Lilac, planting and care in the suburbs for which has its own characteristics, pleases with lush flowering and unique aroma in late spring and early summer. In order for the bush to feel good, you need to know how to provide it with optimal living conditions. You also need to choose the right kind of lilac, which will allow every spring to enjoy fragrant flowering for several decades.

Lilac: nuances of growing in the suburbs

Usually, when growing in the Moscow region, there are no difficulties, however, it is important to take into account some nuances. Due to the poor soil quality in most areas where lilacs are planted, planting pits must be filled with a substrate enriched with useful substances. Also in the region there are many places charming in spring where the plant will not be able to grow. Prolonged waterlogging of the soil will lead to severe oxygen starvation of the roots, which is detrimental to the flowering bush. Winters can also damage the plant, when there is a frequent alternation of thaws and frosts. Because of this, young plants are recommended to be insulated with burlap. If the garden is not far from the forest, it is highly likely that hares will spoil young seedlings in winter. Therefore, they should also be covered with coniferous spruce branches, through which rodents will not break through so as not to be injured.

Suitable shrubs

The plant adapts perfectly to various climatic conditions, but there are varieties that feel especially good in the suburbs. They need to be addressed first.This does not mean that you can not plant other seedlings, but the lilacs listed below will require minimal care to ensure rapid flowering.

Even a beginner grower will cope with such varieties:

  • Pavlinka;
  • Katerina Javemeyer;
  • President Poincare;
  • Captain Balta;
  • Monique Lemoine;
  • Amur;
  • Hungarian
  • All varieties bred by Kolesnikov. The most widely known of them are the “beauty of Moscow” and “twilight”.

However, varieties are known that are impossible to grow in the Moscow region. They are very whimsical, do not tolerate temperature fluctuations and moisture spikes, and die.

Such tender, unsuitable for planting varieties include:

  • variegated lilac;
  • cirrus lilac;
  • hyacinth lilac.

The variety of varieties suitable for growing in gardens and parks near Moscow allows you to create beautiful hedges in which plants with different colors of flowers and flowering periods will alternate. In a single planting, the lilac also looks very beautiful, and if desired, you can form it with a tree. Old plants can grow to significant sizes, which should be considered when planting near houses.

Preparing the place and soil for planting

The place for lilacs needs to be open, protected from the wind and well-lit. The lowlands are not suitable for planting, since it is impossible to avoid excessive soil moisture in them.

You must also take into account the depth of groundwater. They should not be closer than 150 cm from the surface. Do not plant lilac near the walls of the house, due to the fact that the overgrown plant will obscure the windows. The minimum distance from the house to the bush should be at least 4 meters.

The soil needs neutral, since lilacs react violently and negatively to high acidity. Clay or sandy areas are not the best option for planting, as it will be difficult for the bush to take root on such soil. Ideal option is loam. If the soil is heavy, then frequent loosening is required so that the roots can breathe easily.

Lilac: how and when to plant correctly?

In the conditions of the Moscow Region, the optimal time for planting lilacs is considered to be from August 20 to September 20. During this period, the plant slows down metabolic processes, and therefore it will not experience such severe stress as during active vegetation.

Also, there is still a lot of time before the cold weather, and the lilac will have time to take root and tolerate the winter period well. With a later planting, rooting is more difficult and there is a risk that the plant will not overwinter. If planted in the spring, it will also be difficult to take root in a new place, since at this moment the plant is very stressed after planting. Planting lilacs in autumn is also recommended in the Leningrad region.

In the event that a seedling with a closed root system is purchased, it does not experience stress at the time of planting. Such a bush is planted from spring to September 20.

However, when buying, you need to make sure that the seedling was grown in the container, and was not placed in it by an unscrupulous seller after digging from the plantation. If a similar seedling with a false closed root system comes across, then most likely it will die.

The distance between planting lilac seedlings must be maintained at least 60 cm. A 1/3 pit is filled with a mixture of peat and humus, and a mound is formed from this nutritional composition at its bottom. A seedling is placed on it, the roots are laid out on its slopes and they are covered with soil, which they then trample around the trunk. Next, the bush is watered.

Care in the suburbs

Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, without proper care, it will not be able to grow, and therefore it is necessary to ensure comfortable conditions. In the spring, after the snow has melted, the activation of metabolic processes in plants begins, and the gardener begins to leave. In order for the lilac to bloom as early as possible, you must immediately dig out the mulch, which covered the ground in autumn, and loosen the earth around the bush.When the soil warms up to the desired temperature as quickly as possible, the plant will begin to dissolve the leaves and form buds.

It is necessary to water the bush from April to the end of flowering, since at this moment the plant needs especially a lot of moisture. It will be enough to pour 30 liters of water under the bush once a week. After flowering, lilac should be watered only 1 time per month if there is no rain.

Loosening the soil around the bush is necessary in the spring after watering to a depth of 6-7 cm. This will provide the plant with good root respiration. If in the summer watering of lilac is carried out, then after it after 12 hours the soil also needs to be loosened.

Top dressing is needed throughout the growing season. In spring, the plant needs nitrogen fertilizer. Top dressing is carried out in mid-April, if the snow has already melted, or at a later date, as soon as it melts. From the moment of an active set of buds, the bush is fed with a solution of mullein or bird droppings. The first is dissolved in a proportion of 1:10, and the second - 1:20. Depending on the size of the bush, 10 to 30 liters of fertilizer are needed. After flowering, they are fed with wood ash, for which it is scattered around the plant before it needs to rain. Ash and water will penetrate the soil and nourish the bush. You can also prepare an infusion of ash, for which 1 glass of the product is poured with 10 liters of water and, having insisted for 3 days, water the composition of the plant. In autumn, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied under the lilac. Also around the bush before loosening the earth, superphosphate is poured, which will dissolve in the rain and saturate the earth.

Bush propagation

Propagation of lilac by cuttings at home is a rather complicated process, and therefore it is best to wait for the root shoots that adult plants give in large quantities. From mid-August, such shoots can be dug up and planted in a new place. At the same time, it is important to exercise caution so as not to damage the roots of the parent bush when digging, because of which it can seriously become ill.

Rules for pruning lilacs

Trimming lilacs with the aim of forming a crown should be carried out in the fall after leaves have fallen from the plant and metabolic processes have stopped. In order for the lilac to have a beautiful appearance, it is necessary to cut out all the branches that grow incorrectly in the crown or at right angles up. It is possible to grow plants without forming pruning.

Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring after the buds have opened and it is clear which branches did not overwinter. In addition to dried branches, damaged and diseased branches are cut off.

When autumn and spring pruning, it is necessary to cover all the places of cuts with garden var.

Features of care in the fall, preparation for winter

Autumn plant care comes down to its preparation for winter. Bushes up to the age of 4 years should be mulched with a layer of peat or sawdust 10 cm thick, which helps to prevent freezing of the roots. Also, when forming a tree, it is necessary to wrap the trunk of the plant with burlap. It is advisable to whiten the trunk before winter. After 4 years of age, there is no need to mulch and warm the bushes. It is enough to whiten the trunk, feed and loosen the earth around it.

Diseases and Pests

Lilac is rarely affected by diseases and pests. Usually problems arise if the rules for caring for the plant are violated. When diseased branches appear, they must be cut and burned.

Caring for a plant is not difficult, but requires compliance with certain rules. Having planted in your garden, and providing the right care, you can soon enjoy the rapid flowering and entrancing fragrance of lilac bushes.

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