By Lindsay Bond Totten
Scripps Howard News Service
What would April be like without lilacs? Less fragrant, to be sure. Less colorful, too. Less like ... Grandma's garden. Definitely less spring-like.
And what about August, without powdery mildew on those same lilacs? Better. Much better.
Powdery mildew is nature's incentive for us to explore alternatives to this favorite springtime bloomer. Without such a serious flaw, which leaves common lilacs leafless and lifeless by late summer, we may never be tempted by other varieties.
But nature's gone to a great deal of trouble to develop a complete and interesting line of Syringa "products". Powdery mildew on the hybrids and their kin is her way of urging us to shop around.
The sales pitch begins with an irresistible trio of shrub lilacs. Because of their similarities they're often confused. It really doesn't matter. The three are enough alike that a gardener can't make a serious bed-altering mistake.
Dwarf Korea lilac (Syringa meyeri "Palabin") grows to about 5 feet high--larger than many descriptions allow--with small, dark green leaves and fragrant, pale lavender flowers. Blooms appear two to four weeks after those of the hybrids.
"Miss Kim" lilac (Syringa patula "Miss Kim") is a feisty gal, taller than the dwarf Korean by at least 2 feet, with slightly larger leaves. Blooms also are pale lavender, fading to white as they age, and oh-so-sweet smelling.
Head and shoulders above the others--in performance, not in height--is the littleleap lilac (S. microphylla). I grow the variety "Superba" in my garden, but that one is difficult to find any more, giving way to improved forms such as "Tinkerbelle."
When you find one, don't hesitate. Just buy it. Figure out later where you'll plant it, even if it requires sacrificing a French hybrid to make room.
Incredibly, this diminutive beauty almost never stops blooming, although "repeat bloom"--catalog-speak for a weak encore--is usually said to occur in August. Mine really does that, and continues long into the fall. Perhaps it's the frequent gentle pruning I lavish on my precious plant that keeps the blooms--and delicate fragrance--coming.
Flowers of "Superba" are pale pink, those of "Tinkerbelle" almost the same. Rich ruby-red buds give Tinkerbelle's blooms a pretty two-tone effect ,a feature not as prominent on Superba.
Leaves of S. microphylla are noticeably smaller than those of the others, and as mildew-free in August. Imagine that--instead of the insult of diseased foliage, a second bloom.
In general, lilacs are tough plants, hardy to Zone 4, and some to even colder regions. Most are not particularly happy in the South, however, perhaps because of their chilling requirements. An exception is the lovely cutleaf lilac (S. laciniata ).
Wispy foliage imparts a feathery appearance to the shrub and most present mildew spores with a moving target, for cutleaf lilac seems immune to disease in spite of the southern climate. Small fragrant flowers, light lavender in color, are produced readily in early spring, even if the plant receives some afternoon sun.
For larger gardens, nature offers two outstanding lilacs from Asia. Many gardeners are surprised to learn that lilacs come in the form of small trees, but they are a part of nature's grand plan to discourage us from hybrids.
Japanese tree lilac (S. reticulata) is bold--some might say "coarse"--and beautiful. It's become more popular since the introduction of "Ivory Silk," a compact version of the species which also blooms at a younger age.
"Ivory Silk" eventually grows to about 20 feet, with a broad oval silhouette at maturity. Large creamy white blooms appeal 6 weeks after those of the hybrids, early June here in western Pennsylvania. Even the bark is exceptional, smooth and brown, like that of a cherry.
Closer in height to the taller French hybrids is the Pekin lilac (S. penkinensis ), from northern china. It's a multi-stemmed tree, somewhat less formal than "Ivory Silk," but in every other way just a petite version of that plant, right down to its bark.
Unfortunately, it'd be unusual to run across a Pekin lilac in a nursery. It's worth starting one from a mail-order whip, gently training it to the right shape in your garden.
If a hybrid it absolutely must be, nature has a few last suggestions. "Miss Canada" (S.x prestoniae "Miss Canada") is a small, delicate pink bloomer that stubbornly resists mildew. Flowers are sweet smelling in early spring, just like grandma's, but the clusters are slightly smaller.
The gorgeous, full-size blooms of "Sensation" (S. vulgaris "Sensation") are deep purple, edged in white. Resistant but not immune to disease, 'Sensation' succumbs in bad mildew years and will lose its lower leaves. Plant something low in front of it to hide the lanky stems, and maybe you'll never notice.
(Lindsay Bond Totten, a horticulturist, writes about gardening for Scripps Howard News Service.)
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