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Lilac Katherine Havemeyer is a fragrant ornamental plant bred in 1922 by a French breeder for landscaping squares and parks. The plant is unpretentious, is not afraid of polluted air and grows on any soil. If you follow agrotechnical rules, a beautifully flowering shrub will become the pride of your summer cottage for a long time.
Description of lilac Katerina Havemeyer
Common lilac Katerina Havemeyer is a tall bush, an adult specimen reaches up to 5 m. The shrub is unpretentious, frost-resistant, and can grow in both southern and northern regions. Varietal characteristics of lilac Katerina Havemeyer:
- the bush is voluminous and spreading;
- erect shoots are covered with heart-shaped, dark olive leaves;
- pyramidal inflorescences, bright purple, reach 24 cm in height and 16 cm in diameter;
- double flowers of lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer with a diameter of up to 3 cm are collected in panicle inflorescences;
- The flowering is abundant and long-lasting, the first flowers appear in mid-May and until early July cover the crown with a fragrant, beautifully flowering cap.
Reproduction methods
Lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer can be propagated by seed, cuttings and branching. Seed propagation is a long and difficult method, so it is not suitable for beginning gardeners.
Seeds
For propagation, seeds are collected in the fall, after full ripening. The collected seed material is dried until the valves are completely opened and stratified. To do this, lilac seeds are placed in moistened sand and stored in a cool room for 2 months.
In early April, the prepared seed is sown in nutrient soil, covered with glass and moved to the brightest place. After seed germination, the plant is planted in separate containers. When warm days arrive, the rooted seedling is transplanted to the chosen location.
Cuttings
Cuttings are taken during flowering from a healthy, strong branch. Method of cutting lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer:
- Cuttings are cut from annual shoots 15 cm long.
- The lower foliage is removed, the upper foliage is shortened by ½ length.
- The lower cut is made at an angle, the upper one is left flat.
- The cuttings are dipped into a root formation stimulator and kept for about 18 hours.
- Planting material can be planted directly on a prepared area or in a flower pot.
- Make a hole in nutritious soil and place the cuttings at an acute angle at a distance of 5 cm.
- The planting is spilled and covered with polyethylene.
- For 1.5 months, the planting is moistened as the soil dries and ventilated.
- After new leaves appear, the shelter is removed.
- In the spring, the strengthened plant is moved to a permanent place.
Root shoots
An easy and effective way to propagate lilac varieties Katerina Havemeyer. In autumn, the seedling is separated from the mother bush and planted in a prepared place. The planted lilacs are watered generously and tied to a support.
Bends
A simple method of propagation, even an inexperienced gardener can handle it. Technology of propagation by cuttings of lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer:
- In the spring, before the buds open, trenches 10 cm deep are made around the 4-year-old bush.
- The lower, one-year-old shoot is placed in a furrow, leaving the top above the ground.
- The trench is filled with nutritious soil, watered generously and mulched.
- After the appearance of young shoots, hilling is carried out to ½ length.
- After 2 years, the rooted branch is dug up and moved to a prepared place.
Planting and care
The flowering of lilacs directly depends on the quality of the seedling. Planting material must be purchased at garden fairs or from trusted suppliers.
The seedling must have foliage and well-developed roots. For better survival, you need to purchase 2-3 year old planting material, up to half a meter high. Such plants take root faster, and the root system is less damaged.
When to plant
Lilac Katerina Havemeyer can be planted in spring and autumn. Spring planting is done after the soil has warmed up, before sap flow begins. In autumn, lilacs are planted a month before the onset of cold weather. During this period, the plant will have time to take root and safely survive winter frosts.
Site selection and soil preparation
Beautiful and long-lasting flowering can be achieved only if certain rules are followed:
- sunny place or partial shade;
- nutritious, drained soil with neutral acidity;
- an area with deep groundwater.
How to plant
Before planting lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer, it is necessary to prepare a planting site. To do this, dig a hole 30x30 cm, cover the bottom with 15 cm of drainage (crushed stone, broken brick or pebbles). The excavated soil is mixed with sand, humus or rotted compost. You can add wood ash and superphosphate to the soil. When planting 2 or more bushes, the distance between the holes should be 1.5-2 m; when creating a green fence, the distance between plantings is about 1 m.
