Content
Every gardener wants to make his plot beautiful and unique. Photo and description of the lilac Sensation presented below will help you choose the right place and time for planting, as well as provide the necessary knowledge about caring for the plant. This will result in a beautiful flowering bush that will please the eye during the warm summer months.
Description of lilac Sensation
The plant belongs to the olive family. This type of lilac was first bred in France. It has a wonderful light aroma. Lilac Sensation is a deciduous shrub with an even crown up to 3 m high. The branches of the plant are spreading, large pointed leaves reach a length of 10 cm. This plant has gained the greatest popularity among gardeners for its excellent resistance to frost and the greatest resistance to pests.
Currently, it is widely used for landscape design and decoration of garden and home areas. This variety of lilac can be used to create a hedge, or it can be planted as individual bushes.Sensation is best combined with white-blooming lilac species - alternating such bushes will give an impressive effect.
How lilac blooms Sensation
Lilac blooms luxuriantly and very densely. The flowers are collected in a panicle inflorescence. Each inflorescence consists of either one or two panicles. The length of each is up to 20 cm with a width of up to 8 cm. Each flower has lilac petals with a small white border along the edges.
The time when flowering begins may vary depending on weather conditions and the region of growth. In the middle zone, Sensation begins to bloom around mid-May. The average flowering time is 30-35 days. The flowers do not appear on the panicle all at once, but one after another. Each panicle blooms for approximately 13-19 days, while the lifespan of each flower is 9-12 days. To get an excellent photo of the common lilac sensation, it is best to choose the middle flowering period, when most of the flowers have already bloomed.
Features of reproduction
Every gardener tries to increase the number of plants on his plot year after year. Traditionally, among the most common types of propagation of lilac Sensation are:
- graft;
- cuttings;
- layering;
- seed propagation.
Among these methods, the most popular is cuttings. Annual green shoots with 4-5 leaves are used as cuttings. The shoots are cut off during the flowering period of the bush - at this time Sensation stops gaining green mass. To take cuttings, it is best to choose the youngest plant possible.
The cuttings are cut at an angle and treated with a special agent to accelerate the formation of roots - kornevin. Seedlings are planted in greenhouses with high humidity. After 2-3 months, the plant produces roots and is ready for further planting.
Rules for planting lilacs Sensation
Planting Sensation is not difficult even for a novice gardener. At the same time, following the rules will allow you to get the healthiest plant possible. The most important thing is to observe the correct planting dates, choose the right location and soil, and also prepare planting holes in advance.
For each plant you need to dig a planting hole. The best pit size is a recess with sides 50 cm and a depth of 70-80 cm. A drainage layer of crushed stone or broken brick is laid at the bottom of each hole.
Recommended timing
Common lilac Sensatsiya seedlings are planted either in spring or early autumn. The best time for planting is considered to be the first months of September. At this time, the grown seedlings are ready for wintering. Lilacs do best in cold weather, when night temperatures drop to 7-9 degrees.
If spring planting is planned, the ideal time is early to mid-April. At this time, the soil has already thawed and warmed up well for the active development of roots. You should not delay planting - the longer the lilac gets used to the prepared place, the more difficult its first wintering may become.
Site selection and soil preparation
Lilac prefers well-lit areas, so the best place to plant it would be southwestern slopes.The more sun a plant receives in the spring, the more active its vegetation and flowering will be. Placed in shaded areas, Sensation may completely refuse to flower.
As for the soil, the plant takes root best in a neutral or alkaline environment. It is believed that the best soil for lilacs is clay soil with good drainage. If the environment is too acidic, you can add additional fertilizers to change the alkaline balance of the soil.
How to plant correctly
Each seedling is placed in a pre-prepared planting hole. The root collar should be 2-3 cm above ground level. Each hole is filled with prepared soil at the rate of 1 part sand and turf soil to 2 parts leaf soil.
If lilacs are planted singly, then it is necessary to maintain a distance of 2-3 m between each bush. If Sensation is planted in a cluster, then a larger hole is dug and 4-5 seedlings are planted in each of them. The alley method of planting in a row implies a distance between each bush of 1-1.5 m.
