Date: Fri 30-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SUEZ

Quick Words:

Gardener-lilacs-Bleach

Full Text:

(col on past & present lilacs for Suburban Gardener, 5/30/97)

Suburban Gardener-

Lilacs of Yesterday & Tomorrow

By Anthony C. Bleach

Last Friday we went on a field trip to the Arnold Arboretum, which on 265

acres displays North America's premier collection of hardy trees, shrubs and

vines.

The grounds were planned and designed by Charles Sprague Sargent and America's

first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. He designed Central Park, a

necklace of green spaces around Boston, and also Fulton Park in Waterbury.

The Arnold collection was started in 1872 and named for its benefactor, James

Arnold. There are now 4,000 kinds of woody plants cultivated in groups for

easy comparison and every one of them is labeled!

Every year, one week after Mother's Day is celebrated as Lilac Sunday, when

10,000 visitors are expected to a glorious festival of tree and shrub.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in his garden book, "April 2, 1767...planted Lilac.

Spanish broom." By September 1771 his lilacs had grown large enough to be

numbered among the trees and in 1818 their bloom time is recorded as April 1

to April 28.

George Washington also grew lilacs. But although lilacs are thought as part of

our heritage, of the 24 or so species of lilacs, two are native to Europe and

the rest to Asia.

The Arboretum may not have a restaurant but they have a good book shop where I

found a little book on lilacs by Jack Alexander and Nan Sinton on the staff

there. They have some fruitful suggestions on choosing and using these

beautiful and undemanding shrubs. Syringa Meyeri ( Palibin ) makes a compact

low hedge that will thrive in the sun and will bloom reliably and fragrantly.

The compact size makes it a good companion for lamb's ears ( Stachys lanata ).

For ease of maintenance look out for the sterile cultivar "Silver Carpet."

Sweet woodruff, interplanted with forget-me-not, which is self-seeding, gives

a foamy sea of white and pale blue in late spring. A more striking effect can

be had with Iberis, whose flowers cover the evergreen foliage like a white

blanket in April and May.

In late summer a sturdy companion would be the Chrysanthemum "Clara Curtis."

Syringa prestoniae ("Miss Canada") is six feet tall and resistant to the

ubiquitous powdery mildew. Its grace can be enhanced by growing it with long

blooming shrub roses, like the indestructible "Bonica" or the ground hugging

"Seafoam."

An alternative to roses would be blue feathery plumes of Caryopteris. This

will be a low maintenance combination that flowers on and on.

Ornamental grasses make interesting complements to lilacs, their late season

peak following the lilacs. The three-foot Pennisetum alopecuroides "Hameln"

matches the height of "Palibin," while six- to eight-foot Miscanthus sinensis

and its cultivars is right for Syringa vulgaris.

Some lilacs are unusual. S. vulgaris ("Aucubaefolia") offers not only double

blue blossoms but also variegated gold and green foliage. This makes it a good

complement for a golden leaved mock-orange ( Philadelphus coronarius ;

"Aureus") or the Nine-Bark ( Physiocarpuys opulifolius ; "Dart's Golden"). The

gold-leaved S. villosa ("Aurea") and the delicately cut leaves S. x laciniata

are choice examples.

The legginess that has been seen as a problem may be overcome by planting the

newer hybrids that are lower and broader with flowers right to the ground. The

tallest lilac is the Japanese tree lilac, magnificent at 30 feet or more at

the Arnold. It has pleasant white flowers in June and magnificent bark

texture.

Finally, lilacs span a rainbow of colors from wine reds, blues, purples,

pinks, whites and the delicate yellow of "Primrose."

(Anthony Bleach coordinates and teaches the horticulture degree program at

Naugatuck Valley Community-Technical College in Waterbury.)