Growing the Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac

Size and Appearance

The Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac is a large shrub or small tree, reaching 20 to 25 feet in height, with a spread typically 12 to 15 feet wide. The branches rise somewhat vertically, so that the crown stays high, without sweeping down to the ground. The trunk and stems have smooth, glossy reddish-brown bark when younger, turning a little rougher and grayer with age. There are prominent horizontal bars on it, in a pale tan color, called lenticels, which give it a look similar to the bark of a cherry tree. The twig structure is upright to horizontal, with attractive zig-zags, making the winter profile very attractive and appealing. The leaves are large, between 3 and 6 inches long, and broad ovals tapering to a pronounced tip. They are dark green, with a slightly satiny surface. In fall, especially in cold zones, they turn a lovely clear yellow color, staying more greenish-yellow in warmer areas or in shade.

Flowering happens in June, after the main rush of spring blooms, and it is always profuse, reliable and very showy. The tiny, ¼-inch flowers are carried in hundreds of not thousands in big conical clusters between 8 and 12 inches long. They are a lovely creamy-white color, fragrant with the scent of honey, and have a light, fluffy look. A tree in bloom is very, very attractive indeed. It’s also attractive to pollinators, butterflies and even hummingbirds, who all show up for a sweet nectar party. Flowers are followed by clusters of seed pods which are pleasant, but not showy, adding a little something in fall after the leaves drop.

Using the Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac in Your Garden

The high branching structure of the Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac makes it simple to maintain good clearance beneath this tree, and it’s one of the very few smaller flowering trees where you can do this so easily. That makes it perfect for a lawn specimen in a smaller garden, because you can easily pass underneath, and keep the lawn growing. In beds it will provide shade that allows you to grow smaller shrubs underneath, and it is also lovely tucked into the angles of walls around your home, used as a boundary screen or avenue, or in front of natural woodland. It’s ideal, and appropriate, when you want a background tree for an Asian-style garden.

Hardiness

No wonder this is a top-choice tree in colder zones, because it is completely hardy and a very reliable flowering tree in zone 4. It also grows well into zone 7, growing best in areas that have definite winter weather, including the northeast and the upper Midwest. It doesn’t grow so well in the southeast, with hot, humid summers, and in the northwest it may not get enough of the summer sunshine it loves.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Although it will take a few hours of shade each day, full sun will give you the best results with this tree. It grows vigorously and well in almost all soils that are well-drained, especially, but not exclusively, in slightly acid soils that are rich and reasonably moist. It has great tolerance of urban soils, and it’s a terrific tree for town gardens. Avoid wet soil and very dry, sandy soils.

Maintenance and Pruning

Unlike old-fashioned French lilacs, you won’t see powdery mildew making the leaves unsightly in summer, and neither will you be troubled by the nasty lilac borer. It stays generally free of pests or diseases. If you want a tree, with a single stem, or with just two or 3 stems, prune off side branches while the tree is young, to avoid scars. Trim up as needed, or keep it as a rounded shrub with lower branching. Little or no pruning is needed, but if you do need to trim or remove branches, do it straight after flowering is over. When young it pays to remove spent flowers, saving that energy needed for seeds and channeling it into growth and next year’s flowers.

History and Origin of the Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac

The Japanese tree lilac, Syringa reticulata, arrived in North America from the hills of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. It was brought over by Charles Sprague Sargent, head of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, in 1876. It was sent to Europe from there a decade later. There are specific other forms of this tree found in China and in Korea. The variety called ‘Ivory Silk’ is a seedling selected by Sheridan Nurseries, Ontario, Canada for its more compact, neat form. It was introduced in 1973.

Buying the Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac at the Tree Center

This tree has been the winner of multiple awards for its garden and landscape value, including the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal in 1996, and the Theodore Klein Plant Award of the University of Kentucky Nursery & Landscape Program in 2000. Why experiment with new, unproven trees when this one has such a great track record? Go with the best, and plant an Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac today. Order now, it often isn’t available from many nurseries anymore.