It is also recommended to prepare fertilizers - 20 kg of compost, 300 g of wood flour, 30 g of superphosphate. All ingredients are mixed and about 2-3 kg of this bait are added to each bush. Each planted bush is watered with 10-15 liters of water. Such abundant watering stimulates the rooting process well. Moreover, if planting is done in the fall, it is advisable to reduce the amount of watering, since the plant is almost ready for wintering.
Growing lilac Sensation
The Sensation variety, like other varieties of lilac, is unpretentious and not very demanding in care.However, it is worth following some recommendations that will allow you to get the healthiest plant possible.
In order for lilac to bloom profusely, it needs proper periodic watering and timely feeding with organic fertilizers. The soil needs to be mulched periodically. In addition, each plant in the garden needs to be trimmed correctly - this will improve the splendor of flowering and allow you to get a beautiful crown.
Watering
The first watering of Sensation lilacs is carried out after direct planting in open ground. This watering is the most important for the seedling to take root. It is best to add a certain amount of rootstock to the first watering to accelerate the development of the lilac root system.
The next watering is done when the soil around the lilac is completely dry. Sensation is a very moisture-loving variety of lilac, so it is necessary that the soil around the plant is always moist. The maximum amount of watering should be provided to the plant during the period of flowering.
Top dressing
Lilac does not require large amounts of fertilizers and mineral supplements. The first feeding of the plant is done at the time of planting the seedlings. At the same time, they try to limit the use of chemical compounds. It is best to use cow dung. In cases where the soil is too acidic, add a small amount of superphosphate.
Subsequent feeding of lilac Sensation is carried out only 3 years after planting. In this case, it is best to again limit yourself to organic fertilizers.You can apply a small amount of complex mineral fertilizer for flowering shrubs.
Mulching
For each flower plant, loosening of the top layer of soil and additional mulching is necessary. Every spring, the tree trunk circles are loosened with a hoe or hoe. After this, a layer of mulch - oak sawdust - is laid around the trunk. The mulch layer for lilacs is thinner than for other ornamental plants. A layer up to 4-6 cm high is best.
In addition to oak sawdust, you can use other materials - humus, pine needles or hay. Also, inorganic materials are used as mulch for Sensation lilacs - small crushed stone, gravel or expanded clay.
Trimming
Lilac pruning occurs in 2 stages. The first pruning occurs in early spring. When the snow melts, it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning. At this stage, shoots damaged in winter are removed.
The second pruning of Sensation is carried out after flowering ends in June. The plant's tassels are trimmed. This will ensure the lilacs bloom abundantly next year. To form a beautiful crown, you can perform additional pruning of lilacs. In the spring, before the buds swell, 6-7 main shoots are left on each bush. The remaining branches are removed.
Preparing for winter
Lilac Sensation tolerates cold perfectly. Winters in the middle zone are not scary for it, so its branches do not require additional covering. If the shrub is grown in more northern regions with prolonged frosts, it is best to cover it with a special cloth.
To prevent the roots from freezing during prolonged frosts, in the last months of autumn a little more mulch is added to the tree trunk circles.Oak sawdust is best suited for lilacs - they perfectly absorb excess water, saving the plant from getting it to the roots.
Diseases and pests
Despite its high immunity, Sensation lilac is still susceptible to some diseases. The greatest problems for the gardener are viral diseases - leaf spot, ring spot and mottling. In addition, the bushes are susceptible to fungal diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- brown spot;
- withering.
Treatment for these diseases occurs with special antifungal agents. The drugs are diluted in water according to the instructions on the packaging and sprayed on the plant in the initial stages of the disease or for prevention purposes.
Among the pests, the most important thing to be wary of is a large number of caterpillars - they devour leaves, thereby stopping the growth of green mass. It is also necessary to treat lilacs against foxglove moths and mites.
Conclusion
Photos and descriptions of lilac Sensation will allow the gardener to choose the right plant for his garden. Subject to the correct planting conditions and regular care, the bushes will quickly gain weight and increase the number of flower ovaries. A healthy plant will decorate any area.
Lilac is simply a miracle, but it grows very slowly. They didn’t wait until the 7th year to bloom, but what a year. On our bush, in addition to the main lilac-colored brushes with a white border, there is a branch with soft pink flowers. And it blooms like this every year. Neighbors go on excursions and ask for cuttings, but there are no shoots. Grows as a tree. I wanted to take cuttings this year, but I was too late; I learned from your article that you need green, non-lignified branches.