Lilac bush
Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by JunieGirl on November 05, 2006 12:25 PM
in the fall of 2004 we moved into town--I potted a start of my 27 yr old daughter's Lilac bush and brought it with me--I have babied it along and it has been green & growing since. This fall when I brought it indoors (it is now in in a larger pot) it has begun to drop leaves. Have I done something wrong and how do I care for it now? I might mention it has to stay in a pot until she can work out where she wants to put it in her own yard.--this might be a year or 2 more)
by Star Dancer on November 05, 2006 06:47 PM
Unless you are outside of zones 4-8, lilacs survive quite well outdoors in winter. Being deciduous shrubs, leaf shed in autumn is normal for lilacs as temperatures cool and days shorten.
If you live in zone 4-8, my suggestion is to return the lilac outdoors, perhaps insulating the pot if temperatures get extremely cold.
Best of luck!
Star
If you live in zone 4-8, my suggestion is to return the lilac outdoors, perhaps insulating the pot if temperatures get extremely cold.
Best of luck!
Star
by Patty S on November 06, 2006 12:11 AM
Star, there is a lilac in my back yard that I think was neglected for a number of years. (The people who lived here never pruned their rose bushes either, & everything was lanky... I don't like that!) While it does flower up, I think it looks really stupid.
11-5-2006
Do I wait until February to prune it, & if I cut it way back like I do my roses, will it come back as a bush... instead of a tree?
There are several young shoots coming out of the ground beneath it. Can I dig those out & plant them a couple feet away from the Mama, or will they die when they're cut away from her roots? (When can I do that?)
If I dig them out now & pot them for the winter like JunieGirl has done, will it give them a head start?
I'd like to have a row of lilacs there along the back of the house, UNDER the windows... not in front of them.
I have no idea what zone number I'm in... I'd say 9-ish.![[dunno]](im/graemlins/dunno.gif)
We're in a microclimate valley here, & if it freezes at all it doesn't get colder than 25F & doesn't last long enough to freeze the ground. (Our dirt is always "diggable".)
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11-5-2006Do I wait until February to prune it, & if I cut it way back like I do my roses, will it come back as a bush... instead of a tree?
There are several young shoots coming out of the ground beneath it. Can I dig those out & plant them a couple feet away from the Mama, or will they die when they're cut away from her roots? (When can I do that?)
If I dig them out now & pot them for the winter like JunieGirl has done, will it give them a head start?
I'd like to have a row of lilacs there along the back of the house, UNDER the windows... not in front of them.
I have no idea what zone number I'm in... I'd say 9-ish.
We're in a microclimate valley here, & if it freezes at all it doesn't get colder than 25F & doesn't last long enough to freeze the ground. (Our dirt is always "diggable".)* * * *
by margaret e. pell on November 06, 2006 01:34 AM
Does the outdoor lilac get powdery mildew in the summer? That's the main reason for a lakc of thick, full growth around here. A copper fungicide spray works well for me. My mother never used it and she had the ugliest lilacs I've ever seen!
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may God bless the WHOLE world!
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may God bless the WHOLE world!
by weezie13 on November 06, 2006 01:39 AM
Juniegirl,
Lilac's are extremelyyyyyy cold tolerant..
*even in a pot*
If you're realllllly worried about it, several things you can do..
Dig a hole, place pot/container and all right in the ground...
or leave pot/container on top of soil and put chopped leaves up around the base of the plant..
or leave it at the base of your house, that will also give coverage to the plant, like a wind break and gives a micro climate effect...
Also, Stardancer gave you some good advise..
and yes, what is your growing zone, that is very helpful to lend answers to questions...
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
quote:Take the pot outside and leave it there..
Originally posted by JunieGirl:
This fall when I brought it indoors (it is now in in a larger pot) it has begun to drop leaves.
Lilac's are extremelyyyyyy cold tolerant..
*even in a pot*
If you're realllllly worried about it, several things you can do..
Dig a hole, place pot/container and all right in the ground...
or leave pot/container on top of soil and put chopped leaves up around the base of the plant..
or leave it at the base of your house, that will also give coverage to the plant, like a wind break and gives a micro climate effect...
Also, Stardancer gave you some good advise..
and yes, what is your growing zone, that is very helpful to lend answers to questions...
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by weezie13 on November 06, 2006 01:40 AM
Patty,
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Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
quote:DO NOT PRUNE IT UNTIL IT FLOWERS, you'll cut off every flower it set last year if you do cut it in Feb...
Originally posted by Patty S:
there is a lilac in my back yard that I think was neglected for a number of years. While it does flower up, I think it looks really stupid.
