Common lilac

Of the 30 species of lilac, known to flower growers, perhaps the most common is the lilac vulgaris. By crossing it with many other species of this plant, the breeders brought out many varieties and hybrids.

The native land of this species is the slopes of the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula. There, this shrub often reaches 7 m in height. Common lilac has matte, heart-shaped leaves, located opposite. This plant blooms with white or pink flowers, collected in small, thick, pyramidal whorled inflorescences. Flowers are very fragrant. Calyx flower four-toothed, green, corolla white or purple. It looks like a narrow cylindrical tube. The plant blooms in May. Fruits ripen in July. Fruit - a box filled with light brown seeds. Common lilac has good frost resistance and drought resistance. The plant prefers fertile soils. This species is very fond of flower growers because of unpretentiousness. This shrub is remarkable in that it easily transplants during the whole vegetative period. He has long been used in the greening of cities, because he is well tolerated by a strong gassing.

Common lilac prefers sufficiently illuminated places, sheltered from strong wind. Do not fit it flooded in spring and autumn, plots of land, because stagnant water quickly causes decay of the roots. The soils under the planting should be chosen neutral or slightly acidic, humic, preferably moderately moist.

Lilacs are planted on a permanent place, usually in the period from July to September. Planting shrubs at other times sometimes leads to a slowdown in growth in the first year.

Lilac, care for which does not cause special difficulties, you need to properly plant. Planting pits sufficient for the root system of size are filled with soil, which is pre-mixed with humus or compost, wood ash and superphosphate. After planting in the first 2-3 years the lilac ordinary does not require the application of fertilizer. The exception is nitrogen, which you can feed plants in the second year. For top dressing, 50 g of urea or 70-80 g of ammonium nitrate are applied to the plant once a season. Excellent lilac responds to top dressing slurry (1,5-2 buckets under the bush). During flowering bushes are often watered, and in the rest of the time - only when the soil dries up. Reproduction of lilac is produced by cuttings, seeds, layers or grafting. Cuttings and cuttings are planted in spring or autumn.

Common lilac is affected by bluet late blight, which is stopped by treatment with Bordeaux fluid. This plant can be attacked by such pests:

- lilac brazilian (is very rare and refers to rare species of butterflies);

- mol-pestrians (destroyed with 0.3% chlorophos);

- lilac moth (destroyed by treatment with 0.2% solution of fosalon).

Bushes should be prepared for winter, making small shelters at the base of young plants from dry leaves or peat.

Flowers, bark, leaves and buds of this plant are valuable medicinal raw materials. Inflorescences are collected with their budding, often with twigs, which are tied in bundles and dried in attics or under a canopy. Collect raw materials should be only in dry weather. Leaves and bark collected in early summer. The bark needs to be taken only from young twigs. Dry the raw materials in the dryers at 50-60 ° C. All medicinal raw materials can be stored in a dry place for up to 2 years. Use lilac as an antipyretic, antimicrobial, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, soothing and diuretic. Leaves brew like tea. Cookies, infusions and infusions (for alcohol) are prepared from the bark and inflorescences.