5-23-2011
One of the lilacs has started blooming, here is a picture - spring personified. Jebediah has also bloomed! Will post picture of him soon.
5-16-2011
I wanted the sweet smell of Lilacs to be present for our first spring, so we went to a nursery a few weeks ago and bought one. I had the choice between the common purple lilac and the Charles Joly french lilac, which has wine-colored blooms, and a slightly more gangly, less compact branch structure. I chose the common purple because it is projected to grow taller than the Charles Joly, and wanted it to eventually shade the height of the house on the East. Neither of us had planted a tree before, and we really enjoyed figuring it out. We named him Jebediah, and planted him on a rainy cool afternoon. The ground was soft because it was wet, but also a bit heavier because it had water in it. We dug a hole twice as big as the root ball, removed the burlap, and set Jebediah in the hole along with a mixture of mushroom compost and the soil we had removed. The second night there was a frost warning, so we covered him with a blanket. He's doing well now, and showing purple budding blooms.
Jebediah and some of his budding blooms:
About a week after we planted him, I realized we had made one of our first gardening bloopers - not waiting long enough to see what else is blooming before going out and purchasing new plants. At least FIVE other lilacs on the property started showing their leaves and blooms!! So now Jebediah has a whole family. Jebediah is on the East side of the house and the others are on the West. One of them has a few off-shoots that are competing for soil. I think we will try to transplant at least one of those off-shoots to take root next to Jebediah - he'll have company then and the crowding will be remedied.
And, I think at least one of these other lilacs may have wine-colored blooms! Here is a picture of what I think may be a pinker bloom. Compare it to the picture below it of the standard purple bloom:
One of the lilacs has started blooming, here is a picture - spring personified. Jebediah has also bloomed! Will post picture of him soon.
5-16-2011
I wanted the sweet smell of Lilacs to be present for our first spring, so we went to a nursery a few weeks ago and bought one. I had the choice between the common purple lilac and the Charles Joly french lilac, which has wine-colored blooms, and a slightly more gangly, less compact branch structure. I chose the common purple because it is projected to grow taller than the Charles Joly, and wanted it to eventually shade the height of the house on the East. Neither of us had planted a tree before, and we really enjoyed figuring it out. We named him Jebediah, and planted him on a rainy cool afternoon. The ground was soft because it was wet, but also a bit heavier because it had water in it. We dug a hole twice as big as the root ball, removed the burlap, and set Jebediah in the hole along with a mixture of mushroom compost and the soil we had removed. The second night there was a frost warning, so we covered him with a blanket. He's doing well now, and showing purple budding blooms.
Jebediah and some of his budding blooms:
About a week after we planted him, I realized we had made one of our first gardening bloopers - not waiting long enough to see what else is blooming before going out and purchasing new plants. At least FIVE other lilacs on the property started showing their leaves and blooms!! So now Jebediah has a whole family. Jebediah is on the East side of the house and the others are on the West. One of them has a few off-shoots that are competing for soil. I think we will try to transplant at least one of those off-shoots to take root next to Jebediah - he'll have company then and the crowding will be remedied.
And, I think at least one of these other lilacs may have wine-colored blooms! Here is a picture of what I think may be a pinker bloom. Compare it to the picture below it of the standard purple bloom:
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