metzgerlandscaping

This row of topiary lilac trees in the nursery at Metzger Landscaping will make the perfect focal point for local landscapes. Lilacs are usually in full bloom around Mother’s Day.

By Leesa Metzger

A former horticulture and botany teacher and owner of Metzger Landscaping & Garden Center in North Manchester answers reader’s questions about gardening and landscaping.

Spring has sprung and the phone in our office is ringing off the hook! Spring clean-ups are in full swing, beds are getting a fresh layer of mulch and we are looking forward to planting beautiful landscapes.  Several clients have asked this week, “When is the right time to prune lilacs?” and “How do I trim back a huge old fashioned lilac?”

The traditional lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is known for its wonderfully fragrant flowers. A lovely bouquet will easily fill a room with fragrance. Unfortunately that’s their only real ornamental attribute. They tend to look gangly and unkempt most of the year. Throw in a little powdery mildew on the leaves and lilac shrubs leave much to be desired. It’s probably best to tuck a few traditional lilacs into a shrub border or grouping in the landscape. They are most definitely not good foundation plants for around your home!

The recent estimate is that there are 2000 cultivars of common lilac. Most are in the pink, purple, blue or white range of flower colors with a few creamy yellows. There are a few listed as powdery mildew resistant such as ‘Charles Joly’ (magenta), ‘Madame Lemoine’ (pure white), ‘President Lincoln’ (true blue), ‘Primrose’ (creamy yellow) and ‘Sensation’ (purple and white bicolor).

Because lilacs tend to be long lived in the landscape, they may suffer from poor blooming eventually. The usual causes are:

1.      Too shady a site. All lilacs grow and flower best in full sun and well-drained soil.

2.      Pruning too late in the season and therefore removing the next year’s flower buds. Common lilacs should be pruned immediately after flowering to keep them vigorous.

3.      Shrubs are in need of renewal pruning. Lilacs tend to bloom best on younger branches. Prune by removing about one third of the older branches down to the ground each year after flowering.

4.      Poor shrub vigor due to scale or borers. Usually removing the older stems will help to control these insects. Oystershell scale may require a spray of insecticidal soap or summer oil in late May. Be sure to read and follow all label directions.

Although the common or French hybrid lilacs are magnificently fragrant, there are superior lilac species for the landscape. In my opinion these landscape plants do not have quite the heady fragrance of common lilac, they are far better looking shrubs after they flower and tend to be free of powdery mildew. If you don’t have much landscape space, these are better choices.

‘Palibin’ lilac is a neat, tidy shrub at five feet tall. The dark green leaves are smaller than common lilac. It may flower when quite young with pink lavender fragrant flowers. ‘Miss Kim’ lilac is a little larger at six feet. It makes a nice rounded shrub. It flowers a little later than common lilac with blue lavender flowers. The flowers are small but prolific. ‘Miss Kim’ usually develops a nice burgundy fall color, which is non-existent in common lilac.

Littleleaf lilac ‘Superba’ is also about six feet tall and like the other landscape lilacs forms a nice twiggy shrub. It has red buds that open to dark pink. ‘Tinkerbelle’ lilac might be worth growing just for the name. It has pink flowers on a five feet tall shrub. It has nice green heart shaped leaves.

Stop by our nursery in a few weeks to check out ornamental topiary lilac trees that make a great focal point for a landscape or other more traditional varieties as well.  See you soon!

To send a question for Ask the Landscaper, contact Metzger Landscaping at 260-982-4282, visit www.metzgerlandscaping.net to send a question, or find us on Facebook.

Are you totally disappointed that there won’t be any fantastic spring break vacation this year?  Take that money and create a staycation you can use all year long! A staycation is the trending idea you stay home for your vacation use that vacation money instead to create your own vacation destination. Stop surfing the internet dreaming of the perfect vacation and create a perfect vacation home in your own back yard!

