Lilac trees - any experience?

[Melinda]

We're looking to put a tree into our front yard and I want to do a lilac tree. We've got 3 we're looking at. 2 of them have white flowers, but a friend of mine freaked out saying white lilac trees don't survive in Calgary, whereas the blue/purple ones do. Now the only purple one on our list is a dwarf lilac tree, as we can't find a full sized 'normal' tree in the blue/purple color. (If anyone knows where to find one, I'm all ears).

Does anyone know if there is any actual truth to the while lilacs (specifically the Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac Tree and the Golden Eclipse Japanese Lilac Tree) not doing well in Calgary? We'd prefer a blue/purple one, but the only one we can find is the Korean dwarf lilac and that only gets to be 1.2 meters tall.

[ExtraSlow]

Had a look at my go-to book for hardy plants in Calgary, "Gardening Under The Arch"

Here are the three fully hardy lilacs they list:


According to them, the Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) comes in both purple and white varieties, and as long as they have full sun, will do fine.
The Villosa or Preston Lilacs come in multiple colours and again, are fully hardy. Preston has large flowers than Villosa
That Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri) is also listed, although they mention only a purple variety.

So, wherever you are buying your shrubs from, check the latin names, and go nuts.

Or for true native alternatives to lilacs, go chat with the folks from Bow Point Nursery. They are a wealth of information.

[speedog]

Never heard of lilac trees but we have white lilac bushes in our community that have done quite well for the past 50+ years.

[Melinda]

Thanks guys!

[suntan]

The Ivory Silk is fully hardy in Calgary. I had one fully exposed at the old house, did great.

[B16EJ8]

I'm not sure if they will have it, but try The Saskatoon Farm (near Okotoks).

[mr2mike]

ExtraSlow, you need to be a Bush consultant specialist for Shane's (spacerz) landscape company.

[ExtraSlow]

I will inspect your bush for money. Trimming extra. :poosie:

[revelations]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I will inspect your bush for money. Trimming extra. :poosie:

I thought that most these days have gone, bushless ....:nut:

[suntan]

Anyhow back on topic.

All trees are bushes and bushes are trees. Sounds silly but what it means is that one can train a shrub to be a tree and vice versa.

You can find "tree-form" lilac shrubs with purple flowers. Having said that the only place I ever saw them was at Edward's, and they're long gone.

Might want to phone around.

[AndyL]

Not lilacs! For the love of God never install those noxious weeds!

Seriously, never mind all the people like me who end up in hospital with asthma when they bloom...

They will take over your yard - suckers appearing 50-100' away, in any square inch they can get a toehold... when you finally get sick of them, it's a decade of weekly roundup treatments and they'll continue to magically appear again days later.

How about a nice Schubert cherry? :)

[redline]

Originally posted by AndyL
Not lilacs! For the love of God never install those noxious weeds!

They will take over your yard - suckers appearing 50-100' away, in any square inch they can get a toehold... when you finally get sick of them, it's a decade of weekly roundup treatments and they'll continue to magically appear again days later.



Not all Lilacs sucker.

OP: I would go to a Green House like Sunnyside and they will get the info your looking for different Varity of trees will have different size, shape, and heartiness, flower color, if the tress sucker etc...

I know I got one the will only get shrub sized and not sucker

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I will inspect your bush for money. Trimming extra. :poosie:



Originally posted by revelations


I thought that most these days have gone, bushless ....:nut:

I've tried to keep my bush under control. AndyL is correct.
Mine are well established and will grown a good 2ft in a year. So if I'm not trimming them to the base, they'll need a trimming half way through the summer.

[suntan]

Only French lilacs sucker.

[Melinda]

Thanks everyone I figured I'd post an update.

So we did end up finding a purple lilac tree, but it is the Korean Dwarf Lilac Tree. It isn't known to sucker all that much, gets to be only about 5ft tall. It looks like this at its fully grown state:

http://hulsnursery.com/images/Lilac%20dwf%20korean.jpg

It's unique and fun, so we thought we'd give it a try and see how it does.



Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I will inspect your bush for money. Trimming extra. :poosie:
Thanks for the offer, I think I've got that under control :rofl:



Originally posted by AndyL
Not lilacs! For the love of God never install those noxious weeds!

Seriously, never mind all the people like me who end up in hospital with asthma when they bloom...

How about a nice Schubert cherry? :)
When people stop bringing their pets everywhere thinking they're people and putting my son in the hospital with his asthma, then maybe I'll worry about the 1 week a year my tree flowers. Besides, the tree we just pulled out was an ornamental apple tree that flowered like crazy. Not much difference there, with the exception that after a lilac tree blooms, it doesn't drop disgusting cherry sized useless fruit everywhere that stains everything and gets tracked into my house and car.

[s_havinga]

Where did you end up buying it from? What are they worth? My wife was talking about wanting to get one.

[ZenOps]

I don't think anyone will have any trouble growing Lilac.

Took the trimmer to mine last year, taking off more than the recommended 1/3rd of mass. They survived no problem.

[nj2Type-S]

Originally posted by Melinda
Thanks everyone I figured I'd post an update.

So we did end up finding a purple lilac tree, but it is the Korean Dwarf Lilac Tree. It isn't known to sucker all that much, gets to be only about 5ft tall. It looks like this at its fully grown state:

http://hulsnursery.com/images/Lilac%20dwf%20korean.jpg

It's unique and fun, so we thought we'd give it a try and see how it does.



Thanks for the offer, I think I've got that under control :rofl:



When people stop bringing their pets everywhere thinking they're people and putting my son in the hospital with his asthma, then maybe I'll worry about the 1 week a year my tree flowers. Besides, the tree we just pulled out was an ornamental apple tree that flowered like crazy. Not much difference there, with the exception that after a lilac tree blooms, it doesn't drop disgusting cherry sized useless fruit everywhere that stains everything and gets tracked into my house and car.

that's a nice-looking tree. how much does it cost? maybe i'll replace my dying paper birch tree with that.

[300zxfairlday]

Also interested in the cost and where to find one

[relyt92]

Originally posted by ZenOps
I don't think anyone will have any trouble growing Lilac.

Took the trimmer to mine last year, taking off more than the recommended 1/3rd of mass. They survived no problem.
:werd: We had a probably 20 year old lilac in the yard that's been dying off more and more every year, so last summer I cut it right down to the stump, and it's growing back crazy fast now, most branches probably 4' tall.

[ExtraSlow]

For a really old lilac, cutting down to the ground is actually one super common method of rejuvenation. It means the plan can stop wasting energy on old branches.

[relyt92]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
For a really old lilac, cutting down to the ground is actually one super common method of rejuvenation. It means the plan can stop wasting energy on old branches. Never heard of that but it makes total sense. I was just trying to get rid of the tree and I guess I get a healthier tree instead.

[Melinda]

I initially saw it at greengate garden centre, but we got ours from the McLeod Trail Canadian Tire. They were taller and looked healthier. The cost was $99.00 for the tree. Not all Canadian Tire locations have them, the shawnessy location didn't.