With spring weather quickly approaching, the time is getting near for you to start making plans for your summer garden, and believe it or not, there’s a lot more to consider than you might expect. When it comes to selecting plants for your garden, consider patterns, color schemes, and the climate and geography of the area you live in. Sunflowers and daisies are always great options because of their brilliant colors. You should also consider growing lilac bushes in your garden. The bright purple color of lilac plants enhances perfectly the whites and greens of late spring. Lilacs produce a great aroma when they bloom. Read on to discover more about growing lilac bushes.
Growing Lilac Bushes
Taxonomy and Fragrance
Lilac bushes are classified as Syringa vulgaris. They are members of the olive family of plants. Most kinds of lilac bushes are deciduous shrubs, and attain heights of anywhere between 8 and 20 feet. Other kinds, like Wedgewood Blue, only grow to a height of about 6 feet. This makes it a more popular plant for residential landscape designs. Wedgewood Blue has a lavender-blue color scheme. They bloom in late spring and produce one of the most memorable smells in the natural world.
Use in Landscaping
The more common lilac bushes are often used to define property borders. They are planted in rows and pruned into hedges. Other forms, however, such as “Miss Kim” and Bloomerang lilac, are smaller and more compact. These can be used for designs involving foundation planting. Lilacs are also great for indoor design schemes. Because they grow as bushes with many blooms, it is perfectly acceptable to cut a few of these and use them for other decorative pieces.
Tips For Growing
Lilac bushes grow best in USDA plant zones 3-7. This makes them perfect for the mid-western region. Lilac bushes should be grown in full sunlight with rich, well-drained soil containing a neutral pH. The best time to prune lilac bushes is just after they bloom in late spring. Branch pruning should be done in order to thin out the growth of the plant and keep them at a desirable height, but also because these plants require good circulation, as they are prone to powdery mildew disease. Dead flowers and leaves should also be removed to keep them from inhibiting seed formation. It is of the utmost importance that you stay on top of the pruning schedule for these plants, as they can quickly become overgrown as the seasons progress.
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