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Lilac Lights of Donbass includes magenta lilacs in the group, with luxurious reddish-lilac blooms. The terry variety was bred in 1956. 20 years later, at an exhibition in Czechoslovakia, it received a silver medal.
Description of lilac Lights of Donbass
The decorative bush Ogni Donbass grows from 2 to 3.5 m, is formed with a spreading crown on one trunk or from several trunks. The root system is well developed and located superficially. Many shoots emerge near the central shoot. The bark of the bushes is grayish in color, smooth on young shoots. On old trunks, with a diameter of 5 cm, with long longitudinal cracks. The shoots branch densely, creating a rounded, dense crown, the diameter of which ranges from 1 m at a young age to 2 m or more in a 10-year-old plant. The lilac bush Ogni Donbassa lends itself well to pruning.
In spring, leaf and flower buds swell early. The leaves bloom with warm weather and do not fall until frost.Thanks to the beautiful, heart-shaped leaves located oppositely, and the rich color of dark greenery, lilac is decorative throughout the summer-autumn season. The length of the leaf blade is up to 8-10 cm, width 4-6 cm, the apex is pointed.
Variety Ogni Donbassa, bred on the basis of common lilac:
- unpretentious;
- drought-resistant;
- winter-hardy, withstands frosts down to -40 °C.
The plant takes root and develops in all regions of the middle zone.
How lilac blooms Lights of Donbass
The photo of lilac Lights of Donbass conveys the luxurious bloom of reddish-purple clusters that bloom in the middle, usually in May. Inflorescences are formed from two paired pyramidal panicles and separate lower branches. The density of the blooming buds is average. The length of the panicle is from 15 to 20 cm, width is 9-10 cm. The buds of the lush variety of lilac are large, equal in diameter to the size of a pea.
Gardeners classify the purple-lilac flowers of the Ogni Donbassa variety as belonging to the Magenta group, which includes varieties of lilac with petals of a reddish hue. The double flower is large, 2-3 cm wide, consists of 2-3 corollas. The fullness of lilacs is visually increased due to the fact that the tops of the oval petals rise from the plane of the corolla. A special feature of the Lights of Donbass variety is the lighter tops of the petals, which, against the general carmine-lilac background of the blooming brush, create a mesmerizing impression of twinkling lights. The authors gave the new lilac variety a name associated with the blinking of miners' lights at the coalface. The intense color of the petals of the Lights of Donbass is resistant to fading and remains for a long time even in sunny exposure.Lilac clusters emit an intense, delicate aroma.
The Ogni Donbassa variety blooms for a long time; seeds are formed in bivalve boxes until autumn.
Features of reproduction
In nurseries, lilacs are propagated by seeds. Hobbyist flower growers exchange new plants using shoots, cuttings, layering or grafting. Lilac bushes grown from layerings and cuttings constantly retain their characteristics. Layers are added in early spring and the sprouts are cared for by watering and loosening the soil. Young plants are replanted in the fall or next summer. Lilac cuttings do not root well. It is necessary to select for this purpose only young shoots during the period when the bush has faded.
Plants on wild lilac rootstock without proper care can lose the trunk with the scion in the abundance of shoots extending from the root. Therefore, when purchasing the Ogni Donbassa variety, they are sure to inquire about the method of obtaining the seedling.
Planting and caring for lilacs Lights of Donbass
This unpretentious variety requires minimal care.
Recommended timing
Although most varieties based on common lilac are easy to care for, the plants require attention when planting. Unlike other crops, ornamental hardy bushes are planted in the second half of summer - from mid-July to the first days of September.
Site selection and soil preparation
Lilac Lights of Donbass shows the full potential of decorativeness in an open, illuminated place. Light partial shade is also allowed. The bushes develop well in fertile soils with weak or neutral acidity. Lilacs are tolerant of dry periods but prefer regions with moderate to heavy rainfall.
How to plant correctly
Placing several ornamental bushes nearby, holes are dug every 2 m. The following seedlings are selected for planting:
- with fresh, well-developed roots;
- no damage to the trunk;
- with healthy leaves.
On poor soil, spacious pits are prepared for laying 15 kg of humus, 200 g of wood ash, 60 g of superphosphate along with garden soil. The scion site should be above the ground. After compacting the soil around the trunk, pour out a bucket of water. In steppe regions, the soil is mulched to retain moisture longer.
Growing lilacs Lights of Donbass
An ornamental plant will retain its attractiveness with regular, proper pruning.
Watering
Lilacs are supported by watering in spring and June. In moist soil, the plant develops better and blooms more luxuriantly. From the second half of summer, the bush is also watered once a week in the absence of rain. Each plant consumes 20-60 liters of water, which depends on its volume.
Top dressing
In the spring, the Ogni Donbassa variety is fed with nitrogen fertilizers of your choice:
- 50 g urea;
- 80 g ammonium nitrate;
- a bucket of mullein diluted 1:5, which is poured into a groove dug along the perimeter of the root system.
After 2-3 years, at the end of September, beginning of October, potassium-phosphorus preparations are applied in dry form under the lilac bush, scattering granules into the grooves:
- 35 g of potassium nitrate;
- 60 g superphosphate.
Then the perimeter of the tree trunk circle is watered abundantly.
In summer, lilacs are fed with a solution of 0.5 liters of wood ash in a bucket of water. This support is especially useful in areas with acidic soil.
Mulching
The soil near the seedling is regularly loosened so that a crust does not form after watering. Remove all weeds.After planting, the tree trunk circle is mulched with bark, old sawdust, dry grass or humus. In the fall, the mulch layer is renewed by adding new material.
Trimming
According to reviews, the Ogni Donbass lilac blooms especially luxuriantly the next year after cutting the inflorescences, up to 60%. The panicles are cut off after the faded buds have withered. Formative and sanitary pruning of lilacs is carried out in the spring, before sap flow begins:
- they begin to give the desired silhouette to the seedling from the third year of development;
- 5-7 branches are left on the central trunk;
- next spring, these skeletal branches are pruned so that 7-8 buds remain on them;
- a plant that is not overloaded with flowering develops better;
- then, every year, thickening branches and root shoots damaged by wind or frost are removed.
Preparing for winter
The Ogni Donbassa variety tolerates severe frosts if there is enough snow. Young bushes are mulched with peat, leaves, humus - a layer of up to 12 cm. In snowless winters, the stems are covered with burlap.
Diseases and pests
Lilacs can be infected with fungal and bacterial diseases:
- verticellosis;
- powdery mildew;
- bacterial necrosis and rot.
Treatment with copper oxychloride and fungicides is effective. To prevent diseases:
- when pruning, thin out the crown as much as possible;
- in spring, lilacs are treated with preparations containing copper;
- In the fall, the leaves are collected and burned if signs of the disease are noticeable.
Leaf-eating pests, such as the lilac hawk moth and the lilac moth, are destroyed with insecticides. The lilac mite damages the buds; it can be eliminated by digging up the tree trunk in early spring and using preventive spraying.
Conclusion
Lilac Lights of Donbass, an unpretentious frost-resistant plant, will give the spring garden a festive look. For lush flowering, the bush requires infrequent watering, traditional fertilizing in spring and autumn, and regular pruning.
