Vol. I, No. 7: 2. Gardening, Indoors & Out: Lilacs

... Mme. Adrienne Farival never announced her coming; but the good nuns knew very well when to look for her. When the scent of the lilac blossoms began to permeate the air, Sister Agathe would turn many times during the day to the window; upon her face the happy, beatific expression with which pure and simple souls watch for the coming of those they love

Lilacs, Kate Chopin

Lilacs
Vincent Van Gogh

The scent of lilacs will be eternally mingled with the delicate warmth of May, Mothers' Day bouquets, the perfumed breezes blowing in through the first open windows of Spring. ...

These beautiful, fragrant shrubs seem like they've been here in Vermont forever. But they actually are native to the Balkans and southeastern Europe and the Far East and were brought to America by the Dutch.

The sturdy lilac is a member of the olive family. The latin genus name is Syringa. It comes from the Greek syrinx, meaning hollow stem or pipe. In Greek myth, the nymph Syrinx, running away from Pan, turns herself into hollow marsh reeds and becomes Pan's flute, the panpipe. And one of the first names for the lilac was "pipe tree," because the lilac stems were used to make pipes. The ancient Greeks also used the lilac stem to inject medication.

A Cascade of Blossoms: Extending the Lilac Season
Although we generally think of lilacs as a fleeting burst of blossom, you can extend your lilac season into June by choosing varieties carefully. The earliest lilac is the hybrid Syringa hyacinthiflora, which blooms in early May. It's followed by one of the first lilacs to announce true Spring -- Syringa vulgaris, the common lilac. This variety can be found everywhere during the last two weeks of May, with its purple or white flowers and its silvery green tapered leaves. It has the longest blossom season and the best fragrance. The Persian lilac, Syringa persica, is the next to bloom in late May.

Among the later lilacs, the Japanese tree lilac, Syringa reticulata, blooms in mid-June, when most other flowering trees have lost their blossoms. It has rich white flowers and bark much like a cherry tree. One variety, the lilac cultivar known as "butterfly tree," actually keeps its blossoms throughout the growing season. You may even find that a warm spell will prod some lilacs into a second Autumn flowering.

The Practice of Patience: Planting Lilacs
Plant your lilac transplants in early spring. If you're planting a row, set them 4-6 feet apart. They want lots of sun (full sun is best) and nutrient-rich, well-drained soil. Add compost to the holes and set them only as deep as they were in their pots. It takes several years for a transplanted lilac to begin to blossom. Lilac trees also take several years to gain full vigor. Once it's flowered, it will continue to. So it seems the lilac not only heralds Spring, it teaches us patience.

You can grow lilacs from seeds, too. The seeds can be collected from your lilac plants in Autumn, when you can sow them right into the ground. Lilac seeds require a "wet/cold stratifications period to break the seed's natural dormancy," so they need the winter in order to sprout. Once they've sprouted, protect young seedlings from direct sun.

If you want to root a lilac plant from an existing one, cut new green shoots when they get to 4"-6." Trim into cuttings and immediately mist them with distilled water so they don't wilt. Cover them with damp paper towels until they're firm enough to stick in a rooting compound of sand & peat, or vermiculite. After that, mist them regularly. They should take about 6 weeks to root.

Tough Love: Pruning Lilacs
Lilac blossoms develop from the buds that form during the previous year's growth. So put the pruning shears away until immediately after your lilac flowers. Don't wait long after that, however, because next year's buds form on the new wood that grows right after flowering. For the same reason, don't prune in Autumn or you'll lose next year's buds. You can, of course, let your lilac go wild, which is very likely how you found it. But a good pruning, at least every 5 years, will help to make it shapely and full.

To prune, reach into the base of the lilac and cut back one third of the old canes. Never prune back more than a third of the plant at once. Many people restore old, wild lilacs by cutting back a third of the plant each year for three years. When you cut flowers for your dining room table {If you pound the end of the stem of your cutting before putting it in water, the flowers will last longer., you can use that occasion to cut strategically, shaping the lilac as you do. Cutting also encourages branching. Cut just above the node where leaves and branches meet the stem.

Spring Planting & Haying Guide: Lilacs as Indicators
Lilacs develop and bloom in response to temperature, rather than the length of the days. You may even notice that the lilacs on the sunny, warm side of the house will blossom first. Because of this, farmers and gardeners can use the lilac to determine when to plant or harvest.

According to Plantwatch, farmers use the lilac to determine when to make their first cut of hay. And according to Golden Harvest Organics, you can set planting times to coincide with the stages of the common lilac. When plant has leafed out, you can go ahead and plant lettuce, peas, and other cool weather varieties. When the flowers are in full bloom, that's the time to plant beans and early squash. Finally, when its flowers have faded, you can plant cucumbers and summer squash.

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