Archive for the ‘Lilac (Syringa)’ Category

‘Palibin’ Lilac A Good Choice For Small Landscapes

  Dwarf Korean lilac (Syringa x meyeri ‘Palibin’) forms a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, 4 to 5 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide, with rounded top or canopy (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). It branches low to the ground. Flower buds form which are distinctively violet in color. In mid-spring this diminutive lilac is covered by billowy panicles of fragrant purple […]

Shrubs You Should Not Prune In Fall Season

Why would anyone prune spring flowering shrubs in the autumn season? After a long cold winter, why miss out on the delightful fragrance of lilac and viburnum flowers the following spring? Predicting how cold, warm, or dry the coming winter season is rarely possible. Pruning cuts are wounds and weather extremes may cause injury to […]

Expect Garden Visits From Pipevine Swallowtail

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is a beautiful butterfly common over a large geographic area of North and Central America. Pipevine swallowtail can be sighted in open meadows, parks, along streams, and hopefully in your garden. The butterfly larvae (caterpillars) feed on plant members of the pipevine family (Aristolochiaceae), particularly Dutchman’s pipevine (Aristolochia spp.), including Virginia […]

Japanese Tree Lilac Is Excellent Late Flowering Form

Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) is a late flowering lilac, often 2-3 weeks later than the popular common and hybrid shrub lilacs (USDA hardiness zone 3-7). Tree lilac is tall growing, often 20-25 feet tall with a 15-25 foot spread. It forms a nice small multi-trunked street tree. Tree lilac is the last of the […]

Preventing Powdery Mildew Disease On Summer Plants

Powdery mildews are serious fungal leaf diseases infecting many garden plants. Each one is host specific. The powdery mildew that attacks summer phlox does not infect zinnias or pumpkin vines. Powdery mildew disease on crape myrtles does not attack lilacs or roses. In recent years new powdery mildew diseases have popped up on dogwoods and […]

‘Miss Kim’ Lilac Tackles Southeast U.S. Heat and Humidity

When northerners move south, they insist on growing lilacs (Syringa spp.). Southern U.S. heat and humidity often take their toll on these lovely fragrant and colorful spring flowering shrubs (USDA hardiness zones 3-8). One very popular and exceptionally reliable lilac is ‘Miss Kim’ lilac (S. pubescens ssp. patula ‘Miss Kim’). A cultivar of Manchurian lilac, […]

Bloomerang™ Lilac For Non-Stop Flowering

  In most Northeast and Midwestern states, lilacs (Syringa spp.) are the classic spring-flowering shrub, treasured for their beautiful and fragrant flowers. Lilacs are vigorously growing shrubs and are utilized in the landscape as single specimens or as multiple hedging shrubs for privacy. Further south, in the warmer Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and […]