Growing the Monge Lilac

Size and Appearance

The Monge Lilac is an upright deciduous shrub, growing 10 to 12 feet tall and a similar width across. It can be kept bushy, or trimmed up into a small multi-stem tree. The smooth gray bark becomes more rugged and dark brown-gray on the older stems. The handsome leaves are heart-shaped, and 3 to 5 inches long, with a slightly glossy surface and a mid-green coloring.

Blooms open in April to May, depending on your zone, coming after spring bulbs but before roses, which is another reason to grow this bush, to bridge that gap in your flower display. In colder climates in particular, ‘lilac season’ is eagerly anticipated, showing that winter is finally behind you. The flowers are carried in large clusters of many blooms, like fat, slightly-tapering columns as much as 9 inches long. Each one carries hundreds of small individual flowers, each with four petals. The buds are a dark purple-red, opening to a slightly lighter shade, and blooms last 3 or 4 weeks, fading a little to a pinker tone as they finally age. You don’t even need to get very close before you are filled with the delicious sweet fragrance the blooms release, and it all adds to the sensual experience in admiring this bush. The scent also attracts pollinators and butterflies, and even hummingbirds.

Using the Monge Lilac in Your Garden

Grow this useful shrub towards the back of your shrub borders, with smaller shrubs in front. Use it on the sunny side of your home to cover a blank wall, or on the boundary line, as a beautiful property marker. Grow it on a lawn, trimmed up into a small tree, or on the sunny side of a wooded area. It is only honest to say that after blooming, lilac bushes are a bit boring, so plant them with other, later-blooming shrubs to keep the area interesting, or grow summer-blooming plants like Clematis or morning glory up into them.

Hardiness

One reason lilacs are so loved is that they grow and bloom reliably in the coldest parts of the country, all through zones 2 and 3. They also grow in warmer areas, but not past zone 7, when winters become too short and warm for them to mature their flower buds properly, and summers too hot.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Your Monge Lilac will grow best in full sun, although it will still grow in a little partial shade, but bloom a little less. This tough plant tolerates most soil types, including heavy clays and alkaline soils, but it won’t do well in soggy, always-wet ground. It prefers moist, relatively rich soils, so add plenty of organic material when planting and as regular mulch.

Maintenance and Pruning

Most of the problems that lilacs suffer from come from neglect. Mulch and occasional summer watering, even with established plants, makes a big difference, but overall the Monge Lilac needs very little care. If you do one thing, make it removing the flower heads once they have finished blooming. Snip them off just above the leaves, or trim back a little to keep the plant bushier. Don’t prune later, and don’t try to trim it into a neat hedge, as this will prevent flowering. Removing the old flowers prevents seeding, which removes a lot of strength from the bush, so that it doesn’t make so many flower buds. Deer usually leave lilac bushes alone, which is a big plus in rural areas.

History and Origin of the Monge Lilac

The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, can be found growing in mountainous areas throughout south-eastern Europe and over to the Black Sea. It came to America with the early settlers, and we have records of it in Portsmouth, New Hampshire from the 1600s. It grows so well in the moderate climate of that state, they made it their state flower, even though it isn’t native.

The type of lilacs we admire most are the French lilacs, which were created by Victor Lemoine at his nursery in Nancy, France, mostly in the late 19th century. He and his wife created hundreds, and transformed the lilac into the bush of giant flower heads we know today. Many are double, with extra petals in each flower, but some, like the variety called ‘Monge’ have single flowers and are still outstandingly beautiful. The variety was released in 1913, so it was probably created by Victor Lemoine’s son, Émile, since Victor died in 1911. The name is likely a tribute to Gaspard Monge, a French mathematician and education reformer, who lived in the 18th century.

Buying the Monge Lilac at the Tree Center

Make your garden a balance between the new and the old – and remember that heirloom varieties like this have proved their worth over the decades. Everyone loves lilacs, and purple is a classic color for them, so this variety is always a big seller. Order now while we still have it available.