Do I wait until February to prune it, & if I cut it way back like I do my roses, will it come back as a bush... instead of a tree?
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Deborah L. on November 06, 2006 01:56 AM
I want a lilac sooooooooooooo badly !!! For YEARS.
We can't have them here, it doesn't get cold enough.
Our nurseries sell a Korean lilac, but it doesn't smell the way the lilac cologne does, and has a hard to describe "rubbery" smell.
One of the nice folks in the forum told me that real lilac smells like the cologne. I think she was trying to comfort me-it was so nice.
* * * *
We can't have them here, it doesn't get cold enough.
Our nurseries sell a Korean lilac, but it doesn't smell the way the lilac cologne does, and has a hard to describe "rubbery" smell.
One of the nice folks in the forum told me that real lilac smells like the cologne. I think she was trying to comfort me-it was so nice.
* * * *
by weezie13 on November 06, 2006 02:01 AM
I have a Korean Lilac bush, a Miss Kim,
and the flowers are gorgeous![[flower]](im/graemlins/flower.gif)
, it's maintainence free ![[clappy]](im/graemlins/claps.gif)
![[thumb]](im/graemlins/thumb.gif)
and it stinks![[Frown]](im/frown.gif)
to ![[Razz]](im/tongue.gif)
high heaven...
(and I put that one close to the house and the wild one's in the back 40![[Roll Eyes]](im/rolleyes.gif)
![[Eek!]](im/eek.gif)
I should have done it the other way ![[tears]](im/graemlins/crying.gif)
)
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
and the flowers are gorgeous
, it's maintainence free and it stinks
to high heaven...(and I put that one close to the house and the wild one's in the back 40
I should have done it the other way )* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Deborah L. on November 06, 2006 02:21 AM
That's the one, Weez, a Miss Kim. P. U. !
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by roflol on November 06, 2006 04:52 AM
I'm surprised - my Miss Kims smell better and stronger than my regular lilac did! Must be a matter of olfactory preference, lol. I moved mine to the south of the house so we'd finally get to smell them in the spring, instead of the neighbors downwind of us getting all the benefit. ![[Love]](im/graemlins/love.gif)
Juniegirl, the advice above is very good stuff; my lilacs just recently lost all their leaves for fall. The lilacs are going dormant and outside is the best place for that for them.
Patty, here's a page on pruning lilacs with a link to pruning large overgrown lilacs as well.
Best wishes! Lilacs are tough - I haven't killed one yet!![[grin]](im/graemlins/grinnnn.gif)
Juniegirl, the advice above is very good stuff; my lilacs just recently lost all their leaves for fall. The lilacs are going dormant and outside is the best place for that for them.
Patty, here's a page on pruning lilacs with a link to pruning large overgrown lilacs as well.
Best wishes! Lilacs are tough - I haven't killed one yet!
by Deborah L. on November 06, 2006 05:06 AM
I wonder what a real lilac would do if somehow I got one and grew it here?
We get light frosts once in awhile, the kind the sun melts off by 9AM or so.
Probably not enough cold for one though. Plus, we often get a few warm or even hot days after weeks of cold (cold to us) and that would just confuse a plant, I guess.
It's hopeless !
* * * *
We get light frosts once in awhile, the kind the sun melts off by 9AM or so.
Probably not enough cold for one though. Plus, we often get a few warm or even hot days after weeks of cold (cold to us) and that would just confuse a plant, I guess.
It's hopeless !
* * * *
by weezie13 on November 06, 2006 05:10 AM
quote:I have to admit, my mother loves the smell of them too... I shake my head everytime she says it too..
Originally posted by roflol:
I'm surprised - my Miss Kims smell better and stronger than my regular lilac did! Must be a matter of olfactory preference, lol.
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Star Dancer on November 06, 2006 05:17 PM
Deborah, have you considered a California lilac (Ceanothus)? They are native to California and the Pacific coast, are drought and heat tolerant, are a stunning blue color and very fragrant.
Patty, Weezie's right - don't prune until after flowering! I don't have personal experience propagating lilacs, however, think that suckers can be divided during dormancy. But don't take my word for it, I could be talking through my hat!
Patty, Weezie's right - don't prune until after flowering! I don't have personal experience propagating lilacs, however, think that suckers can be divided during dormancy. But don't take my word for it, I could be talking through my hat!
by tkhooper on November 06, 2006 11:52 PM
I wonder if air layering might be the way to go.
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by weezie13 on November 07, 2006 12:23 AM
I have been tryin' to get a picture up on
my Photobucket thing.. but I can't get it on..
To show you about the suckers and what they look like..
The two big trees/bushes that I have are suckers.
But you have to be patient to want flowers from them...
