Rough draft 11/09/2021
Intro
Pronounced Sr-ing- guh. In the United States, the Syringa is the official state flower of idaho. Most people know this syringa is basically a lilac bush or lilac tree depending on its size. The syringa possesses an early flowering in the spring while the flowers symbolize spring and regeneration. White Syringa symbolizes purity and innocence. The famous lilac color stands for first love and spirituality. The range of flower colors that can be found include shades of white, cream, rose, magenta, pinkish-purple, lavender and purple.
How to Cultivate and Grow
Growing
This syringa is a deciduous shrub. This means just like a maple or oak tree it will lose its leaves in the fall but start to regrow in the spring. Just like lilac’s on a lilac bush the flowers are wonderfully fragrant. Like most plants with fragrant blooms this tree loves the sun and needs full sun to have it produce blooms. In its full glory the height will reach 12’ to 16 feet and the spread will capture 8’ to 12 feet. This plant is easy to propagate by taking cuttings of the flowers in the spring. Using a root hormone is very helpful. By dipping a cutting in the root developer and then straight away planting it in the ground will produce a new lilac bush.
Care
A few care instructions to keep in mind. Each spring, this bush does well by applying a layer of compost under the plant. This can usually be purchased at any hardware store or nursery. This will give your bush the nutrients it needs for the year of producing leaves and flowers. Follow the compost by mulch to retain moisture and control weeds around the plant and roots. This can be leaves, pine needles, straw, bark, wood chips or a mixture of a few or all of the above.
It is wise to water during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. During the hot summer months the soil can dry out faster, water more regularly and daily if needed. Make sure it’s planted in well draining soil, and also that the roots will not be soaking in a puddle of soggy water. Refrain from using any or extra fertilizer because lilacs won’t bloom if they’re over fertilized. What was ideal in my yard is I had a lilac bush near our backyard stream. The lilac was well established and watering was never a need I had to do by hand or watch out for. We had sprinklers watering the grass slightly above this bush but the roots could have grown toward the stream to receive the water it needed.
Conclusion
The common lilac bush is literally attractive enough to be treated as a focal point in the landscape. In Front of a house, next to a porch, and especially planted for a view from the kitchen window is a plus. Some other ideas are to have one at each corner of your lot when planning or adding to your landscape. Having two on each side of the entrance to your garden can say this is the entrance.. They are also often planted in rows along property borders or lining a long driveway, to add a popping eye catcher in the spring. In any case this choice can be a great addition to your yard or garden
Resource links
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/lilacs/