by The Long Island Gardener

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 15, 2009

Question: What smells better than a Lilac in glorious bloom?

Answer: A hedge of a dozen Lilacs in glorious bloom, flowering side by side.

Yes, there is nothing like the deep fragrance of Syringa in the spring. Select specimens that have a rounded habit and have been shaped and pruned to develop branches near ground level. Avoid grafted Lilacs, which are built of more tender hybrids "glued" onto the roots of hardier, common, less attractive species; they tend to send up suckers that will not bloom.

The location will need to be somewhere in full sun, away from the shade of old trees or buildings that will block energy-driving sunlight. Prepare a trench long enough to contain all your lilacs if planted 5 to 6 feet apart. If you have clay soil, dig deeper than the root ball and add 6 to 12 inches of gravel to minimize standing water.

Soil should be slightly alkaline. That means you should avoid peat moss as an amendment, which acidifies soil as it ages. Crushed seashells and dolomite limestone mixed into rich topsoil will help lower pH, and generous scoops of bone meal will amend the soil with Phosphorus to promote flowering.

Set the lilacs down, spaced properly, and then surround Lilacs with topsoil and compost, filling the trench.

Remember to prune diligently for quickest fill-in of the hedge. An annual cut with hedge shears will encourage side branching. Wait until after the lilacs flower, but not too long after. Lilacs form buds for next spring's flowering beginning early in summer; pruning them off will wipe out your spring display.

There are many species of Lilacs besides the common and popular Syringa vulgaris. Some make better hedges than others. The waist-high Syringa palibiniana is a compact species known as the "Dwarf Korean Lilac." It reaches a diminutive 4 feet at maturity.

Syringa persica (also known as Syringa chinensis), the "Chinese Lilac," are fast-growing and frequently found growing as hedges in New England, where they arrived with the prized possessions of new American settlers. These typically reach 8 to 12 feet in a few years.

Some Lilacs are more fragrant than others. If this matters to you - it certainly does to me - make a point of selecting the plants for your hedge in person, when they are in full bloom to avoid disappointment. In most areas of the country, this will be some time in May.

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