Vacations can be expensive anyway, even before this crazy current event hit our nation.  Many people these days were already choosing to stay at home and just chill out, catch up on Netflix and drink some homemade margaritas. Others choose to stay close to home to explore the local sights and scenery, museums, festivals and enjoy what our own hometowns have to offer. Hopefully those local small-town festivals and attractions will still happen this summer and we can all enjoy catching up with old friends and neighbors.

In the meantime, think about how you can entertain your own family and close friends with outdoor entertaining areas to enjoy right in your own back yard. At Metzger Landscaping we already have several outdoor patios, fire pits and outdoor kitchens to install this spring.  Add your home to our growing list of clients that will enjoy their investments for years to come.  Investing in a home improvement project is always a good investment, as those projects add will to your property value.  What a great way to spend money—on something you can enjoy and feel good about making a smart investment with.

Warm sunny days are just around the corner. The pleasant weather at many vacation spots might make eating outside, also called eating “alfresco” seems like a luxury, but enjoying your meals outdoors doesn’t have to be limited to cafes and restaurants.  If you don’t have an outdoor entertaining area at home—now is the time to add one!  Creating an outdoor room with a patio is the cheapest square footage for an add-on to your house.  Outdoor rooms can be just as comfortable as indoor rooms, with the bonus of a ceiling of stars to enjoy at night.

Our nursery at Metzger Landscaping will be a flurry of activity soon.  The garden center will be fully stocked with everything you need to create a beautiful outdoor space of your dreams.  Landscaping perennials, trees and shrubs will be ready for sale by April 15 and annuals will be ready by May 1^st.  The indoor Garden Center has everything you need from bagged topsoil, garden gloves, fertilizers, and tons of fun decorative items for your yard this year.   Our gift certificates are always an easy gift to send someone that maybe you aren’t able to go visit; and can even be purchased over the phone for your convenience.  We already have customers picking up bulk mulch to freshen up their landscaping for the year.  People are feeling a little stir-crazy and looking for something to occupy their free time— pick up a truck load of premium mulch!  Visit us and shop local!

Consider keeping your spending money local, whether to support a local restaurant, landscaper, carpenter, etc.  This concept of hiring locally is as important now as it has ever been.  If you spend your money locally by hiring local contractors, they in turn spend that money locally and this cycle strengthens our community.  Try to keep your money in the county you live in and you will see our local economy survive the hard times.

Now is the time to apply crabgrass preventer and start a Greenkeeper Program for a healthier lawn this year! The first step to improving your lawn is with a green up fertilizer with crabgrass preventer.  Crabgrass preventer controls crabgrass both before and after it germinates, creating a barrier to fight off crabgrass for up to 16 weeks. The product’s active ingredient, Dimension^®, allows for crabgrass control up to the plant’s three leaf stage; a fully mature crabgrass plant has 7 leaves. In most areas this allows an application until late spring, and will control crabgrass all season long. It is important to note that the majority of the other crabgrass controls on the market today will only control crabgrass before it germinates, and for only about 8 weeks!  Call Metzger Landscaping today for a free quote for your lawn at 260-982-4282.

If we experience a cool, wet spring, crabgrass germination will be delayed, and therefore your application for control should be as well. A good indicator of warming soil temperatures, and to help recognize the correct time to apply your crabgrass control, is when the forsythia bushes bloom their yellow flowers. Otherwise, if you have a soil thermometer you can place it in your lawn, at a minimum of 10 feet away from your house’s foundation. If you apply a crabgrass control product too early, when the ground is still cold, you will be putting some of the product’s control weeks to use even before there is any crabgrass to control. This is the beauty of using a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer, you don’t have to worry about applying too late or too early. Even after the crabgrass breaks the surface, you will still have complete coverage because Dimension^® will work to control the crabgrass both before and after you see the crabgrass plant, up to the 3-leaf stage.

It is of importance to note that new grass cannot be seeded the same season that the crabgrass preventer is applied.   Do not seed for 3 months after applying this product. Crabgrass preventer doesn’t just target dormant crabgrass seeds, it kills all grass seeds and grass-like weeds in the lawn and does so for up to 16 weeks.

If crabgrass appears during the late summer months, ask your lawncare applicator about suggesting a spot spray product to control it.

