Content
Photos and descriptions of Madame Lemoine lilacs allow you to familiarize yourself in detail with the culture. The fragrant bushes that bloom in late spring leave few people indifferent, and this variety is distinguished by especially lush and long flowering, the peak of which occurs in mid-summer. This is the most famous variety of all types of white lilacs with double flowers.
Description of lilac Madame Lemoine
The lilac bush reaches a height of 3–4 m, the diameter of its spreading crown is about 3 m. The branches grow vertically upward and have dense bright green foliage that does not change color in the fall. The leaf blade is large, 6–11 cm long, dense, heart-shaped. The shrub grows quite quickly - the annual growth is about 20 cm. The bark on the trunk and old branches is dark gray; young shoots are characterized by a yellowish or olive tint.
How the Madame Lemoine lilac blooms
This variety is a late-flowering variety - the bush blooms abundantly and for a long time in June-July.The buds are large, cream-colored, the blooming flowers are large, up to 2.6 cm in diameter, pure white, with a pronounced pleasant smell. Double flowers, consisting of 2–3 corollas, are collected in dense inflorescences measuring about 30x30 cm. Each inflorescence contains 1–2 pairs of strong panicles.
The bush reaches its maximum decorative value by 10–12 years.
Features of reproduction
Lilac Madame Lemoine is propagated by grafting, cuttings and layering. Forcing from seeds is also possible, but this method is not justified.
Lilac is grafted with a dormant bud or cuttings onto Hungarian lilac, common lilac or common privet.
The success of propagation by cuttings depends on compliance with temperature and humidity requirements.
The most common way to get a young plant is by rooting cuttings. The lower branches of the mother bush are placed in grooves specially dug in the ground and sprinkled with soil. Over the course of a season, they will take root and can be replanted.
Planting and caring for Madame Lemoine lilacs
The Madame Lemoine lilac is a relatively unpretentious shrub, but it is the choice of location and proper planting that determine how it will feel and how well it will be able to show its decorative qualities.
Recommended timing
Both early spring and late autumn are suitable for planting the Madame Lemoine variety, but many gardeners insist that the best time is after the end of flowering and before the beginning of September. During this period, the shrub does not waste energy on rapid vegetation and flowering and it has the opportunity to take root before the onset of frost.
Site selection and soil preparation
Lilac Madame Lemoine prefers well-lit places, but also grows in partial shade. Low areas prone to waterlogging are not suitable for it. For the root system of this crop, the close occurrence of groundwater is detrimental.
Lilac thrives in fertile, moderately moist, well-drained soils with a high humus content. An excellent option is loam, slightly acidic or neutral soils.
How to plant correctly
For better survival rate, it is recommended to plant lilacs in the evening in cloudy weather.
The Madame Lemoine lilac is planted in square pits with steep walls. If the soil does not need preparation, a size of 50x50 cm is sufficient. Organic fertilizers and ash are poured onto the bottom. On poor soils, holes are made twice as large and half the volume is filled with a nutrient substrate from dug up soil, humus, wood ash and superphosphate.
A seedling with a straightened root system or with a ball of earth is placed in a hole and covered with earth to the level of the root collar. Then the bush is watered abundantly and mulched. It does not need to be fertilized for 2–4 years after planting.
If you plant a plant in the spring, you need to remove all the flower buds - this way the lilac will use all its strength to take root. When planting in autumn, it is enough to cut off only part of the buds.
Growing lilac Madame Lemoine
Growing lilacs is not very difficult. Like other varieties of lilac, the Madame Lemoine variety can withstand errors in care, but the more effort the gardener puts into caring for it, the more spectacular the flowering will be.Watering, fertilizing, mulching and pruning are the main components of proper cultivation of lilacs.
Watering
Lilac Madame Lemoine is moisture-loving. During the growing season and flowering, the amount of watering is increased, but stagnation of water should not be allowed - thin roots may die. When the bush fades, watering is reduced to a minimum so as not to provoke re-swelling of the buds. It is recommended to water seedlings more often than adult plants.
Top dressing
Lilac variety Madame Lemoine responds to fertilizing with increased growth and abundant flowering. Fertilizer application is subject to several rules:
- if a nutrient substrate was added to the hole when planting, the plant does not need to be fertilized for 2–3 years;
- The main fertilizer is organic matter (manure, compost, bird droppings). It is applied within a radius of about half a meter from the bush;
- mineral fertilizers - potassium and phosphorus are applied once every few years in August;
- during the active growing season, you can spray the bush with an aqueous solution of mineral fertilizers;
- Feeding with ash dissolved in water is very useful.
Mulching
Mulching is a popular technique to make caring for lilacs easier. Using peat, sawdust or humus as mulch immediately after planting helps lilacs to take root better, providing the root system with additional nutrition. Mulching also helps retain moisture in the soil, prevents the growth of weeds and eliminates the need to regularly loosen the bush. In winter, this procedure protects the roots of young plants from severe frosts.
Trimming
Pruning lilacs is an important part of caring for this variety of shrubs. It has several subtleties:
- when the plant fades, cut off the faded brushes, otherwise the buds will not form next year;
- if the plant needs rejuvenation, then the old branches should be cut out gradually, no more than 1-2 per year. This pruning is done in early spring;
- It is advisable to carry out sanitary pruning twice a year - in spring and autumn, but it can be done at any time of the year. At the same time, all broken, dead or damaged shoots are removed;
- Madame Lemoine lilac does not necessarily require the formation of a bush, but many gardeners prefer to give it a spreading shape, leaving only 6–10 of the most well-placed skeletal branches. This procedure is carried out until the kidneys swell;
- cut out all last year's shoots, which take away nutrition from the skeletal branches;
- remove root suckers;
- To prevent the lilac from aging prematurely and to bloom abundantly every season, some of the flower buds are cut off. This way the plant does not spend all its energy on flowering and does not need to be restored next season.
Preparing for winter
Lilac variety Madame Lemoine has high winter hardiness and does not need shelter for the winter. Only seedlings can be damaged by severe frosts, so the tree trunk circles of young bushes are mulched in the fall with a mixture of peat and leaves in a layer of up to 12 cm. In the spring, the mulch is removed so as not to interfere with the warming of the soil. Sometimes, due to sudden temperature changes, some branches of the Madame Lemoine lilac may freeze. This does not pose a danger to the plant. They will need to be removed during sanitary pruning.
Diseases and pests
A varietal feature of Madame Lemoine lilac is its resistance to diseases and pests. However, sometimes it can also be affected by bud blight and bacterial rot.Copper oxychloride and Bordeaux mixture help to cope with them. Specific pests of lilac are lilac hawk moth and moth. Insecticides are used to combat them.
Conclusion
Photos and descriptions of Madame Lemoine lilacs do not leave either professional landscape designers or amateur gardeners indifferent. This extraordinary variety looks great both as a single element and as part of various plant ensembles. Low maintenance requirements will allow even a beginner to enjoy the long, abundant flowering of lilacs of this variety.
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