Who doesn’t love lilacs? The ideal lilac shrub has about 10 canes and produces flowers at eye-level—all the better to enjoy that sweet, haunting fragrance. Learn how to take care of lilacs as well as prune at the right time.
The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, blooms in the northern states for 2 weeks in late May. However, there are early-, mid-, and late-season lilacs, which, when grown together, ensure a steady bloom for at least 6 weeks.
Lilacs are hardy, easy to grow, and low maintenance. They can grow from 5 to 15 feet tall, depending on the variety. The fragrant flowers are good for cutting and attractive to butterflies.
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Start over?
We moved into a new house and bought and plated a lilac this last spring/early summer. My husband put it in the ground and did nothing to prepare the soil or take care of the root ball. I’m not sure if it’s gone dormant or if it’s dead, the neighbors lilacs still look lively although the blooms are long gone. Should we try and dig it up, create a better environment for it and hope for the best now or in the spring? Or should we just get a new one and start over? We have hard, rocky clay soil that is not really well drained unless we dig down and create a raised bed.
Lilac Care
Hi April,
We would recommend replanting. Dig up the lilac bush and select a location with well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight (at least 6 hours). Prepare the soil by mixing in compost or well-rotted manure, and then plant the bush. You can add a 1- to 2-inch layer of mulch around the base of the plant to help it grow a little more before the first frost, as well as to prepare it for spring. We hope this helps!
lilac has weird disease
I've search all over the internet, but I cannot seem to identify the disease my lilac is suffering from. It has small grey, flat spots all over it, much like mold. These spots come off when I scratch them. The blooms are unaffected by the disease, but I barely have any leaves on the bush this year. I've been treating with a fungicide, but I see no results. Thoughts?
Possible Lilac Diseases
Hi Jeri,
There are a number of possibilities: It could be Anthracnose, which first appears on lower, older leaves with defoliation progressing upwards; powdery mildew appears in whitish-gray mold patches on leaves and twigs; botrytis gray mold thrives in cool, moist conditions, causing decay of foliage; black spot also thrives in moist conditions, causing defoliation from black spots on leaves. Continue treatment with fungicide, but it may not help. Once foliage drops in fall, carefully rake up and remove all leaves: All of these diseases can overwinter in dead leaves.
lilac and silver birch trees evergreen
i moved into this prop 15months ago i am 80 yrs old but need to get my garden back and front done i need little or no maintenance so need to know if these are evergreens . and what else could you advise me to plant . thank you mrs leek
Lilacs
Most lilacs you may know are deciduous shrubs. If you’re looking for an easy evergreen, consider planting yews or boxwood, A deciduous shrub that keeps its green leaves is the rhododendron.
What to plant with a lilac tree?
I have a lilac planted in a large flower bed at the edge of my lawn. I would like to fill in the bed with other plants that would add color and interest. What would do well?
what to plant under/around lilac...
There are lots of options. See here for a few: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/growing-guides#Flower Nurseries may have many more. Remember, it is important that your plant choices are compatible with lilac conditions, not the least of which is proper pH, but also sunlight needs. See the advice for pH above in the “Planting” section. You should be aware, too, that lilacs send up suckers (see same section above for details), and staying ahead of (removing) these could cause disruption, even uprooting of the bedding plants. For this and other reasons, you will not see too many lilacs with plants bedded beneath them. That does not mean don’t do it, but you should be aware of what can happen.
Pest on my lilac.
I'm trying to get rid of hard black pests on my lilac. I'm not sure if it's the bugs eggs or the bugs themselves. Whatever it is it has done a lot of damage to my plant. Was hopeing for a natural remedy. Please help. Thank you
lilacs
I live in Colorado and planted 4 lilac bushes. They appear to want to grow but the leave start to burn on the tips and dry up. They get 12 hours of sun. Is that too much? I feel I will have to transplant them into an area with less sun. Do you have any suggestions to improve their growth ?
Lilac and A Make Shift Winter?
so, hello,
Do you think it may be possible to ice the root system in the true winter months say January - March? I live in NC, in the middle of the state, Crepe Mytles though pretty, just does not complete the experience of an aroma. I am homesick for my lilacs, I grew up with in Colorado and Ohio. please help.
Respectfully,
LJ
Simulated Winter for Lilacs
That is a very good question—and a difficult one to answer, too! We’ve never tried that ourselves, but our guess is that the process would be far too time-consuming and difficult to make it worth the effort. If you intended on digging up the lilac each year and “hibernating” it each winter, the plant would be unlikely to thrive. There are a few varieties of lilacs that may survive into Zone 7 (mid-North Carolina). Here’s a list from NC State University Extension. Check out Syringa oblata and Syringa patula specifically, and try contacting NC State University, as they may be able to give you some more specific, local advice. Good luck!
