Lilac

These pretty Syringa are a fantastic new breed of lilacs not commonly found in the UK. It has a main flush of flowers in spring, but then carries on flowering intermittently right through summer. The highly scented lilac flowers make a lovely show either in a pot on a patio or planted out into the ground. Choose a sunny spot where you can enjoy the scented blooms. When the plant is in a small pot it will need regular watering. Water from the top and let the excess drain away. You can stand in very shallow water – but don’t let the plant get too waterlogged. You should be aiming to keep the top of the soil damp to the touch.

As this plant is very hardy and has been naturalised in our climate it should be potted in a larger container or ideally into the ground. Choose a sunny position with a bit of wind protection if you can. When planting out it’s a good idea to add some compost or well-rotted mature to the hole for extra nutrients and don’t forget to water heavily for the first few weeks whilst the roots get established.

This lilac will reach 2.5 to 3.5 meters high 1 meter wide ultimately, so do choose a big enough spot. It will not need a lot of maintenance. In mid-summer remove the faded flowers carefully using sharp secateurs and in Spring add a top dressing of compost to the base of the plant when you see the first new leaves emerging. You can hard prune late autumn every other year for a few years to encourage it to bush out and not get too leggy.

Problem solving:

If the leaves start to droop in the summer months and the flowers start to drop you know it is thirsty, so water straight away. Lilac trees are deciduous though so do not be alarmed when it drops it’s leaves in the autumn.