And I want the same thing Patty was talking about a hedge row of lilacs... although mine's not going length ways I want it, but down hill...
We'll see how it goes..
I'll try to get it there..
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
my Photobucket thing.. but I can't get it on..
To show you about the suckers and what they look like..
The two big trees/bushes that I have are suckers.
But you have to be patient to want flowers from them...
And I want the same thing Patty was talking about a hedge row of lilacs... although mine's not going length ways I want it, but down hill...
We'll see how it goes..
I'll try to get it there..
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Vera_M on November 09, 2006 05:20 AM
I agree...get thee outside ![[Big Grin]](im/biggrin.gif)
3 years ago spring I potted up a small sucker from a common Lilac Shrub. It was potted in a 4" pot until fall at which time I planted it out. This is now it's 3rd year and it has formed it's first flowering buds for next spring!! How exciting
Vera
3 years ago spring I potted up a small sucker from a common Lilac Shrub. It was potted in a 4" pot until fall at which time I planted it out. This is now it's 3rd year and it has formed it's first flowering buds for next spring!! How exciting
Vera
by JunieGirl on November 09, 2006 12:42 PM
I guess i am in zone 5a--then again it may be 6a depending on how you look at it--
I need to clarify: I had to pot the lilac (a bit of a sucker I think) as we moved--& my daughter had planted it. I babied the plant along--keeping it indoors from the spring of 2005 until the spring of 2006, when I transferred it to a larger pot and then set it outdoors. In late October 2006, I set it in my garage for a week and then brought it into my house around Halloween.)--I cannot plant it out because my daughter wants to eventually take it and plant it at her home--which is not feasible until the puppy grows up a bit. So for this winter at least I would like some advice on how to properly care for it. Thanks to you all.
I need to clarify: I had to pot the lilac (a bit of a sucker I think) as we moved--& my daughter had planted it. I babied the plant along--keeping it indoors from the spring of 2005 until the spring of 2006, when I transferred it to a larger pot and then set it outdoors. In late October 2006, I set it in my garage for a week and then brought it into my house around Halloween.)--I cannot plant it out because my daughter wants to eventually take it and plant it at her home--which is not feasible until the puppy grows up a bit. So for this winter at least I would like some advice on how to properly care for it. Thanks to you all.
by weezie13 on November 09, 2006 12:47 PM
Just put it outdoors and let it over winter..
It basically should be fine...
It is very cold tolerant..
If you're truely worried about it,
do either....
dig a hole/trench and place the pot in the
pot into the hole.. cover with dirt..
*then come spring, bring up pot and figure out where you really want it, and dig a permenant spot/hole for the plant and plant there..
Also, you can still leave in pot/container..
and keep the pot on top of soil/ground/dirt
and put some chopped leaves around the base of the plant/pot/container..
It should be fine left just as is..
I had two tree's/bushes that stayed in pots for about 4 or 5 years to be honest before I could find a spot for them...
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
It basically should be fine...
It is very cold tolerant..
If you're truely worried about it,
do either....
dig a hole/trench and place the pot in the
pot into the hole.. cover with dirt..
*then come spring, bring up pot and figure out where you really want it, and dig a permenant spot/hole for the plant and plant there..
Also, you can still leave in pot/container..
and keep the pot on top of soil/ground/dirt
and put some chopped leaves around the base of the plant/pot/container..
It should be fine left just as is..
I had two tree's/bushes that stayed in pots for about 4 or 5 years to be honest before I could find a spot for them...
* * * *
Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2
http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by JunieGirl on November 09, 2006 12:58 PM
Ok, then Tomorrow outdoors it goes,
up against the house, I think,----this all started because I was concerned with the pot freezing, & thus the plant---, you have all calmed my fears--thanks so very much
up against the house, I think,----this all started because I was concerned with the pot freezing, & thus the plant---, you have all calmed my fears--thanks so very much
by Vera_M on November 11, 2006 01:38 PM
Oh no! Never prune a lilac in fall/winter!! Lilacs start forming the new flower buds in late summer for flowering the following spring
Vera
Vera
by JunieGirl on November 27, 2006 10:51 AM
Hey, weezie13 ---JunieGirl here-- I think my growing zone is 6 (?)--stark bro's always said so---I live about 40 miles North East of St. Louis, MO on the Illinois side---just a bit NE of Edwardsville, IL
But I have taken the lilac outside---it is on the SW side of my yard between the deck and the air conditioner, & up against the house ---hopefully it will be adequately protected there
Thanks again
But I have taken the lilac outside---it is on the SW side of my yard between the deck and the air conditioner, & up against the house ---hopefully it will be adequately protected there
Thanks again
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