Process of growing Lilac

How to grow Lilac? (All tips and steps You Should Know)

Lilacs bloom in the spring, have a delicate, ethereal scent, and are one of the most carefree plants.

Lilacs, connected with the renewal of spring and the vitality of youth, are tough, easy to grow, and need little care.

Although lilacs may reach heights of 5–15 feet (or more), the ideal lilac shrub will grow its blossoms low enough to the ground that you can smell their delicious aroma as you walk by.

The lilac shrub (Syringa vulgaris) has been popular for centuries due to its pleasant scent and attractive flowers.

Pinks, purples, whites, and even yellows may be found in various flower colors. They provide a decent amount of shade and anonymity when used as a hedgerow.

There are dwarf lilacs that grow to a maximum height of 8 feet (2.5 m) and taller lilacs that may reach 30 feet (9 m). Giving your lilac tree the attention it deserves will grace your landscape for many years.

For additional information on lilacs and how to grow and plant them, check out this article from Gardening Know How: Lilac Care – Growing and Planting Lilac Bush Plants.

Because of the popularity of these plants today, in this article, we will talk about data about how to grow Lilac completely and learn all the tips you should consider.

So be with us if you are a fan of planting.

Types of Lilacs to Grow 

As mentioned, Syringa is the name of the tiny genus that contains Lilacs. Before jumping to the steps of growing a lilac plant, there are various types of this plant you should be familiar with to choose.

So, there are only the officially recognized species of Lilac listed below:

Syringa emodi. Himalayan Lilac. Silver-grey bark with 5m (15′) tall, 4m (12′) wide stems. Deciduous, May–June blooms are purple, light Lilac, or white.

1. Syringa josikaea. 

Hungarian Lilac. Grows to 4m. Strongly scented dark pink blooms.

1. Syringa komarowii. 

Nodding Lilac. It can grow to 6m (19m). Pink or mauve blooms attract bees, birds, and butterflies.

1. Syringa oblata. 

Early flowering broadleaf Lilac. Like Syringa vulgaris, purple, Lilac, or white blooms appear sooner. This species’ leaves are broader than other lilacs. Grows 5m (15′).

1. Sp. dilatata Syringa oblata. 

Korean early Lilac. Syringa oblate, but this subspecies has leaf interest. Young leaves are golden, then green, then purple.

1. Syringa pinetorum. 

Rare in the UK. It can grow to 3m (9′). From May through June, blooms are red or purple.

1. Syringa pinnatifolia. 

Its leaves resemble ash tree leaves, unlike other lilacs. It can grow to 4m (12′). White flowers from May.

1. Syringa pubescens.

Syringa meyeri. Growing up to 6m (19′), however, smaller kinds are available. Strong fragrance.

1. Syringa reticulata. 

Japanese tree lilac. The biggest Syringa species may grow to 15m (49′′). White or cream blooms with an intense scent.

10.Syringa tomentella. 

It grows to 7m (21′) and blossoms in June and July.

11. Syringa villosa. 

Villous, late Lilac. It flowers later than Lilac vulgaris and is less drought-tolerant.

12. Syringa vulgaris. 

Common Lilac, pipe privet. Usually, a big shrub or multi-stemmed tree with grey bark. It may grow to 7m (22′); however, many varieties mature into smaller plants. A rich, sweet smell.

What’s Necessary for Grow Lilac?

There are standard requirements and procedures for tending to grow the Lilac, just as for any other plant.

If you want to add a lilac to your garden:

• Pot-grown
• Spade to dig a hole

When is the best time for Lilac planting?

1. The lilacs can be planted outside between March and October, but the optimum periods are in the late fall when the soil is still warm and the early spring when the temperature is warming, but it is still rather moist and chilly. 
2. Whenever we choose between spring and fall planting, we always choose fall,” says Master Gardener Colin Skelly.
3. This is because plants can develop more roots in the UK before winter as autumn gets warmer.
4. Newly planted shrubs are particularly vulnerable to heat and water stress due to the trend toward drier, hotter periods in spring.
5. Avoid planting outside when temperatures are below freezing; if you must plant in the summer, provide plenty of watering until the plant is well-established.

Where is the optimal location for your Lilac bush?

• To start growing the Lilac, it’s important to consider how big your selected lilac cultivar will become before putting it in its permanent home. While others stay little, others may become huge.
• Cultivars, naturally smaller and more compact, are often ideal for use in smaller gardens and containers.
• If you want your Lilac to bloom well, you’ll need to place it in full sun or partial shade for at least six hours a day.
• Lilac isn’t picky about soil type, so long as it’s wet and drains well, although it does best in neutral or alkaline soil.
• Consider the plant’s requirements and how it will interact with other vegetation before settling on a planting spot.
• To make the most of the blooming season in that area of your garden, think about selecting plants that will bloom before and after your Lilac and those that will bloom simultaneously.
• A late-blooming clematis looks lovely, creeping through the foliage of a wider variety.