There are many traditional products to help control crabgrass, but the underlying problem of weeds and disease come from the health of your lawn and the soil it is grown in. A thick and healthy lawn will help ward off problems before they start! A good way to strengthen your lawn’s resistance to weeds is by having your lawn treated regularly with a greenkeeper lawncare program by a professional.  An ongoing GreenKeeper Program is important to creating a healthy lawn because there is continued pressure throughout the season from tough weeds.  An ongoing greenkeeper maintenance program by a professional is the best way to obtain long-term results.  One or two applications to control Creeping Charlie, dandelions and other tough weeds is not going to yield long-term results.  Choose wisely when choosing a lawn care professional.  Most national companies send an inexperienced applicator to your home that gives everyone the same rates of chemicals and fertilizers regardless of your lawn’s needs.  Metzger Landscaping is a local company based in North Manchester and serves the Wabash County and surrounding areas.  Metzger Landscaping offers both traditional and organic lawn programs for your specific lawn care needs.

Fall is for planting! Fall seems to be the perfect season to get a new landscape established.  Cooler weather helps plants acclimate to their new surroundings easier than during the heat of summer.  Less watering is of course a welcome relief for homeowners establishing new plantings as well.  It’s a win-win!

September is a good month to landscape with fall mums, which are available in a rainbow assortment of colors.  Bronze, red, yellow, and white are among the more popular choices.  At Metzger landscaping we even carry mums that are tri-colored—that’s right—you can get three colors of mums all in the same pot!

The key to successful planting for mums for the landscape is proper site preparation.  Choose a sunny, well-drained spot.  Dig and loosen the soil to a depth of eight to ten inches in a hole twice the diameter of the plant’s pot.  Mix organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure into the soil.  If you want to try to overwinter your mums, once plant tops die back after blooming or severe frost, cut the stems even with the ground.  Apply a thick layer of straw or bark mulch at the end of October, removing it in the spring as the frost leaves the ground.  If we have a mild winter, or you live in a mild location, chances are better that they will survive.  The Garden Center at Metzger Landscaping in North Manchester has a fantastic selection of mums to brighten your landscape and perk up your front porch decorations!

Looking for long term fall color for your landscaping? Consider trees and shrubs that turn brilliant colors year after year.  A maple tree called ‘red sunset’ turns a reliable, brilliant red color each fall.  Pair the red sunset maple with a sugar maple or silver maple that turn a yellow golden color for a spectacular fall color.   There are many trees to consider for fall color, other than maples.  Many of the colorful large trees turn variations of yellow including yellowwood, American beech (a yellowish bronze), ash (a reddish yellow), ginkgo, honeylocust, quaking aspen, golden weeping willow, and elms.  For dark red colors in large trees consider some of the oaks such as the white, swamp white, scarlet, shingle, pin, and red oak.  Some of the other oaks’ leaves aren’t particularly showy in fall.  One of the few hardy flowering cherries for the north, the Sargent cherry, turns yellow to red.  A few shrubs that I use in our landscape projects for spectactular red fall color are Viburnum ‘brandywine’, old fashioned Burning Bush, and Virgina Sweetspire.  Shrubs to plant for yellow color include Buckthorne ‘fine line’, Dwarf Lilac ‘miss Kim’, and False Cypress ‘lemon thread’.

Ornamental grasses and flowering fall perennials add texture and color to landscape beds late in the season.  When most perennials are starting to wane there are several reliable perennials that  homeowners can turn to for a splash of late season color.  Sedum ‘brillance’ or ‘autumn joy’, Gaillardia ‘indian blanket’ and purple asters are stunning are all in the fall.   All ornamental grasses seem fabulous in the fall but a few personal favorites are Panicum ‘shanendoah’, Miscanthus ‘sarenbande’ and Dwarf Fountain grass ‘hamlen’.   Visit us at Metzger Landscaping’s Garden Center for a great selection of fall mums, ornamental grasses and colorful fall perennials.

