Front Seat Full Of Lilacs
by Kym Backland
Title
Front Seat Full Of Lilacs
Artist
Kym Backland
Medium
Photograph
Description
We loaded up these Lilacs in the truck from our yard to delivery them to nursing homes for both May Day and Mother's Day. What a wonderful color and fragrance these flowers have. These plants were originally brought over from the old country by our Grandmother who planted them, and so on for generations. They are grow and grow. The smell is wonderful and intoxicating. Of course purple is my favorite color, so I couldn't love this plant, flower any more than I already do.
There is no flowering shrub more beautiful and aromatic than the lilac. Drive through any countryside and you will undoubtedly see long-lived lilacs growing next to farmhouses or by the roadside. Lilacs (genus Syringa) date back to the 1750s in the United States. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson planted them in their gardens and many of the first botanical gardens featured lilacs.Lilacs are not particularly fussy plants and once established, they will thrive for many years with very little care. To get them off to a good start, plant your lilacs in well-drained soil and full sun. The more sun your lilac receives, the more flowers it will return to you. Lilacs prefer a soil pH of 7.0 to 7.5, which is much more alkaline than occurs naturally in the northwest. Therefore, an application of lime every fall will benefit the lilac. In early spring, apply a fertilizer high in phosphorus, such as 15-30-15. The best time to prune a lilac is immediately after flowering. Cut off the spent blossoms each year. More drastic renewal pruning will be necessary when the lilac gets leggy -- remove about one-third of the oldest stems at ground level each year for three years. This will encourage growth of new vigorous stems from the base. Remember that newer canes give the best growth and the most flowers. Lilacs are not susceptible to many diseases or pests, but there are a few. Bacterial blight is a fungal disease that starts out as brown spots on leaves and twigs and progresses to blackened and withered stems. Cut out infected stems as soon as possible, being careful not to spread the disease with your pruning shears. The best remedy is to purchase resistant varieties, but a copper sulfate fungicide can also be used to control bacterial blight. Powdery mildew is another common fungal problem with lilacs. This normally occurs in the fall and does not cause any damage to the plant. The potential for powdery mildew is reduced if the lilac is planted in full sun and is pruned for good air circulation. Some grow very large, some stay small, some have variegated leaves, some have leaves that turn purple, yellow, or red in the fall, some have single flowers, some have double flowers, some flower early, some flower late, some are more fragrant than others, and then they come in many colors: lavender, pink, magenta, white, yellow, blue, purple with white edges, etc. etc. So do your research before you buy, or better yet, plan on putting in several!
Uploaded
May 12th, 2014
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Viewed 255 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/18/2024 at 4:54 PM
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Comments (10)
Kym Backland
RANDY ROSENBERGER, Welcome back and again I hope you are getting better day by day! Thank you for the feature of my photo FRONT SEAT FULL OF LILACS in your wonderful group WISCONSIN FLOWERS AND SCENERY GROUP. I sure do appreciate it!
Randy Rosenberger
What a fine piece of artwork for me to proudly display on our Featured Artwork section of our Homepage, within our family of friends and fine artists, in our Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group. Liked!
Ginette Fine Art LLC Ginette Callaway
This is great. I love lilacs, had a huge bush in Germany. They don't really grow well here in Georgia. I miss them. I can just smell that bouquet.
EricaMaxine Price
Hi Kym, love your matching flowers and hose.. you're funny. My favorite flowers are lilacs. I planted one 6 years ago, it's about 4' tall and has never given us a flower. Hubby wants to dig it up, I say give it more time lol. In the meantime I'll favor yours and return to visit these in my faves. Taking a deep breath before I leave. Thanks for adding me, I did the same. L/F
Lianne Schneider
Oh my gosh I am soooooooooooo thrilled to see you Kym!! And what a comeback - this stunning bouquet of my favorite spring flower. I'll bet the car smelled heavenly! Beautiful my friend. F/L T
Kym Backland replied:
Lianne, Good to see you too! I've kept up with your gallery, liking and favoriting, I just haven't been able to type comments. Thanks for the kind welcome back note! Yes, the truck smelled wonderful with lilacs!
Ruth Housley
These are so gorgeous Kym and I love lilacs and these are so lovely. f/l Ruth
Kym Backland replied:
Ruth, Good to see you again! Thanks for your like and favoriting! I appreciate it!