Small lilacs with big ambitions

Appreciated for centuries because of their beautiful spring blooms and their fragrance, lilacs have gradually adapted… to our lives. Many of them have shrunk thanks to the magic of genetics. So much so that small varieties have appeared on the market to embellish our small plots. And surprise, some even flower twice during the summer. Presentation of a little world still unknown.

Pierre Gingras
special collaboration

good qualities

From the great family of olive trees, lilacs are considered shrubs which can nevertheless reach 8 m. There are around 25 species which have given more than 2000 hybrids. The best known, Syringa vulgaris, called French lilac or common lilac, is of European origin. But it is the species of Asian origin that have given us the “dwarf” lilacs above all. As a general rule, they are very hardy and do not exceed 2 m. They resist diseases relatively well, in particular to “powdery mildew” or powdery mildew, which often affects lilacs at the end of the season, an aesthetic problem, but without danger for the plant. Unlike the common lilac, they sucker little or not at all. Butterflies and other pollinating insects like them, but deer ignore them. A few names to remember in addition to the two varieties presented: “Miss Kim”, “Baby Kim”, “Tinker Belle”, “Prairie Petite”, “Scentara Double Blue”.

Korean Lilac “Palibin”: Idwarf ilas about 1.5 m. It often produces a few flowers late in the season, but not always. Pinkish or rather pale mauve flowers, fragrant. Very popular, it is often sold on stem or for pot culture.

Lilac “Little Darling”: frounded elm, 1.5 m, fragrant dark pink flowers. Gives a few flowers during the fall.

A bloom and a half

If it happens on occasion that lilacs produce a few flowers during the fall, especially in the common lilac, this double flowering is constant among some recent varieties. Be careful, despite the abundant publicity on this subject, particularly that of the “Bloomerang” series, do not expect a miracle. The first flowering is abundant while the second is less so and the panicles of flowers are sometimes smaller. But seeing and smelling blooming lilacs in the middle of July or August is always amazing.

Big or small, same requirements

Whether small or large, lilacs have similar requirements.

The sun: if some hybrids can be satisfied with a slightly shaded position, lilacs normally require a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine per day without which flowering will be less abundant, sometimes much less if the shade is too great.

Soil: neutral or slightly alkaline. Forget peat moss and add compost when transplanting. Lilacs prefer well-drained soil and will wilt if the medium is too wet.

Pruning: no need to cut the flowers once faded. If you want to prune them to give them a particular shape or eliminate the fruits, you must proceed immediately after spring flowering, never later. A second flowering will however be delayed by several weeks.

Fertilization: it is not really necessary and it may in fact favor the growth of the foliage at the expense of the flowers.

The Lilac Museum

To get a better idea of ​​the amazing world of lilacs, take a trip to the Musée des lilacs in Saint-Georges, Beauce. Flowering begins around mid-May, but the apotheosis takes place during the first two weeks of June. We discover more than 600 varieties, all more beautiful than the others, duly identified with files and photos in addition to interpretation panels about the creators of these hybrids. The park is located on an island and is also accessible by a bike path (Véloroute de la Chaudière). Access is free.

An exciting read

The novel The lilac route by Quebec author Éric Dupont introduces us to Canadian horticulturist Isabelle Preston, who has hybridized the largest number of lilacs. A colorful and fragrant literary pleasure.

The lilac route

Eric Dupont

leaf merchant

591 pages