Late August is a happy time for me in the garden. While some gardeners dread the lull between the July daylily bloom and the September chrysanthemum and aster show, I look forward to the time when migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return.

Soon hummingbirds will be passing through Northern Indiana on their way to warmer climates for the winter.  I think I see my “regular customers” at my feeders throughout June and July, but I see a much larger variation in visitors to our feeders in late summer and early fall.  The new visitors to our feeders signal that hummingbirds are on the move beginning in August.

Arriving between the last week in August or the first week in September, these mostly female and juvenile male birds visit feeders and plants while en route to warmer winter grounds. New visitors come and go until the first week in October.

Though some Ruby-throated hummingbirds are found wintering along the Gulf of Mexico and North Carolina’s Outer Banks, most make a long journey to Central America and Mexico. Mature males are the first to begin the journey south, departing July through August in daylight hours. To follow are the adult females in September. The juveniles are last to leave — depending on age — in late September to mid-November.  Of course, the farther south you live, the later your migration will begin. By the first of October, migrants are observed in Central America.  Many of the birds choose a direct route south, crossing the Gulf of Mexico with no stops. Quite a feat considering it’s nearly 500–600 miles during hurricane season!

While they make frequent feeding stops on the continental U.S., Ruby-throated Hummingbirds need to indulge in large amounts of nectar and protein before they cross the Gulf. It is beneficial that the Gulf Coast states have an abundance of blooming plants in the fall.

Feeders are a good way to bring the hummingbird activity close to view. Provide feeders in various locations in the yard, using a sugar water mixture. Don’t buy the colored mix as it’s really not good for the birds. A normal ratio for sugar to water is one cup sugar for every four cups water (1:4). Some offer a stronger solution of 1:3 in the fall. Clean your feeders often as mold builds and can harm the hummingbirds.

To assist the Ruby-throated Hummingbird along the migration path, plan a garden with some of their favorite flowers.  Include annuals such as red salvia, lantana, petunias and cannas and long blooming perennials that include bee balm (monarda), lavender, purple salvia, daylily, and catnip (calamintha) to attract the birds all summer. Flowering shrubs that attract hummingbirds to the garden include weigela, butterfly bush (buddleja), and flowering lepodermis.  All of these plants can be found at the Metzger Landscaping Garden Center here in North Manchester! An easy rule of thumb when looking for plants to attract hummingbirds is if the plant has a trumpet-shaped flower, a hummingbird will love it.

Now is the time to take notice and enjoy the fall migration of Ruby-throated hummingbirds and to plan for next year’s migration. If you are lucky enough to have visitors all summer, then you probably have many plants already and know those most attractive to the birds. In my garden, they love to visit many types of flowers. The perennial flowers in our landscaping attract hummingbirds and we also have suction-cup feeders that attach to a window on our front porch and another on our back patio for up close viewing from inside of our feathered friends.  A winning combination for a hummingbird buffet is to offer a few flowering shrubs, several varieties of perennials and annuals as well as a feeder.

Leesa Metzger

Metzger Landscaping & Design, LLC

www.metzgerlandscaping.com

Find us on Facebook!

I now talk of my garden in relation to a new season — Japanese beetle season. Let the trumpets sound. It’s time to scout for Japanese beetles. Evidence suggests that adult beetles are attracted to previously damaged leaves. Reducing feeding damage now can result in less feeding damage in the future.

Japanese beetle adults are one quarter to one half inch long with copper colored wing covers and a shiny metallic green head. Kind of attractive in a buggy sort of way. 

Japanese beetles also have the munchies for your favorite rose, linden, grape, raspberry and some 350 different plants. They generally do not feed on dogwood, forsythia, holly, lilac, evergreens and hosta. Plants in the smartweed family such as Persicaria are good indicators for Japanese beetles since they usually find those first.

Japanese beetle adults feed on flowers and fruits and skeletonize leaves by eating all the leaf tissue and leaving the veins. Adults are most active from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on warm, clear summer days. Feeding is normally in the upper portions of plants. Beetles prefer plants in direct sun, so heavily wooded areas are rarely attacked.

