoine, who bred it. Panicles are large, up to 20 cm long and up to 8 cm wide. In buds, the petals are first green, but when blooming, they change color to white. Blooms profusely annually.
The beauty of Moscow
This beautiful variety is distinguished by double flowers, similar to rose flowers. The color is pinkish white. The diameter of the flower reaches 2.5 cm, the panicle length is 25 cm.
Moscow beauty
It blooms for a long time. Very beautiful and unusual variety.
Sensation
The variety got its name for unusual flowers, bright purple with a white border. The flowers are large, with a mild aroma. The leaves are dark green. Mostly propagated by cuttings.
Accubifolia
It differs from other varieties by an unusual motley coloring of foliage. The flowers are semi-double, quite large, with a strong aroma. The bush is high, under favorable conditions, grows to 4 m.
Types and varieties of indoor lilac
In a home or apartment, it is almost impossible to grow lilacs. But there is a plectrantus hybrid plant. Its second name is indoor lilac. Those who see him for the first time immediately wonder: are lilacs flowers or shrubs?
Its feature is long flowering. The bush blooms in February and color until the end of autumn. It grows well in a pot on the windowsill. The flowers are lilac, in low light fade.
Plectrantus hybrid
Minimum care: watering, loosening, fertilizing and pruning. In the summer, plectrantus can be planted in open ground.
Small lilac
Shrub with spherical crown. In height and width reaches 1.5-2 m. The name received for the small size of the leaves. It blooms for a long time. When blooming, the flowers are purple-pink, then they change color to a lighter color.
How to grow lilac on the windowsill
On cold winter evenings, I really want to have a piece of spring at home. The lilac just symbolizes her arrival. If desired, you can get a blooming sprig of lilac for the New Year holiday, but you will have to try hard for this.
To do this, in September-October, cut off shoots of lilac about 80 cm long and packaged in polyethylene, placed in a refrigerator, kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 weeks.
Important! The temperature should be -2-5 degrees.
After this, the shoots are lowered into a container with cold water for 10-12 hours. It remains only to place the shoots in a container with clean water in an upright position. Maintain the optimum temperature in the room:
- 1 week - 25 degrees;
- 2 weeks - 20 degrees;
- the following weeks - 18-20 degrees.
Growing at home
If all conditions are met, for 3-4 weeks you can get a blooming lilac on the windowsill.
Propagation by cuttings
The easiest way to propagate lilacs is cuttings.
Important! It is necessary to take cuttings from young crops, not older than 5 years.
How to propagate lilac cuttings at home? Propagation by cuttings occurs in two ways:
- Woody cuttings in the fall;
- Green sprigs in the spring.
It can also propagate by seed.
When propagated by woody cuttings, planting material is prepared in late autumn - early winter. To do this, choose branches with a length of 15 cm.
Important! There should be at least 4 buds on the branches.
Cut cuttings are dug in the snow or cleaned in the cellar, after placing them in wet sand. In spring, twigs are planted for rooting.
Growing planting material
Since lilacs take root poorly enough, planting material should be planted more. In spring, the twigs are soaked for half a day in the root stimulant.
Minipair
Planted on prepared beds. The row-spacing should be 10 cm. From above, the bed is covered with a film.
Planting Lilacs in a Pot
If it is not possible to prepare a mini-steamer for cuttings, according to a similar scheme, they can be transplanted into indoor pots. Small drawers are best suited for these purposes. The distance between the rows is at least 10 cm. In such containers, cuttings can grow to the formation of roots, after which they should be transplanted to a permanent place.
Pruning Lilac Seedlings
How to plant lilacs? After about 30-60 days, roots form. Then the cuttings are planted in a permanent place where the seedlings will grow. The formation of the crown begin to be carried out after 3 years. Pruning is done in early spring. At the same time, root shoots are removed, leaving only 6-8 beautifully arranged branches.
Care
Lilac care is minimal, so if the seedling has taken root, then in the future it will grow without problems. All care develops in watering, loosening and top dressing.
Lilac garden
Watering mode
When summer comes, the lilac bush is watered when the soil dries. 2-3 buckets of water are consumed per plant. During the summer, weed removal and soil loosening are carried out. Since August, watering is reduced and watered only in case of prolonged drought.
Top dressing
Young seedlings are fed only with nitrogen fertilizers in small quantities. In the second year, 55 g of urea and 70 g of ammonium nitrate are introduced. Organic fertilizers are additionally added, from 10 to 30 liters of mullein infusion are poured under the bush.
During flowering
Special care during flowering is not required. It is enough to water if there is no rain. With sufficient humidity you just need to enjoy the beautiful view.
The lilac is very unpretentious in care, therefore, if it was possible to root it, we can expect that, after several years, a beautiful and fragrant shrub will surround the garden. Choosing a variety of the desired color and aroma is quite simple, because the variety assortment is quite wide. Lilac, like hydrangea, can become a real decoration of the garden.