Growing the Charles Joly Lilac

Size and Appearance

The Charles Joly Lilac is an upright deciduous shrub, growing 10 to 12 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide. The sturdy upright branches have smooth gray bark, becoming darker brown-gray and more rugged on older stems. The heart-shaped leaves are up to 5 inches long, with a smooth, slightly glossy surface and smooth edges. They are a soft, slightly bluish green, and when out of bloom they make a pleasant garden backdrop.

Blooming takes place in May, in that gap between spring bulbs and summer shrubs like roses – another good reason to be growing lilacs in your garden. The flowers are carried in fat clusters up to 8 inches long, packed with many small flowers. These are double, with each flower having 4 larger petals and a center of several small ones, giving the blooms a lush richness and beauty. The color is a dramatic, deep but bright purple that looks just as wonderful in the garden as it does in a vase on a table. And of course there is that fabulous fragrance that is loved by so many of us.

Using the Charles Joly Lilac in Your Garden

This valuable shrub is ideal for the back of garden beds, in the corners of your yard, or for planting on a lawn. It makes a great screen, spaced 6 feet apart, and it is lovely to grow beside a door or window around your house, where the fragrant will drift in through the windows newly opened for the first warmer days.

Hardiness

One of the great things about the Charles Joly Lilac is how incredibly hardy it is, thriving even hardy in bone-chilling zone 2, a zone found only in Alaska, parts of Wyoming and of course Canada. It grows well in all mild zones too, including zone 7, but after that there is not enough winter cold to ripen the buds, and the hot humid summers are not favorable.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is best for growing your Charles Joly Lilac. It will grow in partial shade, but the amount of flowering will be greatly reduced, so what is the point? It grows easily in almost all well-drained soils, preferring drier soils that are still fertile and rich in organic material. Dig in plenty of compost or rotted manures when preparing the planting spot. It doesn’t like acid soils, doing best in neutral and alkaline soils, so if that is your soil, here is a superb plant for your garden.

Maintenance and Pruning

There can be some pest problems with lilacs, but these are controlled if you prune regularly, and they usually won’t be serious except on neglected plants. Regular pruning is the secret to growing lilacs with masses of big blooms. Begin in summer by removing the spent flower heads as soon as they fade. Making seeds draws strength from the plant that should be going to next year’s blooms, so removing those flowers early makes a big difference. Then shorten back the longest stems, to keep your plant smaller and more bushy. Remove any shoots coming from below the ground, as these are from the seedling lilac used to make the roots. Once the main stems are several inches thick, remove some of the oldest ones each year, cutting low down, to encourage vigorous new growth. This is the only attention needed to grow the best lilac bushes in your neighborhood.

History and Origin of the Charles Joly Lilac

The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, grows wild in the mountains of south-eastern Europe around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It was grown in gardens for centuries and probably arrived in America with the earliest settlers, first grown in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the 1600s. Those older forms were largely replaced in the late 19th century by the French lilacs, the work of Victor Lemoine at his nursery in Nancy, France. Already a successful breeder, he found himself trapped in his nursery by the Franco-Prussian War, and turned to his garden for escape. With his wife he began breeding with a rare double-flowered plant called ‘Azurea Plena’, and gradually they developed about 200 new varieties, revolutionizing lilacs and raising them to a whole new level of beauty.

The variety he called ‘Charles Joly’ was identified in 1896, and named after Victor Charles Joly, a doctor, hotel owner and writer on horticulture who Lemoine would have known well. The name wasn’t officially registered until 1953, and should be pronounced as Sharles Jo-li.

Buying the Charles Joly Lilac at the Tree Center

This beautiful plant was given the Award of Garden Merit in 1993 – almost a hundred years after it was created – by the famous Royal Horticultural Society of Britain. This stamp of approval tells you this is a high quality plant worth a place in every garden. Make that your garden, but order now, while we still have stock available – they go very quickly.

