- October 12, 2018
- Trees and shrubs
- Sitkina Elena
More than 4 centuries ago, Persian lilac was brought to Europe from Constantinople, along with other “overseas wonders”. This beauty, created by the then eastern breeders based on crossing 2 other types of lilac - Afghan and small-cut, was immediately loved by gardeners for its beauty. And although it later turned out that the Persian “princess” is very whimsical, many Europeans still grow it in their garden plots. The reason is simple - it is excellent as a hedge: the bushes grow well, their leaves fall off in late autumn. And the aroma from lilacs during its flowering is such that you can close your eyes from the unforgettable pleasure.
Description of ornamental shrub
If you look at the photo and description of Persian lilac, you can immediately understand: it is incredibly good. The branches of the bush are dense, thin, curved in the form of an arc and strewn with young growths. The leaves are pointed, medium-sized (up to 8 cm long), dense, up to 1 cm wide. The flowers are usually light purple, although they can be any other color: lilac, white or whitish with a purple tint.
The inflorescences are very lush, sometimes ovoid. They look like terry cloth. The lateral inflorescences are somewhat shorter than the branches. The fruit is a tetrahedral dark red capsule with narrow wings, up to 1 cm in length and up to 0.3 cm in diameter. Iranian lilac (another name for the plant!) blooms in May-June and bears fruit until about mid-August. It rarely exceeds 2 meters in height. Not found in the wild.
White
Madame Casimir Perrier
Medium-sized shrub with a compact arrangement of shoots. These varieties of lilac are characterized by high frost resistance, so they can be found even in Siberia.
When blooming, the buds have a characteristic white-cream color. The flowers are double, quite large, can reach 2 centimeters. One inflorescence can contain up to four pairs of flowers.
Madame Casimir is often used for early forcing.
Madame Lemoine
It is often called “common lilac”, as it is found in every second garden. The shrub has a characteristic round shape with straight growing shoots. It can reach 4.5 meters in height, so it is used to decorate a fence or hedge.
It has fairly large inflorescences, which include up to 3 panicles. The flowers are snow-white, completely covering the core. It grows quickly and requires almost no additional care.
Frost resistance is high, so it is well suited for northern latitudes.
Beauty Moscow
The beautiful Moscow is called the “Russian diamond”. The shrub is of medium size and has spreading shoots, so it easily fills the entire hedge. The flowers are white with characteristic purple splashes. The inflorescences are massive, containing up to 2 spreading panicles.
Flowering is not vigorous, but stable and long-lasting. Begins in the middle or mid-late period. These varieties of lilac were bred specifically for cultivation in Russian landscape design, so the plant's frost resistance is high.
Primrose
A small shrub, up to 3 meters high. It is distinguished by its noticeable volume (diameter reaches 2.5 meters) and lush flowering.
The buds have a light yellow tint, changing to cream in the process. The petals are small, up to 1.5 centimeters, elongated. There are up to 4 panicles on one inflorescence. Growing primrose is very simple and does not require the skills of a professional gardener.
Flowering occurs intensively in the middle period.
Varieties of Persian lilac
There are only 3 of them, since the plant is difficult to select and is very difficult to grow from seeds. This:
- Alba is a dwarf Persian lilac with snow-white flower clusters, from which a not sharp, sweetish aroma emanates.
- Laciniata - it can be recognized by its small whitish-lilac inflorescences hanging on thin branches and leaning down.
- Nibra is a shrub with lush lilac-pink tassels.
You can see a photo of Persian lilac just below. But remember: in Russia this plant is extremely rare due to the fact that it does not tolerate frost well. It can die even at minus 10 - this is evidenced by reviews of gardeners who still dare to grow shrubs in their garden plots.
Choosing a Persian beauty seedling
If you decide to experiment with growing a plant in your yard, first consider purchasing a seedling. You can get it in special nurseries or in an agricultural company. You can also search on the market, but in this case you need to be careful with your purchase: often, under the guise of Persian lilac, cunning sellers sell Hungarian lilac or some other varieties.
