Sensationally Scented Syringas.

When I think of growing up in Prince George many things come to mind; the happy days spent hiking on the trails near our house in the city,  collecting wild berries during the summer and fall, and the large lilac hedge which we would pick branches to bring to our mom.  Every year at this time when the perfume is in the air I travel back in time. The scent of Common Lilac(Syringa vulgaris) has stayed with me as one of my favorite memories from my childhood.

This is the common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris), the one seen in our backyard.

Common Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are very happy growing in such a harsh climate as Prince George which is zone 3. The lavender purple common Lilacs were undoubtedly brought to Canada by early settlers who wanted a bit of their garden to remind them of where they came from. Lilac is a great shrub for this purpose as it is a suckery plant and it is easy to find a piece to dig out and give away. I can see this as the way the plant was given to neighbors and relatives who might have been visiting and admired it. My parents did just this and took some suckers to plant out at our cabin by the lake and today after many years they happily bloom every year.

Syringa vulgaris f.(forma) alba is found near the Humboldt/Blanchard St. entrance at St. Ann's Academy.

Lilacs have with us for a long time. It is said that Lilacs were introduced from the Ottoman Empire as a gift from ‘Suileman the Magnificant’ to King Ferdinand of the Holy Roman Empire in 1563. Ogier Ghiselin de Busbec, the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire brought cuttings of the Lilacs back with him and gave them to famed botanist Carolus Clusius to grow. Soon these new plants were being cultivated by other famous botanists and herbalists such as John Gerard and Tradscant the Elder who were in England. Lilacs appeared in the American colonies in the 18th century.

This small flowered form is what Syringa vulgaris looks like in the wild.

Victor Lemoine, the great plant hybridzer worked extensively with Lilacs Starting in 1870 and continuing through his descendants introduced over 200 new forms commonly called ‘French Lilacs’. Many of these are still very popular and widely grown today. French Lilacs (vulgaris hybrids) come in a wide range of colors, from the darkest purples through cerise to pink to the clearest white and even a yellowish(‘Primrose’) form. There are also some famous doubles and at least one well known bi-color(‘Sensation’).

Syringa 'Charles Joly' one of the darkest colors was raised by Lemoine in 1896.

I have seen quite a few different Lilacs in the downtown area of Victoria as well as three varieties at St Ann’s Academy. At the Academy they have a very unusual single white form, Syringa vulgaris f.(forma) alba, two of them are located just inside the Humboldt-Blanchard corner entrance.

Syringa 'Katherine Havemeyer' is found in the Novitiate Garden at St. Ann's Academy.

If you visit the Novitiate Garden you will see next to the stairs leading to the veranda two more; ‘Katherine Havermeyer'(Lemoine 1930) which is a double pale blue color and ‘Sensation’ the bi-colored one. The common Lilacs which originally separated the Novitiate Garden from the rest of the property were move up along the back of the garden and are seen behind the Summerhouse along the back intermingled with the Holly hedge.

Syringa 'Sensation' was raised by De Maarse of Boskoop in 1938.

Lilacs are easy to grow and tolerate most types of soil, even that which is chalky It blooms best in full sun and will appreciate having the spent flowers being removed. Lilacs need adequate water through their growing season and are known to wilt. Named varieties are often grafted to give them more vigorous growth. Lilacs are best used as informal hedges, specimens or for fragrance in the garden. It is best to select the Lilac you are going to buy when they are in bloom so you can see it’s true color and smell it’s fragrance. There are many named forms to choose from.

I see a small plant of Syringa Mme. Antoine. Buchner when I look out my window.

Following the scent of Syringas:

The wiki page on Syringa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_vulgaris

The favorite dark purple Lilac: http://www.paghat.com/lilac.html

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton Ontario has one of the best collections in the world: http://www.rbg.ca/

Read Full Post »