Growing the Josée Lilac

Size and Appearance

The Josée Lilac is a compact deciduous shrub, with dense branching to the ground, that grows between 4 and 6 feet tall and around 6 feet wide. It has neat, broadly oval leaves no more than an inch or two in length, which are a bright mid-green. In fall they turn clear yellow, before falling to reveal the smooth gray bark along the stems. In spring, along with the new leaves, the flowers open. These are carried in long clusters, often made up of many smaller clusters along the stems. The display is bold and generous, with the bush smothered in delicious blooms, spreading wonderful perfume out across your garden.

The individual flowers are long tubes, opening to a short, flaring mouth. Each flower is small, but the profusion of them makes a bold impression. The color is a bright pink with lilac overtones – delightful and blending with many other garden colors. The blooms are popular with butterflies, and even with hummingbirds. After the spring bloom you can expect periods of bloom through summer and especially in fall – perfect to cut for a vase or enjoy out in the garden. Reblooming is most abundant in cooler zones with good moisture.

Using the Josée Lilac in Your Garden

With its compact size this beautiful lilac is perfect for smaller gardens, or for group planting in larger ones. Grow it to fill a corner of a bed or courtyard garden. Plant it along the back of smaller beds, or in the middle of larger ones. Plant it beside a path, next to a window (to enjoy the perfume) or beside a door or gate. Grow it too in wilder parts of your garden too, where it will be right at home. Spaced 3 to 4 feet apart it will make a lovely informal hedge, or hide an ugly fence. The possibilities are endless, and every garden has a place for this lovely bush.

Hardiness

Completely hardy in zone 3, this lilac is a gift for cold-zone gardeners, where choices are often limited. It also grows well in warmer zones and it tolerates quite a bit of heat, but not beyond zone 7.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is best to enjoy the full blooming of the Josée Lilac. It revels in warm sunny spots. It will grow in most ordinary well-drained garden soils, especially alkaline soils, which it enjoys the most. Add plenty of organic material when planting, and each spring as mulch, especially when it is young. Don’t plant in wet places.

Maintenance and Pruning

An annual mulch is useful, but not essential, and in very poor soil some fertilizer for flowering shrubs applied after the spring blooming is a good idea. The Josée Lilac rarely suffers from pests or diseases and it’s usually free of the powdery mildew that makes many French lilacs unattractive in summer. Deer normally don’t eat it, it needs very little attention, and pruning is strictly optional. If you do want to trim, it should only be done immediately after the spring blooming. Trimming later will prevent those valuable later flowers, and even reduce the blooms for the following spring. Removing spent flower heads is valuable in encouraging more blooms the next year. Doing this by hand is best, because if you shear the whole bush the rebloom will be reduced or delayed.

History and Origin of the Josée Lilac

Most lilacs are varieties of the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris. Josée Lilac has a very different background. It was created early in the 20th century by Françisque Morel, a French nurseryman and breeder from Lyon, France. He is most known for creating several Clematis which are still very popular today. He also worked with lilacs and he was an early grower of different Asian species. He started with different forms of Syringa pubescens, a lilac that grows in Korea and much of China, with small, open clusters of pale-lilac flowers. Several forms of this plant are found in different parts of its range, and Morel crossed together three of them – S. meyeri, S. microphylla, and S. patula). At the time these were thought to be 3 different species, but today we put them closer together, with each one as a subspecies of Syringa pubescens, although Syringa meyeri is still often treated as a separate species. Morel died in 1925 and the plant he created remained in his nursery. It wasn’t until 1974 that someone realized its beauty and potential and decided to release it for nurseries. It was named ‘MORjos 060F’, perhaps intending to patent it, and marketed it with the trademark name of Josée.

Buying the Josée Lilac at the Tree Center

For something different and beautiful, the Josée Lilac is a great shrub. Perfect for colder zones and smaller gardens, you can enjoy the look and fragrance of lilacs not just in spring, but in summer and fall too – what’s not to like? But order now – this desirable variety is not often offered, and it won’t last in our nursery for long.