NC lilac
I live in Fayetteville,NC and have four different kind of lilac that are doing just fine. They are planted on south part of my backyard,away from grass. The nursery I bought the plants from told me to spray them with miracle grow for flowers and since then, bushes are making more flowers. This year I have new flowers in mid October. Strings vulgaris.
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Syringa vulgaris
Lilac blooms
When does the lilac bush set next springs blooms?
bloom
Lilacs bloom on old wood. They grow flower buds each summer for the next spring’s bloom.
We're planning on planting
We're planning on planting Lilacs this year along side a ditch in front of our home. Where were planning of planting these lilacs where we have existing poplar tress in that spot that have to be taken down because they are dying. These poplar trees have mushrooms growing around them which means they are stressed and they are starting to have dead branches. These trees are over 30 years old , would the lilacs grow between these stumps or do I have to remove the stumps completely. We live in Manitoba Canada. The lilacs would be in the sun 24 hours a day.
on replacing poplars
Apparently poplars are popular in Manitoba. This article explains a lot about them, including their lifespan, which seems to time out pretty close to your trees: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/31341249.html The article (dating from 2003!) also explains why these trees tend to die after a few decades. The question that comes to our mind is, if your trees have a disease, would that disease continue into the lilacs? And if there is disease, it would seem wise to remove the entire thing, stumps and all.
Here’s more; specifically, about poplar rust: https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/plant-diseases/poplar-rust.html Could that be afflicting your trees?
Honestly, it seems like you need to know what the problem is and if it resides in the ground before going forward with planting. An arborist in your area should be able to tell you. The University of Manitoba has a program; perhaps they’ll take your call. We hope this helps.
No clue
I purchased my home about a year and half ago and when I bought the house I originally thought that the bush was just a normal bush. It never bloomed or showed and signs that it was anything else. I trimmed it down this past fall and to my surprise it bloomed this spring. I have no clue as to how to care for a lilac bush. It only has like seven blooms on it as of right now but it is a good sized bush so I'd imagine there would be more. I'd like to keep it going and get it to really thrive so any advice is greatly appreciated.
lilac care
Shayna, How exciting! See this page all about lilac care; you will need to prune your bush to keep it blooming so pay special attention to the pruning section.
Compatibility
My I plant spearmint or peppermint at the base of a lilac bush / tree?
Lilac Companion Plants
We can’t see any reason not to plant mint near a lilac bush. However, mint grows best in partial to full sun, so make sure that it will get enough light under the lilacs. Mint is also a fast and enthusiastic spreader, so it may need to be reined in from time to time. Keeping the mint at least 16 inches away from the base of the lilac will ensure that too much moisture doesn’t build up and cause the lilac to stop blooming. See our Mint Plant Page for more information.
Demise of lilac tree
My lilac tree, for some reason, has died and have just had it taken out. The site is next to a main road, the adjacent shrubs are a holly and laurel. Could these have affected the tree ?
poisonous plants?
We can find no evidence that holly or laurel would be harmful to a lilac tree. There are numerous reasons why lilacs die, from too much water (poor drainage) to fungus to the unknown. Scroll through the correspondence here and you will see such comments.
Bloomerang Dwarf Lilac Bush
I am considering planting the dwarf lilac Bloomerang. I have read that regular Lilac bushes have very invasive roots and spread by seeds as well as developing new suckers along the roots. Do you know if the Dwarf Bloomerang would have the same problems??? THank you.
lilacs growth
We wouldn’t say that lilac roots are invasive. Just leave enough space for them to spread (about one and one-half times the width of the shrub).
Lilacs won't grow
I planted lilac bushes 3 yrs. ago. I enriched the soil with garden soil, they get sun for most of the day. In the spring, I get tiny blooms but the bushes are the same size they were when I planted them. I'm ready to throw them out!!! What can I do??
little blooms on lilac...
Have you checked the soil pH? Enriching the soil is not enough; lilacs like neutral to alkaline soil but not acidic soil. And/or you might be enriching it too much; see above: 10-10-10 is recommended only in late winter. That’s coming soon … be ready. Reread the notes above, and maybe your lilac will repay you with lovely flowers.
Lilac Flower Buds?
Hi there,
I am new to growing lilacs, but bought 4 Katherine Havemeyer 10cm high plants about 4 or 5 months ago and planted them in pots.
New leaf buds would open out and up the plant would grow. They grew straight up quickly to the current height of about 50cm.
But 4 or 5 weeks ago they completely stopped growing up, and started very slowly forming small, tight, different buds at the top of the stem. Are these FLOWER buds forming on such a young plant?
And should these be clipped off, to enable the plant to continue growing quickly, instead of all the energy going into flower development?
Thanks for your help,
Bruce
Lilacs bush
I just planted a root this summer. It is abut 12" tall. Do I cover it with a bag for the winter? What do I have to do to keep it from freezing or firing?? Thanks!
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