When purchasing, pay attention to whether the plant is grafted or not. In the first case, it will have short roots and modest size, in the second - long roots and large growth. So, it is better to take an ungrafted lilac, as it will be able to adapt to new conditions faster and better. And one more thing: when choosing a seedling, make sure that its roots are moist and soft to the touch, without any growths or damage, and that its branches are elastic, with healthy leaves. It is important!
Location and soil requirements
After you bring a Persian lilac seedling home, you will need to immediately place it somewhere. The planting location should be chosen so that it is well ventilated, but at the same time closed from drafts. Experienced gardeners recommend placing printed Persian lilac (or other varieties) near the walls of sheds or other homestead buildings. The soil on which the plant will be located must be fertile, moderately moist and well-drained.
Low and marshy soils that flood in spring/autumn are not suitable for growing shrubs. The same as heavy clay ones. If the soil on the site is highly acidic, you can lower the pH level by adding lime. And one more thing: the Persian lilac, although short, is quite spreading. If several bushes will be planted on the site, a distance of 1.5 meters should be left between them.
Rules for planting lilacs
It is best to plant a plant seedling in an open area in July-August. If you do this in spring or late autumn, the bush will either suffer for a long time or even die. The planting hole for lilacs should be 100*100*100 cm in size and have steep walls. Before placing the bush in the hole, you should pour a substrate prepared from 15 kg of humus, 200 grams of wood ash and 20 kg of superphosphate. If the soil on the site is highly acidic, the amount of ash should be doubled.
It is better to plant lilacs in the evening or on a gloomy day. To do this, you need to take the plant, place it in the middle of the hole, distribute the roots evenly, making sure that the root collar remains outside. At the last moment, the substrate should be filled in and compacted. The soil around the bush should be immediately watered with warm water. It can also be mulched with straw or dried grass.
Lilac Preston.
Height up to 4 m, width up to 2 m. Flowering in July – June. Hybrid bred in Canada. Many varieties are late flowering. Flowering is abundant, the inflorescences are large, sparse, openwork, the most common shades are coral and bright pink. The species has average winter hardiness; one of its advantages is its resistance to soil waterlogging.
Lilac varieties Preston
Helene – pink.
James Macfarlane – purple-pink.
Miss Canada – bright watermelon pink.
Minuet – light lavender.
Rules for caring for shrubs
Like all other plants, Persian lilac needs proper care. It needs to be watered once in the spring and 2-3 times in the summer, during drought. One bush should require 25-30 liters of warm water. During hot weather, the ground around the bush should be loosened periodically, and in the fall it should be covered with mature leaves, peat or a small layer of humus (5-7 cm). It is recommended to remove all root shoots and excess growth as soon as they appear. When the lilac is 2-3 years old, it should be transplanted to a new place. The fact is that during growth it sucks all the necessary nutrients from the soil. Moreover, she does it so quickly that even feeding does not help. And nutritional deficiency greatly affects the general well-being of the plant; it almost stops blooming.
Lilac Meyer Palibin
Turkey is considered the birthplace of Meyer lilac; it was from there that a beautiful plant with an unsurpassed aroma was brought. A distinctive feature of the variety is its compactness and small height of shoots - no more than 1.5 m. Thanks to this size, the Palibin lilac is considered to be the shortest shrub of all existing species of the olive family. The small spiky leaves are usually slightly darker on top, and the mauve flowers with a delicate lilac hue form in 10cm inflorescences.
Meyer's lilac blooms in May and this period lasts 1-2 months. It, like the Persian variety, is remontant, that is, it is capable of blooming again. This usually happens in early autumn. The advantage of the species is its early entry into the flowering season. Small bushes, only 25 cm from the ground, can delight gardeners with their flowers. The variety is quite resistant to temperature changes and recovers quickly.
It is not difficult to guess where the Palibin lilac grows; it, like the entire family of olive crops, prefers a hot climate. China, Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, the Balkan Peninsula - this is the habitat of this pretty shrub. In Russia, Meyer lilac can also be found quite often. Thanks to its frost resistance, it tolerates cold winters well.