How to grow the Lilac? (Step-by-step)

• Step 1

In the first step, purchasing a pot-grown with a diameter of at least 60cm is necessary.

• Step 2

In the second step, you need a spade to dig a hole larger than the rootball.

• Step 3

In this step, plant your Lilac in a deep hole you dug up to the soil line. Then, gently fill up the space and compact the earth around the plant. Pay attention to improving drainage; mix sand or grit with compost before planting.

• Step 4

Now it turns to watering the Lilac well, and applying mulch after planting can aid in keeping the soil wet, and it’s finished!

What are the growing tips, Lilac?

Congratulations on making it this far in the article and being all set to plant your Lilac!

But we should keep a few important tips to grow the Lilac in mind, and it’s always good to be cautious, too.

• Give your plants six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily to get the most out of your plants.
• Syringa does not fare well in wet environments, so choose a planting spot accordingly.
• Leave a few suckers to continue growing each year, and eventually, you may cycle away the old, overgrown stems.
• Starting in late September, stop watering plants in locations with moderate winters to encourage them to enter dormancy. Come February, you can start watering again.

How to propagate Lilac?

If you’ve had experience growing lilacs, you know how quickly they can spread. The majority of lilacs grow in dense clumps and spread through underground stems.

And you can use these new branches in your plantings. It’s a cheap method to get another lilac shrub and keeps the old one from becoming too crowded.

(2) Propagating a new lilac by dividing existing Lilac

1. Dig around a sprout and remove it from the main plant, careful not to disturb the roots.
2. When you’re ready, transplant the cutting in fertile soil and water it gently (but not constantly) until it’s rooted.

(9) Propagating a new lilac plant from softwood cuttings

1. Choose a healthy, 3-inch-long (7.5 cm) fresh shoot.
2. Carefully cut the sprout off the main plant, right above a set of leaves, using sharp secateurs.
3. Cut off a little sprig of the stem just below the first set of leaves and discard.
4. Take off all except the very top leaves from the shoot.
5. Put some cutting compost, such as Levington® Seed and Cutting Compost, into a 9cm (3″) container. 
6. Use a rooting powder containing a special hormone to plant the cutting. This helps cut to grow new roots, although it is not required. 
7. Put the trimmings in a compost bin. 
8. A transparent plastic bag may cover the pot but should not contact the food or the knife. 
9. Hold off on new growth until the cutting has rooted and the container is in a warm, bright spot. 

(4) Propagating a new lilac from seed

1. New seeds should be planted into a seed-starting mix in tiny pots with drainage holes very away after being collected from adult plants.
2. Lightly cover, but water well.
3. The seeds may be cold-stratified by placing containers outdoors in a sheltered location.
4. Maintain wet soil and watch for the arrival of seedlings in the spring.

Propagating a new lilac via air layering

1. Pin a flexible, healthy branch to the ground using a rock, wire, or flower clip.
2. In time, roots will form at the point where the branch made contact with the earth, allowing you to continue caring for the adult plant as usual.
3. Cut the branches off, dig out the roots, and replant them when they are robust.

Note 1: Some cultivators use a powdered rooting hormone in combination with a wounding technique in which the branch is scraped off its outer bark at the point where it will make contact with the soil. Rooting branches more quickly is possible by loosening the soil or partially burying them.

Note 2: Again, there are better solutions than this if you want immediate results since roots might take months or even years, but branches growing near the ground are excellent for establishing new plants.

What are diseases & pests that often affect lilacs?

Growing the Lilac can sometimes have a tough time dealing with problems such as pests and diseases: 

• Honey fungus.

This terrible disease, which affects many woody plants, may even wipe out lilacs. Look for stunted blooming, stem bleeding, and mushroom growth around the trunk in the fall. Honey fungus is difficult to cure since it requires eliminating the plant.

• Lilac blight.

This results in distorted and falling leaves. Blossoms may be harmed and turn brown too soon. Pruning may be required to provide enough airflow throughout the plant. Spraying with copper fungicide before any symptoms appear is another option.

• Lilac leaf-mining moth.

The caterpillars of this bug consume lilac leaves, leaving behind ugly dark spots and curling leaves. The easiest way to control this pest, most noticeable between June and September, is to attract birds to the garden since they will eat the caterpillars.

• Powdery mildew.

It’s a fungal disease that causes a dusty white covering on the plant, especially on the green leaves. It is most active in the spring and is ugly, weakening lilacs. Maintain healthy airflow around your plant by doing any necessary pruning in the winter.

Bottom line

Planting lilacs can be a really rewarding and fulfilling experience for any gardener. Follow the essential steps and tips to grow some awesome lilac bushes.

They’ll help you increase your chances of success and ensure your bushes are healthy and vibrant.

Growing lilacs can be quite a commitment, but trust us, the effort is ultimately worth it.

Those stunning blooms and enchanting fragrances can turn any garden into a beautiful oasis!

Just keep learning and adapting your techniques as you gain experience, and you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of lilacs for many years!

Now, let’s see what your ideas and experiences are.

Please share with us all you know about how to grow Lilac.