(Backyard Gardener - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! What a change! The first week of May feels like March. Cool temperatures and rain have dominated our weather the last few days. However, do not give up hope. Warmer weather is on the way.

Backyard gardeners will be out in full force this weekend purchasing vegetables, annual and perennial flowers and shrubs to plant around the home. Local lilac shrubs are starting to bloom this week with their beautiful colored flowers and sweet fragrance.

The common purple lilac, Syringa vulgaris, or “old fashioned” lilacs bloom for about two weeks in May, almost always near Mother’s Day. Many old houses and farms still have lilacs growing in the front yard.

My grandparents’ farm had a huge purple lilac which bloomed every spring located by the driveway. By the way, both Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew lilacs in their home gardens. Not bad company, right?

Common lilac is native to the mountains of Southeast Europe. Their ease of propagation and hardiness saw them spread throughout Western Europe and eventually the U.S. Most other species of lilac are native to Asia, and typically differ from common lilac in size, flower, leaf, and fragrance.

Lilacs have many likeable features. They have gorgeous single or double blooms which come in a variety of colors ranging including white, violet, blue, lilac, pink, magenta and purple flowers. There are thousands of cultivars available of Common or French Hybrid Lilacs, some dating back to the late 1800’s. These became known as French Hybrids due to the work of Victor Lemoine, a French hybridizer, who bred about 200 different lilacs in the 1870’s.

Lilac flowers have a distinctive, sweet fragrance. Lilac oil from the flower is used in perfumes, candles and soaps because of its wonderful scent. Lilac flowers are edible, and the essential oil also has medicinal properties.

The oil is used to aid in skin disorders and to reduce fever. Lilac oil is used in aromatherapy to combat depression and improve relaxation. It also can be used as a cut flower and in floral arrangements.

Lilacs are very hardy and long lived. Some varieties can survive winter temperature below -30∂F and live several centuries. The oldest living lilacs in North America are located at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (a National Historic Landmark). They are believed to have been planted in 1750.

Lilac plants often grow and continue to flower for many years even if totally neglected. Normally, the only care they need is pruning to keep their growth in check.

Lilacs perform best in well-drained soils in full sun. A sunny location is a must for full flowering to occur, at least six hours of direct sun are needed each day. Lilacs planted in partial shade do not bloom well. Lilacs are hardy from zones 3 to 7, and need a cold, dormant period to prompt flowering.

A new lilac bush may take three to four years to establish. The clump must be watered, either by nature or hose, about one inch weekly. Fertilize lilacs in spring with compost or a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer.

Lilacs are susceptible to a fungal disease called powdery mildew which causes white spots on both sides of the leaves, a common problem of lilacs. Symptoms show up during hot, humid summers, but usually are not a serious threat to plant health.

You have over 1,600 named cultivars and hybrids of common lilac to select from. Popular varieties include “Sensation,” which has deep purple flowers edged in white and “Charles Joly” with double magenta purple flowers. “President Grevy” is a good choice with gorgeous double light blue flowers and “Primrose” has large trusses of fragrant, single, creamy white flowers.

“President Lincoln,” “Betsy Ross” and “The Beauty of Moscow” are just a few more lilac varieties to check out. Cultivars of popular Asian lilacs include “Miss Kim” with blue to lavender-colored flowers and “Palibin,” a compact form of the Meyer lilac with pink flowers.

A newer development among lilacs is cultivars that rebloom. The “Penda” or Bloomerang is a decent performer but is a dwarf that matures to only 3-4 feet tall.

Lilacs need to be pruned or thinned out to maintain a desirable shape and size (shrubs will get too big!) stimulate flowering, to remove any dead or diseased stems and to rejuvenate the plant. The best time to prune them is immediately after they bloom in spring.

Pruning can affect flowering since lilacs bloom on the previous year’s growth. Pruning lilacs in late summer, fall or winter may remove many of next year’s flower buds since they set next year’s buds right after they finish blooming.

Pruning one or more of the oldest stems clear to the ground each year will slowly and continually rejuvenate shrubs and keep them from becoming excessively tall.

Deadheading improves the appearance of lilacs and prevents seed pods from forming. As a bonus, it often increases blooming the following year. Contact me with questions at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu. Till next time, Good Luck and Happy Gardening!