There are no plants or shrubs for me that can out-fragrance the lilac & lily-of-the-the valley. Blooming on the heels of each other in the spring, these two totally different joys of the garden are a must have.
The sun-loving lilac shrub is glorious this time of year. The beautiful shades of purple blooms & heady fragrance are a real treat. My French lilac, pictured at left (at least 30 to 40 years old) is a staple in many a garden. We grow them for their color & blooms. I cut vases full this time of year. My tips are as follows: cut your blooms & put in lukewarm water right away. The stems need as much water as possible, so cut the stems on a loooong angle or smash the lower stems completely to allow as much water to be absorbed. Even with all that, I prefer not to cut the blooms all at once. Every couple of days will give you the freshest blooms & delightful fragrance. My French lilac is blooming a few weeks early this year due to warmer than usual spring temps. I have a dwarf ‘Miss Kim’ variety that will bloom in another month or so. A great choice to lengthen the love of lilacs! Don’t let the dwarf name fool you, though. It still will need to be pruned to keep a smaller shape but it is an easy one to trim (after it blooms). See below for a link on pruning the traditional lilac. Plant and enjoy the fragrance for years to come!
The fast-spreading ground cover, lily-of-the-the valley, has to be the best smelling ground cover around! This rhizome is easy to grow & likes most soil conditions & likes sun or shade. Pictured at left, the same applies when cutting for vases. Cut as many as you need for a few days & then cut more. The delicate bell-shaped flowers dry up quickly. I also cut a few of their beautiful leaves for a simple arrangement. There is even a pink variety ‘Rosea’ that is gorgeous! There really is no maintenance here. Just control their place in your garden by dividing them in summer if needed. These will be peaking soon for me, can’t wait!
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