Lilacs

The Lilac Bush is a favorite because of the pleasant aroma and magnificent lilac-colored blooms. With proper care, a Lilac Bush can live hundreds of yeas. In addition to more than 1,000 varieties of Lilacs, they also come in a variety of colors, the most common being lilac, purple, pink, and white.

The size of the Lilac bush also varies from four to eight feet with some extending upwards to 30 feet.

The blooms appear in the spring but only last a short time. To enhance the appearance of your property while enjoying the blooms and aroma of the Lilac, we recommend you grow early, mid, and late varieties. Although the blooms will die off in about four to six weeks, you are left with a green shrub that is beautiful in its own right. It is important to keep your Lilac flowering bush neatly pruned and trimmed annually for both appearance and health. Allow the bush to remain bushy but not so dense that inner leaves do not receive sunlight or air circulation.

Although Lilac Bushes are relatively hardy, they do have an occasional insect problem such as borers, ants, or aphids. The best solution is an organic insecticidal soap. The more common problem with the Lilac Bush is moles and mice that love to chew on the bark of the stems. For this, you can set a trip to avoid contaminating soil near the bush. Finally, powdery mildew is a common problem. For this, use an organic fungicide two to three times, one week apart as soon as the problem is identified.

Pruning Lilacs

A lilac bush should be prunned each year. While some varieties only grow 4 to 8 feet, others can reach up to 30 feet tall. Many will grow in excess of 10 feet. Pruning not only helps with shape and appearance, but also has an impact on health, vigor and the profusion of flowers.

Prune or trim back your bush immediately after blooming. Remove the spent bloom with your clippers. This  keeps the plant from growing seeds and encourages creation of next year’s buds.

Rejuvenating an Old Lilac Bush

Note: While this method can be effective it should only be used as a last resort

To renew a large, overgrown lilac cut the entire plant back within 6 to 8 inches of the ground in late winter (March or early April). This severe pruning will induce a large number of shoots to develop during the growing season. In late winter of the following year, select and retain several strong, healthy shoots to form the shrub framework and remove all the others at ground level. Cut back the retained shoots to just above a bud to encourage branching.

If a lilac bush has become extremely overgrown, plan on cutting back the plant over a period of three years. Each year after the flowers have bloomed and died, prune one-third of the lilac. Begin by cutting off the oldest branches first. A severely overgrown bush may also be pruned down to the ground. Because lilacs are hardy plants, the remaining portion will send out new shoots during the growing season.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/diy/lawn-garden/articles/70358.aspx#ixzz1D7vz3maV