Gardening: Lilac time,
Lovely lilac has a soft, scented touch and is at its best now
WELSH composer Ivor Novello was spot on with his song We’ll Gather Lilacs. They’re surely the most romantic of spring flowers and, for that reason alone, they belong in everyone’s garden. Lilac colours are warmer than the stark whites or pinks of earlier blossom. They flower among heart- shaped leaves, rather than on bare branches, and that creates a warmer show.
You’ll see lilac flowering everywhere in the coming weeks. At the best public gardens they’re planted in groups and sometimes labelled. So, if you fancy planting lilac at home, make a note of varieties that appeal.
Lilacs are almost maintenance free. Those bought in containers can be planted right away and, if you buy them now, you could enjoy a bloom or two this season. The choice is wide, but colour differences are subtle. You can blend almost any lilacs together and still end up with a harmonious show.
In full bloom, they’re star plants. But later, the leaves make a pleasing backdrop. I grow four varieties. Syringa
vulgaris Firmament produces floppy panicles of big flowers in pearly violet. Dark rose-purple buds of Katherine Havemeyer open to a contrastingly gentle mauve. Sensation is an oddity whose purple-red flowers are startlingly white- edged. And, for a big container, S. patula Miss Kim has dark young leaves and pale lavender-blue flowers.
EASY TO PLEASE
LILACS cope with most soils, but prefer alkaline or neutral conditions. They flower profusely in sun but also perform in part shade.
Once bushes are established, feeding is unnecessary and pruning can be minimal. To plant, dig a larger hole than necessary and blend compost with the soil. Sprinkle in a little bonemeal or slow-release plant food as you plant to kick-start new growth.
Back-fill, firm the soil gently with your feet and water copiously. If the shrub is tall, support it with a stake and tie for the first couple of seasons.
New shrubs will benefit from regular watering during their first summer. But it’s normal if they wilt on breezy afternoons. Lilacs are not entirely fault-free. They bloom just once a year — briefly. Late spring frosts can damage the flowers and some varieties produce suckers.
But such faults are piffling compared with the glory of a wisely planted, mature lilac. They’re good for wildlife, too — attracting holly blue butterflies, bumble bees and chaffinches.
VERSATILE SHRUBS
COMPARED with other spring shrubs, lilacs have strong wood. Mock orange or forsythia develops skinny arching wands. But lilacs grow sturdy and treelike. As a result, they make better feature plants.
Lilac is amazingly versatile. Prune as often as you like — or even grow it as an informal hedge. When grown freely, pruning is seldom necessary. Control unwanted suckers and snip out any chafing branches.
In a small garden, you could use a lilac as a focal point. Keep main stems free of side-shoots while allowing them to develop a bushy canopy above.
When it is mature, you could train a non-vigorous clematis into the crown, provided you cut it back each winter.
Clematis Etoile Rose or winepink Confetti would be perfect for extending the lilac’s romance into high summer.
THIS is a good weekend to sow pumpkin (right), gourd, courgette or marrow seeds directly outdoors. And it’s by no means too late to sow turnips, beetroot, runner beans, spinach or chard.
If you already have carrots in growth, save maincrop types for sowing in June or July for winter harvesting.
Excellent late varieties include Autumn King, Eskimo and Red Samurai.
With courgettes or marrows, I mix home-made compost into the soil, making a series of little mounds about 60cm to 75cm apart. Place two or three seeds into each mound.
When they’ve emerged and are growing well, keep the strongest plant on each one.
Seeds of root crops, spinach or chard can be sown in shallow drills into a wellworked seed bed.
If the soil is dry, irrigate soon after sowing, but be careful not to wash away the surface soil. That could dislodge newly sown seeds.
Check earlier- sown crops. If they’re up and growing, thin out any that are overcrowded. Take care to remove weeds as they appear among the young vegetables and hoe gently between the rows of all new crops.