Fertilizer application
Fertilizing should be done during the 4th year of life of the Persian lilac. You can use either special organic or phosphorus fertilizers, sold through special stores, or prepared independently. Well suited for this: mullein solution (at a ratio of 1:5 with warm water), potassium nitrate (30 grams per 1 adult plant), ash (200 grams per 8 liters of water). They need to be applied at a distance of 6-8 cm from the trunk. It is better to do this in the fall. Lilacs can be fed with nitrogen starting from the second year. The calculation is as follows: 65 grams of ammonium nitrate or 50 grams. urea per plant per season.
Lilac pruning
In order for the plant to maintain its beautiful shape longer and bloom annually, it is systematically pruned using pruning shears. This is done 3-4 years after planting the seedling in open ground, in early spring, even before the buds awaken. They do this: they find 5-7 well-spaced branches in the crown, remove dead shoots from them and leave them. All other “paws” are cut off, after which they are thrown away or made into bouquets and left in the house in a vase with water until they dry out. Please note: lilacs will stay fresh longer if the ends of the branches are slightly split.
Reproduction of the Persian beauty
The two easiest ways to propagate lilacs are cuttings and division. Both of these methods do not require much time and effort, but should be used carefully. If you damage the delicate processes of the roots, the plant will take a very long time to adapt and will bloom only after 3 years (at least!). Cuttings should be planted in open ground in late autumn. When planting, the seedling must be buried, at the same time hiding all the bases of the branches and buds in the soil. In this case, new young root shoots will appear almost as soon as the snow melts.
Reproduction of lilacs
- The most popular method remains propagation by shoots, when the roots actively grow in different directions and multiple layers appear.
When they are sufficiently rooted, they are transferred to a permanent growth site. How to propagate - Cuttings are an equally popular method. Select young pagons with two or three buds after flowering. The lower cut of the cutting is made oblique and all the leaves above it are removed, and the upper cut is made strictly straight. Place the cuttings in a root system stimulator for 10-15 hours. After this, rinse the sections with clean water and plant them in boxes for cuttings. Prepare sand and peat soil with the addition of perlite. The cuttings should not touch each other. The box is placed in a dark place and covered with film, making a mini greenhouse. From time to time the cover is removed to water and ventilate. Lilac cuttings grow roots in 50-60 days. If this happens in late autumn, then the planting specimen is left to overwinter in a box in a shelter.
- Propagation by seeds can occur both in natural conditions and in specialized nurseries. Such lilacs will bloom only in five years.
Protection from pests and diseases
Persian lilac can be affected by various diseases:
- Fusarium - due to planting too deep or growing on heavy soil (replanting required!);
- necrosis, manifested in the form of brown spots on the leaves, occurs due to injury to branches, excess nitrogen in the soil or the presence of stagnant water (for prevention, you must follow the rules of agricultural technology!);
- viral or mycoplasma diseases - in this case the plant will have to be uprooted and burned, and the soil will have to be disinfected.
Among the pests that are dangerous to the plant are: weevils, chafer beetles, lilac mites, acacia thyroid gland, and cicadas. Special chemicals can help in the fight against them. Or, as an alternative, some winged insects can be removed from the leaves manually.
Planting the Palibin variety - care and feeding
Seasonal planting of Meyer Palibin lilacs is carried out in places exposed to direct sunlight, preferably in an area protected from the wind.
The soil should be loose, without excess moisture. The depression in the form of a hole is filled with compost and ash mixed with soil, then the seedling is lowered there, the root system is buried and watered abundantly. If it is necessary to reduce the possible growth of shoots, the plants are planted a few centimeters above the soil level.
Plant care consists of seasonal removal of faded inflorescences, formative pruning and periodic feeding with mineral and other types of fertilizers. Pruning and thinning lilac branches should be done carefully so as not to harm the plant. It is enough to fertilize a couple of times a year. Thanks to such actions, the lilac bush will be healthy, with a powerful root system and will certainly delight its owner with gorgeous flowering.
It is enough to know a few basic rules on how to grow lilacs; its further maintenance will not cause any trouble for the gardener. The most successful method for planting is considered to be propagation of lilacs by cuttings and deepening seedlings with an already developed root system into the soil. More complex methods are only available to experienced breeders.
It is necessary to cultivate lilac species, because how much joy and aesthetic pleasure a bush can give in early spring. There is a lot of useful information in the article: The evasive peony is a characteristic of a unique and medicinal plant.
