If you're like many homeowners, you love the way old-fashioned garden plants look and smell, especially garden favorites such as lilacs. However, many people seem to struggle with getting lilacs to thrive. If you've tried and failed to get a lilac bush to grow in your garden, you're probably understandably reluctant to try again. Even experienced gardeners sometimes have trouble with lilacs.
Fortunately, there are tips and tricks designed to help gardeners of all skill levels create growing conditions in which lilac bushes thrive. Here's what you need to know about successfully growing lilacs:
Lilacs Like Sun
One of the biggest mistakes made by those trying their hand at growing lilacs is improper siting. Lilacs are often planted near the house so that their fragrance can waft through open windows when the shrub is in bloom, but this approach may mean that it simply doesn't get the sun that it needs to thrive. Lilacs should have at least six hours of sun per day, and planting them right next to the house might be too shady for them. If you have your heart set on having a lilac bush near enough to your house to be able to enjoy the aroma of its blooms, place it on the south or west side at least 10 feet from the foundation and make sure that there are no large shade trees over them.
Lilacs Like Drainage
Lilacs also require well-drained soil, so make sure to work in lots of organic matter before you actually plant your lilac bush. Keep in mind that if you have clay soils, lilacs may fail to perform their best because clay soils are made up of very fine particulates that tend to hold water to the extent that they're often waterlogged. For this reason, lilacs should also never be planted in low-lying areas in the yard because water runoff tends to pool in these. Although excess water in the soil won't cause lilac bushes to die, they will very likely cause them not to bloom.
Lilacs Like Lime
Lilacs may fail to thrive because the soil is too acidic. Lilacs need a neutral pH, so if a soil test indicates that your soil is too acidic, you can stabilize the soil with lime to bring the pH up to the desired level. Ideally, lilacs should be grown in soil with a pH of around 7. The addition of lime has other benefits as well — it contains magnesium and calcium while elevating the nitrogen in the soil. If you keep running into issues with balancing the soil's pH, you can contact soil stabilization companies.
When you move into a new home, relandscaping the garden is one way to have it reflect your personality. However, before buying any new plants, you need to know which ones suit your location climate the best.
When it is time to learn about landscaping and plants, but you don't know where to start, then you come to this website and start reading. Climate has a big impact on how well your new plants grow, so it is important to learn about soil testing, plant choice, and growth optimization, amongst other things.
The more you learn about plant choice and then their care, the better the odds of successful growing days.