Lilac - a beautiful spring bush with fragrant and large inflorescences. The genus unites about 30 species, among which the Meyer lilac has rightfully taken a leading position.
Material Content:
Plant description
Meyer's dwarf lilac is a beautifully flowering and compact shrub whose height does not exceed 1.5 m.The growth rate is quite slow: annual growth is 10 cm.The rounded crown is formed by shoots of a brownish hue, covered with dark green foliage of elliptical shape with pointed edges. Erect inflorescences can be painted in various colors and have a conical shape. Blooms profusely in late spring - early summer and can repeat flowering after 1.5 - 2 months.
Common varieties and species
Among the most popular varieties stand out:
- Meyer Lilac "Palibin". The variety is represented by miniature bushes with a height of up to 60 cm. Violet flowers are collected in fluffy inflorescences 10 cm long. A drought and frost-resistant representative of a typical type is repaired due to repeated flowering at the end of the summer period.
- Red Pixie. The average height of the variety is 1 - 1.5 m. The shrub blooms twice a season in red, which brightens over time.
- "Joseph." Pink-purple bushes with fragrant flowers collected in inflorescences. Crohn consists of sprawling graceful shoots.
- The Boomerang Ash. Lavender lilac, the bushes of which have a diameter and height of 1.5 m. It has a long double flowering.
Outdoor landing
To admire the lush flowering of a compact shrub every year, you need to choose the right place, soil and plant high-quality planting material according to all the rules at a certain time.
For lilac, a sunny area is reserved, protected from drafts.
Despite the fact that abundantly flowering shrubs can grow on poor soils, preference should be given to loose, light soil with a neutral reaction, a good fertile layer and drainage.
Landing technology:
- Planting lilacs is carried out in the second half of the summer season.
- On the selected territory, a landing pit with dimensions of 50x50 cm is dug.
- With a lean fertile layer, a mixture of compost, humus and wood ash is placed at the bottom.
- In the seedling, diseased roots are removed and healthy roots are shortened to a length of 30 cm.
- The lilac is placed in a hole and dug up, after which the overhead shoots are cut into 2 buds.
- The trunk circle is compacted, watered and covered with a 7 cm thick mulch layer.
Meyer Lilac Care
Caring for an undemanding plant is very simple, performing only simple agricultural activities.
- Watering. When the lilac blooms, it should be watered to prolong the phase. The rest of the time, natural precipitation is sufficient for the culture, since lilac tolerates a lack of moisture more easily than overflows and fluid stagnation. However, in conditions of prolonged drought, the bush should be moistened.
- Loosening and mulching. To maintain the necessary level of breathability, the soil in the near-stem circle is systematically loosened. At the same time as the loosening procedure, the soil is freed from weeds. To save time and effort, you can mulch the area around the trunk.
- Fertilizing and fertilizers. The following spring, after landing, the near-stem circle is enriched with nitrogen to stimulate root mass buildup. In summer and autumn, top dressing is carried out using superphosphate and potassium agrochemicals.
- Pruning. Trim the lilac bush from the third year of growth after planting. All weak branches are removed, and powerful ones, chosen as skeletal, are shortened. The formation of the crown can be carried out in the form of a spherical bush or stem.
Breeding methods
A typical species can reproduce both vegetatively and seedly. The seed method is a long and laborious process that can take several years and does not guarantee the preservation of varietal characters. Therefore, the technique is rarely used outside of breeding institutions.
Cutting is carried out in this way:
- Green cuttings 15 cm long with 3 internodes are harvested during flowering.
- Using sharp scissors, leaf plates are removed from the extreme kidneys.
- A little below the kidney is an oblique section, which is treated with a growth stimulator.
- The remaining leaves are shortened by half the length.
- Cuttings are buried in a substrate of peat and sand, and then covered with a film, which is periodically removed for ventilation and moisture.
- Rooting of cuttings of 50% is observed after 45 days.
- In the fall, stronger seedlings are planted at a constant place of growth, and the weak ones remain wintering in a shelter.
Propagation by root shoots is another effective method of propagating lilacs. With this technique, a well-developed root scion is selected, which is separated quite carefully from the mother specimen with a sharp shovel so as not to injure fragile roots.
It is preferable to carry out propagation by shoots in early autumn, when the intensity of self-movement decreases. The day is cloudy.
Possible growing problems
When cultivating undemanding and hardy lilacs of Meyer (Syringa Meyeri), the gardener may encounter the following problems caused by the development of diseases and the settlement of pests:
- Drying of leaves and shoots. The difficulty arises from the planting of poor-quality seedlings or due to infection by insects. At the first symptoms, the bush is thinned out, and the affected shoots are cut off.
- The appearance of plaque and spotting. In humid summers, powdery mildew may develop, which must be controlled by treating the shrub with fungicides.
- Loss of decorativeness, damage to shoots.A mite-budding mite, a lilac leaf beetle can cause this situation. When identifying insects, it is necessary to spray the lilac with an insecticide.
Thus, Meyer's lilac is a bright decoration of a personal plot with a marvelous aroma, which at the same time is undemanding in care. With minimal care and attention, the shrub will delight the owner with its magnificent flowering for more than one year.