Growing the Crimson Doll Lilac

Size and Appearance

The Crimson Doll Lilac is a rounded evergreen shrub that grows moderately quickly into a bush between 3 and 5 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide. It stays bushy to the ground, without developing major trunks, and it is much lower than other lilacs that have traditional large flower clusters. The heart-shaped leaves are 2 or 3 inches long, with a pointed tip and smooth, mid-green surface. The clean foliage keeps this plant attractive even when it isn’t in bloom.

As soon as the new leaves develop in spring you will see the flowers, developing at the end of each branch. These quickly grow into broad pyramids of many tight buds, 4 to 5 inches long, which are a deep and wonderful crimson, with rosy overtones. The buds soon open, from the base of the cluster upwards, into 4-petalled flowers with a lighter shade inside – a beautiful red-toned pink. As the flowers open wide and the bush reaches its full glory, they become a beautiful softer pink, making a wonderful bright show in your garden. From the moment the first blooms open they give out their wonderful lilac scent, that spreads across the garden and drifts through windows.

Using the Crimson Doll Lilac in Your Garden

With its more compact height, this bush is perfect for planting around your home, perhaps beside or beneath a window, where the perfume can drift indoors. Plant it by a door for a lovely greeting. Grow it in your shrub beds for great spring color, or as a low screen or informal hedge along a fence or boundary. Fill a corner with it, or plant it on the sunny side of a natural part of your garden. There is always room for a lilac bush like this in every garden.

Hardiness

The great thing about lilacs is how reliable they are even in very cold areas. This bush is fully hardy in zone 4, and we suspect in zone 3 as well, and it will grow right into zone 7. This variety was selected for its resistance to summer heat, so it is ideal in the Midwest, or in any area with cold winters and hot summers.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun always gives the best results and the most blooms with lilacs, and the Crimson Doll Lilac is no exception, but it will tolerate a couple of hours of shade a day just fine. It will grow well in almost any soil, enjoying alkaline soils and stony ground as well as clay soils. Don’t plant in wet areas, as good drainage is the only essential for good growth.

Maintenance and Pruning

Although very drought and heat resistant, you will see the best results from your Crimson Doll Lilac if you mulch around it each spring with some rich organic material, like garden compost or rotted manure. This will preserve moisture in the soil, and just as importantly, provide nutrients. You can also feed with fertilizer for flowering shrubs, which we recommend if you are growing it in poor soils. This bush was selected for its resistance to diseases, and pests are usually rare too – you will enjoy a clean, healthy bush all year round. Remove the spent flower heads as soon as blooming is over. This diverts the bush’s energy into buds for next year, instead of wasting it on seed-making. Pruning is generally not needed, and don’t trim new growth in early spring or during the summer, as this will reduce or prevent flowering.

History and Origin of the Crimson Doll Lilac

There are many different species of lilacs around the world. In 1980 Max Peterson of Ogallala Lilacs in Meadowlark Hill, Nebraska came across a seedling lilac in his nursery. It was growing near a bush of a variety of Chinese lilac called Syringa pubescens subsp. julianae ‘Hers’, but it didn’t look the same. Nearby was another Chinese lilac called Syringa meyeri. It seemed his new plant was a hybrid, and he named it ‘Red Pixie’. This century, the Greenleaf Nursery Company were growing plants of ‘Red Pixie’ at their Oklahoma nursery. They found a plant among them which was more heat resistant and disease resistant than ‘Red Pixie’, and so was a significant improvement. They named it ‘Grecrimdoll’, and released it with the trademark name Crimson Doll as part of their Garden Debut® collection of new, valuable garden plants.

Buying the Crimson Doll Lilac at the Tree Center

We love the Crimson Doll Lilac for bringing us such large blooms on a smaller, compact and tough bush, and we love that rich coloring. Everyone will want it, so order now, because our stock is limited, and it won’t take long for it to sell out completely.