The Softly Spoken Lilacs

Most of us are familiar with the old fashioned Lilacs (syringa vulgaris) with their lovely fragrant flowers and bold colours that are a staple to Victorian and cottage style gardens. But there are many more species and hybrids of lilac that are not as commonly grown and their excellent qualities should be more widely recognised.  It is these other Lilacs; the “Softly Spoken” ones that really excite me. They still boast the most beautiful perfume, yet the flower form has a delicate understated beauty giving them a charm of sophistication and elegance.

Syringa x persica

There are over 20 species of Syringa and hundreds of cultivars and hybrids. Most are medium to large shrubs although there are some dwarfs. They grow best in full sun but are happy in part shade and will grow in most soils particularly those that are slightly alkaline. They are all spring flowering and benefit from pruning directly after flowering has finished. This consists of removing the old flowering wood. Lilacs will withstand periods of drought but prefer to be kept slightly moist. Try planting them with Roses, Clematis, Lavenders and Rosemary.

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

A must have lilac as it will fit into any garden. It is a slow growing dwarf getting to about 1m high in 10 years with lilac-pink flowers that fade to soft pink and white in late spring. Fragrant of course and has small round leaves. Remove finished flowers and give a light trim after flowering to maintain a neat dome shaped shrub.

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

Syringa ‘Miss Kim’

The full name for this plant is Syringa pubescens subsp. Patula ‘Miss Kim’. Remember that one! ‘Miss Kim’ will grow to around 2m in 10 years and has dark green leaves with a wavy edge that turn a dark burgundy in the autumn. Not many Lilacs boast good autumn colour so this one gets a tick even before we get to the flowers. The flowers have a spicy fragrance and are deep purple in bud fading to light purple and white and are produced in late spring.

Syringa ‘Miss Kim’

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’

This Lilac grows to about 2m high. The rosy-pink flowers are fragrant and are produced on-masse in spring and then intermittently until autumn. This is a very pretty shrub.

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’

Other recommended Lilacs; Syringa x laciniata, Syringa x persica, Syringa wolfii, Syringa diversifolia.

Syringa josikea

For more information on Lilacs 

http://www.internationallilacsociety.org/International_Lilac_Society/Home.html

http://www.timberpress.com/books/lilacs/fiala/9780881927955

"Five Star Plants" Brachyglottis ‘Otari Cloud

A compact growing New Zealand native plant that boasts outstanding silver foliage and showy yellow flowers. Plus it’s easy to grow.

Brachyglottis ‘Otari Cloud’ has a compact rounded habit and grows to about 1m high and 1m wide. It grows best in full sun although it will grow happily in part shade with some sacrifice to the amount of flowers it produces. The tops of the leaves are silver and have defined nearly white edge and a white suede like texture to the underside of the leaf make this plant an outstanding foliage specimen. It flowers prolifically in late spring and summer with its yellow daisy like flowers covering the bush. Brachyglottis will grow in most soil types except for a very wet and boggy site. It prefers well drained soils that are slightly on the dry side and will tolerate periods of drought. It responds well to a hard trim after flowering to maintain a very compact and dome shaped habit but this is not necessary as it looks great left to grow naturally.

Outstanding foliage, great flowers, drought tolerant and versatile is why I give this plant 5 stars.

To do in August

• Spray peaches, nectarines and almonds for curly leaf with a copper based fungicide when the buds start to swell and again 10 days later. Curly leaf is a fungus that is encouraged by cool wet conditions so this year we will find that these trees will be widely affected due to our very wet winter! The symptoms of curly leaf include the new leaves becoming distorted and blistered and later turning a deep red with a white fungal bloom on the surface.If not treated the health of the tree may become seriously weakened.
• Re-weed and mulch garden beds, this will help keep in the moisture and reduce spring weeds. I use fine pine bark in my general garden beds as it takes about a year to break down. This ensures a lasting weed suppressant but also adds to the health of the soil in a reasonable time frame. In my opinion wood chips take too long to break down so are only useful in high traffic gardens where resilience is necessary. For veggie gardens it is best to use a mulch that breaks down quickly such as pea straw.  
• Cut back perennials to encourage new spring growth. If you haven't done so already  now is the time to cut back all the dead or old last seasons growth on plants such as mints, miscanthus, penstemons and herbaceous peonies. There is nothing more tedious than trying to cut out old stems amongst new growth, in saying this I am taking my own advice and getting out into the garden now with my secateurs to avoid this happening to me........again!