Adults are present until mid-August. After mating, females lay eggs in turf which hatch into grubs in August. Grubs feed on plant roots until cold weather drives them deeper into the soil. Adults emerge in summer of the following year.

The bacterial control, milky spore, sold as Doom or Grub Attack is commonly recommended to control Japanese beetle grubs. However, it only controls Japanese beetle grubs and not our predominate lawn grub, annual white grub. Common lawn grub controls such as Acelypren, imidocloprid (Merit) and beneficial nematodes will control several species of beetle grubs.  Call Metzger Landscaping at 260-982-4282 to sign up for a greenkeeper lawn care program to control grubs and weeds in your lawn with a Greenkeeper Fertilizer & Lawn Care Program.

The beetles are good fliers and easily fly a couple miles in a single flight. They may travel 10 to 15 miles from where they lived as larvae. Typically, one-third of the adult Japanese beetles fly to a new host each day.

Generally pesticide sprays of cabaryl (Sevin) to control the adults can reduce damage for up to two weeks. However, Sevin is toxic to bees and other beneficial insects. Synthetic pyrethroids can also be effective to control Japanese beetles. Informally the repellent Neem has not been shown to be effective.

Picking Japanese beetles off by hand every morning may be just as effective as spraying. When disturbed, the beetles fold their legs and drop to the ground. Hold a can containing rubbing alcohol or soapy water below the infested leaves. Move the plant and the beetles will drop into the container and be killed. This is best done in the morning when they fly slower.

Japanese beetle traps are not recommended where a large beetle population exists. It has been shown repeatedly that the use of these traps results in increased plant damage compared to not using the traps.

A number of birds such as grackles, cardinals and meadowlarks feed on adult beetles. Two native predator insects and a couple of introduced parasites may help to keep Japanese beetle populations in check. Protect natural enemies by keeping the use of conventional pesticides to a minimum.

Several methods of control include floating row covers over the fruits, Pyola sprays (combination of canola oil and pyrethrum), and hand collecting.

Although damage looks devastating, Japanese beetle feeding rarely kills woody plants. Therefore, confine control of beetles to plants in important landscape locations or plants of value.

It’s Spring; What Can I Prune? Confused about when and what to prune in the Spring? Spring has its own set of rules and reasons for pruning.

Spring is an awesome time for gardeners. You can focus your attention on lots of different tasks, each day bringing a completely different set of challenges and each task completed a new sense of accomplishment. Pruning is one of those tasks that can be a bit confusing, though. Pruning a plant in the wrong season can cause undue setbacks, but when done in the proper season pruning is extremely helpful. For healthy, tidy plants with great-looking blooms it’s important to prune the right thing at the right time.

Spring bloomers, like forsythia, quince, lilac and azalea, should be pruned

soon after they finish blooming. These shrubs bloom on “old” wood. Pruning early in the season allows the longest amount of time for them to grow next year’s buds. Use prudent judgement, however; these plants may not need pruning at all if they are in a good spot and healthy. They often look their best when they grow as naturally as possible. There is no need to prune just because you have time on your hands.

Repeat Bloomers is a category of flowering shrubs that produce multiple bloom cycles per year. Each year, new brands of roses, azaleas, hydrangeas and more appear in garden centers presenting the question: When should they be pruned? Many of these bloom on both old and new wood, with the first round of flowers appearing mid-spring. In spring, treat these shrubs as you would the spring bloomers by pruning as soon as the first bloom cycle is complete. If the plants are still well shaped and suitably sized, limit pruning to the

 removal of spent blooms.

When hedges such as boxwood, holly, ligustrum, yews and others which are grown for foliage rather than flowers, put on their first flush of new growth they may look a bit shaggy. For a tightly groomed appearance, shear them. Cut the young foliage only, about half the distance back toward the old growth (for instance, a flush of four inches should be cut to two inches). Pruning in this manner allows the plant to grow slightly larger, which helps the canopy stay deep and full. It will also help to minimize production of long shoots.

