Lilacs In A Mixed Planting

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

There is no need to talk about the popularity of lilac, it is loved and grows in almost every home. Consider options for mixed plantings, with the participation of this shrub. Check out our recommendations for finding harmonious combinations with herbaceous perennials and other shrubs

A little about lilac

Lilac is a large luxurious shrub, sometimes reaching a height of 5 meters. It has many varieties, the number of which exceeds 2,300 items. It is divided into types: Amur, Chinese, Persian, Hungarian, Fluffy, Shaggy, Himalayan, Small-leaved, etc. Lilac is not picky, but, as a rule, does not like excess moisture and grows poorly in low, wetlands.

Without human intervention, lilacs often look sloppy, the lower branches are bare, and the soil is often overgrown with shoots. Pruning and shaping the crown is of paramount importance for a shrub that is in plain sight. Therefore, when planting lilacs in the front area or giving it an important place in the structure of the garden, you need to evaluate your capabilities, since you will need annual removal of the growth and regular pruning.

By the way, so that there is no overgrowth, it is recommended to buy varietal grafted lilacs. Well, if you dug up from a neighbor, then get ready for an abundance of shoots and an annual fight against them.

How to create a composition with lilacs?

Finding the right environment for lilacs is not difficult. It goes well with almost all perennial flowers and shrubs. In the middle part of Russia in May comes the time of wild flowering and in mixed plantings it becomes the "first violin", dominating over everyone. Then he takes a background position, yielding a solo place to neighbors. Until the autumn frosts, the bush will remain stable green, ideally complementing any composition.

When creating group plantings with lilacs, you need to take into account that it needs a certain space, so you should choose the appropriate environment, maintaining sufficient intervals. In spacious areas where there is no shortage of landing area, it is more advisable to place lilacs in the background. In any case, with one-sided projects, the bush should be in the back, and with island projects, in the middle of the group. If your site is small, create a moderate composition, representing a vertical component in the form of lilacs surrounded by herbaceous perennials.

The combination of lilacs with plants

Lilac selects useful substances from the soil, so it is not recommended to plant anything close to the trunk, there will be no nutrition for fruit crops. The planting of bulbs, which are planned to be dug up annually, is excluded, in this case there is a high probability of damage to the roots, which will lead to the formation of numerous shoots.

Flowers will be an excellent commonwealth: lilies, phloxes, asters, lilies of the valley, zinnias, daylilies. Favorable neighborhood - ground cover. Ideally fills the space in the form of an original evergreen periwinkle carpet. Lilacs with almonds look harmonious.

The choice of companions depends on the style of the garden. To create exquisite decorativeness, combinations of lilacs with various varieties of barberry, bubblegum, privet, elderberry, lerena, chubushnik, etc. are used. These shrubs will contrast due to the texture of the leaf and color, since they have foliage of different tones: from purple, raspberry red to golden and motley.

Connoisseurs of soft combinations plant silver and narrow-leaved sucker, shepherdia, and some varieties of willow with lilacs. Their silverness will well dilute the juicy green of our heroine. It always looks great paired with conifers (thuja, juniper). The neighborhood of beautiful forms is also welcomed: columnar, narrow-conical, pyramidal.

An unmistakable option is to land peonies and hydrangeas next to lilacs. They will create a two-tiered composition and ensure the flowering sequence, especially if the composition is kept in a white tone. It is appropriate to supplement the bush with potted plants.

Don't forget that the different varieties of lilacs are perfectly grouped together. In this case, you can only supplement them with herbaceous plants and place them in resting places, near the patio, for fencing from neighbors. When choosing, try to use varieties of different shades and with different budding times.

Monochrome garden

By selecting plants by shade, you can plant different types of plants in the same tone. For example, to achieve blueness, plant bulbous plants that do not require digging (crocus, chionodoxu, galanthus, colchicum, spit), blue-leaved hosta, hydrangea.

Purple garden: verbena, viola, phlox, rhododendron, heliotrope, sage, ageratum, sweet peas, periwinkle, tradescantia, iris, lavender, etc. White lilacs are planted in the white garden. Neighbors should be oak anemone, jasmine, lily of the valley, chamomile, snowdrop, astrantia, daffodil, etc.

Landscape designers are respectful of lilacs and often use them to decorate the site. Now you also know everything about the neighborhood of lilacs with other plants.