If the purchased seedling has an open root system, it is soaked in warm water for an hour, after which the root system is carefully straightened and placed on a prepared mound. The plant is covered with nutritious soil, compacting each layer so that an air cushion does not form.
After planting, the plant is watered abundantly, and the soil is covered with straw, dry leaves, peat or rotted humus. Mulch will retain moisture, stop weed growth and provide additional nutrition.
Rules of care
To achieve beautiful and long-lasting flowering, you must follow 5 rules of care. Rules that must be followed to grow an ornamental, beautifully flowering shrub.
Watering
Lilac Katerina Havemeyer is a drought-resistant variety, but if there is a lack of moisture, the plant will stop developing, the flowering will not be lush and will not last long. Therefore, lilacs are irrigated abundantly during the period of active growth and at the time of flowering. In summer, during the period of seed ripening, watering is carried out only when the soil dries to a depth of 25-30 cm.
Top dressing
Fertilizing is applied for the 3rd year after planting the lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer. The exception is infertile soil, and if the seedling lags behind in development. Fertilizers are applied 2 times a season. In spring, 50-60 g of urea or ammonium nitrate is added to each plant. In summer, during flowering, lilacs are fertilized with organic matter. Autumn fertilizing is applied once every 2-3 years, using wood ash or a mineral complex of fertilizers with a minimum nitrogen content.
Trimming
Formative pruning is carried out 2 years after planting the seedling. For lilac varieties Katerina Havemeyer, 3 types of pruning are used:
- Main – stimulates flowering. In order for the bush to be covered with a flower cap next year, all faded shoots are shortened, and dried flower stalks are promptly removed.
- Rejuvenating – such pruning is necessary for old lilac bushes. To do this, thickening and old shoots are shortened to a stump so that young basal shoots appear. This rejuvenation is carried out in early spring before sap flow.
- Formative pruning – remove root shoots, dry and damaged shoots. Also, thanks to formative pruning, lilacs can be given the appearance of a miniature tree. To do this, the main trunk is left, the side branches are removed, and the crown is formed in the form of a cloud.
Loosening
In order for the Katerina Havemeyer lilac to bloom beautifully and for a long time, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil. Without loosening, an earthen crust will form, and the root system will not receive enough oxygen. Loosening is carried out several times a season, combined with weeding and watering. Since the root system of lilacs is located superficially, loosening is carried out to a depth of 4-7 cm.
Mulching
For better moisture retention, protection of roots from overheating and preservation of soil quality, the tree trunk circle is mulched. Peat, straw, dry leaves or rotted compost are suitable as mulch. The mulch layer should be about 7 cm, to maintain the desired height, mulch must be added several times a season.
Diseases and pests
Lilac Katerina Havemeyer has strong immunity to many diseases. But if agrotechnical rules are not followed, diseases and pests often appear on lilacs, such as:
- Mottling – the disease appears in the spring and can be recognized by the foliage. The leaf blade turns pale and becomes covered with necrotic, ring-shaped spots. Without treatment, the foliage dries out and falls off.
- Powdery mildew – the disease affects young and old plants. The foliage becomes covered with a white coating, which can be easily removed with a finger.
To get rid of viral and fungal diseases, broad-spectrum fungicides are used. In order not to lose the lilac variety Katerina Havemeyer, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:
- purchase a healthy seedling;
- carry out timely weeding and loosening of the soil;
- remove dry, damaged branches;
- Remove damaged foliage from the bush and burn it.
To increase the bush's resistance to diseases, it is necessary to fertilize with phosphorus and potassium in summer and autumn. It is also important to carry out foliar feeding with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.
Application in landscape design
Lilac Katerina Havemeyer has found wide application for landscaping garden plots. The variety is valued for its beautiful double flowers, abundant and long-lasting flowering, unpretentiousness and pleasant aroma. Due to its resistance to polluted air, the variety is planted in parks and squares. In garden plots, lilacs are used as hedges and used in single and group plantings. Lilac Katerina Havemeyer goes well with conifers and ornamental shrubs, next to perennial and annual tall flowers.
Conclusion
Lilac Katerina Havemeyer is an ideal solution for decorating a summer cottage. It is unpretentious, blooms profusely and for a long time, ideal for single and group plantings. Purple, double flowers exude a strong aroma that spreads throughout the entire area. Subject to agrotechnical rules, lilacs will please the eye for a long time.