Old shrubs that have grown too large for their space, or have seen extensive damage from cold, disease or insects, may require renewal pruning. Simply put, they are cut to the ground and allowed to regrow from root suckers. This drastic measure is often used to get a f

ew more years out of shrubs that will in the future have to be replaced. Spring is the time to do this, at the time when the first buds begin to swell at the branch tips but before the new growth starts to emerge.

As the suckers grow back, pinch the tips to force these aggressive shoots to produce lateral branches for a bushier plant.

Basic tools for pruning these categories of plants include hand-held pruners, loppers, shears and pruning saw. Hand pruners work well for fine stems and branches up to æ inch in diameter. Bi-cut “loppers” are used for branches between 1/2 inch and 2 inches. A saw is necessary for larger branches. Shears are used to keep hedges and topiaries groomed by cutting through soft green growing tips.  Keep tools sharp and clean. Sharp tools make clean cuts which heal far more quickly than those that are full and leave ragged cuts.  A spring “haircut” or proper pruning will reward you for your diligent work with beautiful foliage and bloom all summer long!

I’m a Hoosier girl, and spring is one of my favorite times of the year. In the springtime in Indiana bodacious blooms abound. From tulips and daffodils to crabapples, every plant appears to join me in a celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of a new season.

I get the most enjoyment out of all the small trees showing off and vying for our attention. Every vista is picture worthy. Crabapples adorn every branch with a flurry of flowers. Hundreds of crabapple cultivars exist so if a crabapple is in your planting future do your homework to make sure the tree and fruit size, flower color and disease resistance fits your needs.

The flowers of Redbud are a sure sign spring in the Midwest. Redbud, Cercis canadensis, grows as a native under story tree throughout the forests of the eastern US. It can grow to 30 feet tall and a bit wider at maturity. Redbud also blooms at an early age of 4-7 years. Even the trunks of older trees show off in spring as they parade their pink-purple flowers.

I would rank Flowering Dogwood as the most commonly desired spring flowering tree. The large white bracts (those actually aren’t flower petals) of Flowering Dogwood flowers are held at the ends of branches like chalices waiting for spring rains. Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is native to a large range of the eastern US.  Dogwoods are understory trees so they like afternoon shade, wood mulch, plenty of organic matter and moist well-drained acidic soil. Flowering Dogwoods hate to be too wet or too dry.  We have a great selection of spring flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals at Metzger Landscaping in North Manchester. We invite you to stop by our nursery Monday–Friday 8-5 and Saturdays 8-4!

Most gardeners have a spring ritual that includes walking their garden in search of emerging plants. We begin to get an idea of which plants have expanded well beyond their borders. The quick use of a sharp spade now is better than attempting the eradication of a full-blown invasion later. Thus, it is time for the great perennial divide!

April is the time to divide perennials for many reasons: plants have outgrown their space; plants aren’t doing well in that site because of sun, shade or moisture requirements; plants got way too big; flowers were not the color you anticipated; or maybe you have decided it would look so much better in another spot. Or maybe you just feel like digging. Remember the adage: “Every good garden has been in a wheelbarrow at least three times.”

Dividing can be an invigorating process for plants in which the center tends to die out. Some such as yarrow, aster, perennial sunflower, obedient plant and black-eyed Susan perform better if they are divided every few years to keep them in bounds.

April is an ideal time to move/divide most perennials. However, peonies should be divided only in September. Bearded irises are divided in July and August. Plants that form underground rhizomes or multiple crowns are easy to divide.

Everyone has their favorite method of dividing perennials and their favorite implement of destruction. I prefer a small sharp spade to divide large clumps. Shove the spade into the soil on the outside of the planting and continue around in the size of sections you want. I often have to jump on the spade to get through thick stems. .

Some gardeners prefer digging around the clump and using two garden forks to pull the clump apart. Divisions can be as large as you want, but four-inch diameter sections work well for most plants. Smaller divisions may not bloom as well for a couple of years.

