Greenthumb's Garden
Lilac 'royalty'
My first Syringa, a nice purple flowering lilac, chosen to match the lilac blooms across the backyard growing up. In the spring this is where we would play with the new season bunnies, always a few hiding under these gorgeous lilacs. So a beautiful plant to indulge my sentimental side. I planted with a half cup of bone meal in the hole, in late summer 2010. It had come bare root and was already 3-4 foot high, so I expected I could lose all but the root ball in winter. In spring, only one branch is lost and the whole thing was loaded with buds, getting about 30 flowers on it. I must have the right soil, because I believe some have to add a component to the soil if the lilac stubbornly never blooms. Over this first season, I have lost a few more branches, but there are many new canes already growing from the base to replace them. I am pruning to height for the first few years to let it fill in and get a proper shape.
