From mid-spring to early summer--depending on the variety--lilacs fill a garden with their legendary fragrance and flowers. Lilac flowers grow in large, cone-shaped clusters of small blooms that range in color from blue to light and deep purple, to pink, to white. Lilacs grow 10 to 12 feet tall and have heart-shape leaves.
Soil: Well drained and fertilized
Light: Full sun
Zone: 4. Does best where winters are cold.
Comments
To maintain healthy, vigorous growth, plant them where they'll get good air circulation. To maximize blooms--which often do well only every other year--keep soil limy and fertile. Remove seed clusters and dead flowers. Remove suckers, leaving some to keep plant bushy. Of the hundreds of varieties to choose from, the French hybrids are generally regarded as the best.