The whole clump does not have to be lifted. Sections from the outside of the planting can be removed to reduce the size of the planting or to leave the mother plant intact. For many perennial plants the most vigorous shoots are on the outside of the clump. This method works well for space invaders such as beebalm, mint and anything that spreads by runners to form a colony (or in the case of mint, its own country).

Some plants such as daylilies, catmint, and astilbe have more of a central crown. Dig out the whole plant and make divisions using a spade or garden knife or in the case of ornamental grasses an axe works well.

Replant divisions immediately, plant into pots, heel into a pile of moist mulch for planting later or put on your neighbor’s doorstep. Be sure to water plants thoroughly after replanting. Before replanting, amend soil with compost if needed. Most perennials do not flower as well the year they are divided, so don’t be discouraged.

Some plants do not like to be moved or divided. These include baby’s breath, old fashioned bleeding heart, balloon flower, monkshood, blue indigo, gas plant, sea holly, lupine and butterfly weed.

Other April gardening activities include removing last year’s perennial stems, trim butterfly bush, caryopteris and Russian sage back to 6-8 inches and remove any winter mulch from perennials and roses. Ornamental grasses should be cut down before new growth emerges.

Spring has sprung and the phone in our office is ringing off the hook! Spring clean-ups are in full swing, beds are getting a fresh layer of mulch and we are looking forward to planting beautiful landscapes.  Several clients have asked this week, “When is the right time to prune lilacs?”

The traditional lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is known for its wonderfully fragrant flowers. A lovely bouquet will easily fill a room with fragrance. Unfortunately that’s their only real ornamental attribute. They tend to look gangly and unkempt most of the year. Throw in a little powdery mildew on the leaves and lilac shrubs leave much to be desired. It’s probably best to tuck a few traditional lilacs into a shrub border or grouping in the landscape. They are definitely not good foundation plants.

The recent estimate is that there are 2000 cultivars of common lilac. Most are in the pink, purple, blue or white range of flower colors with a few creamy yellows. There are a few listed as powdery mildew resistant such as ‘Charles Joly’ (magenta), ‘Madame Lemoine’ (pure white), ‘President Lincoln’ (true blue), ‘Primrose’ (creamy yellow) and ‘Sensation’ (purple and white bicolor).

Because lilacs tend to be long lived in the landscape, they may suffer from poor blooming eventually. The usual causes are:

1.      Too shady a site. All lilacs grow and flower best in full sun and well-drained soil.

2.      Pruning too late in the season and therefore removing the next year’s flower buds. Common lilacs should be pruned immediately after flowering to keep them vigorous.

3.      Shrubs are in need of renewal pruning. Lilacs tend to bloom best on younger branches. Prune by removing about one third of the older branches down to the ground each year after flowering.

4.      Poor shrub vigor due to scale or borers. Usually removing the older stems will help to control these insects. Oystershell scale may require a spray of insecticidal soap or summer oil in late May. Be sure to read and follow all label directions.

Although the common or French hybrid lilacs are magnificently fragrant, there are superior lilac species for the landscape. In my opinion these landscape plants do not have quite the heady fragrance of common lilac, they are far better looking shrubs after they flower and tend to be free of powdery mildew. If you don’t have much landscape space, these are better choices.

‘Palibin’ lilac is a neat, tidy shrub at five feet tall. The dark green leaves are smaller than common lilac. It may flower when quite young with pink lavender fragrant flowers. ‘Miss Kim’ lilac is a little larger at six feet. It makes a nice rounded shrub. It flowers a little later than common lilac with blue lavender flowers. The flowers are small but prolific. ‘Miss Kim’ usually develops a nice burgundy fall color, which is non-existent in common lilac.

Littleleaf lilac ‘Superba’ is also about six feet tall and like the other landscape lilacs forms a nice twiggy shrub. It has red buds that open to dark pink. ‘Tinkerbelle’ lilac might be worth growing just for the name. It has pink flowers on a five feet tall shrub. It has nice green heart shaped leaves.

To send a question for Ask the Landscaper, contact Metzger Landscaping at 260-982-4282, visit www.metzgerlandscaping.com to send a question, or find us on Facebook.