Common in gardens as a lone subject or in compound hedges, the lilac can also find its place on a terrace or a balcony planted in a pot. Dwarf varieties are preferred to create beautiful scenes without taking up too much space, while still enjoying the wonderful fragrance of this shrub.
Which varieties for a pot plantation?
Choose preferably small varieties for a culture in pot. There are many cultivars not exceeding 1.5 m to 2 m in all directions. Among them:
- Syringa meyeri 'Palibin' with pink/blue flowers ;
- Syringa meyeri 'Josee' pastel pink;
- Syringa julianae 'Red Pixie' purple/wine-lily;
- Syringa microphylla 'Superba', otherwise known as 'Little Leaf Lilac' with pale mauve repeat flowering;
- Syringa 'Bloomerang Pink', a compact hybrid with repeat flowering of deep pink;
- Syringa persica Laciniata, the Persian lilac with sharply cut foliage and blue/mauve flowers, hardy to -15°C.
In what type of pot should I grow the lilac?
Choose a large pot with a minimum diameter of 40 to 50 cm and the same depth to give the roots room. A square or rectangular wooden pot, a large tub, or an unglazed ceramic pot will do the trick. Avoid bulging pots that are too difficult to unstuff and black plastic containers that heat up too much under the summer sun.
When to repot lilac?
Plant your lilac in a pot in autumn in the mildest regions, everywhere else, wait until spring or choose a hardy variety.
An annual topdressing with compost is sufficient for the first two years after planting, then a repotting will be necessary to renew the substrate.
How to plant lilac in a pot?
- The pot must be pierced at the bottom so that water does not stagnate.
- Add a layer of clay balls, gravel or small pebbles to the bottom of the pot to promote drainage, as the lilac hates having its roots constantly soggy. The drainage layer should make up about 20% of the volume of the pot.
- Prepare a mixture of ¼ good potting soil, ¼ garden soil, ¼ compost and ¼ coarse river sand.
- Pour a layer of the mixture at the bottom of the pot over the draining bed.
- Place the root ball and adjust the height, adding more mix if necessary, so that the neck of the shrub is 3 to 5 cm below the top of the pot.
- Fill in any gaps and pack well around the stem.
- Water copiously and add more mix if necessary.
Where to install a lilac in a pot?
A full sun exposure sheltered from drafts is ideal in the northern regions of the Loire. In the south, place your lilac in mid-shade in summer to protect it from the scorching midday sun. In winter, it can be placed in full sun, but be careful with watering in regions where rainfall is rare in winter!
How to water a potted lilac?
Like all plants grown in pots, lilacs will need more attention than if they were grown in the ground. So be careful, if you are used to growing it in the garden, it will require more care in a pot, especially in terms of watering in summer, which must be very regular so that your plant does not 'burn out', especially when exposed on a balcony in full sun!
In order not to make a mistake, never let the substrate dry on more than 3 cm of surface in summer.
In winter, make sure it doesn't run out of water if it doesn't rain.
What fertilizer should I use for my potted lilac?
Prefer an organic fertilizer, less aggressive than a chemical fertilizer, it will be better assimilated by the plant with just as much efficiency and this, without weakening it. In March, scratch a mixture of crushed horn and dried blood at the foot of the shrub or pour a handful of organic granules on the surface of the mixture. As it is not afraid of limestone, you can add a handful of chimney ashes at the end of winter, the blooming will only be more opulent!
How do I prune my potted lilac?
Smaller varieties grown in pots are only moderately pruned. The removal of wilted inflorescences in spring and autumn on remontant varieties constitutes the major part of the pruning operations. If necessary, it is possible, still after flowering, to remove dead wood and to aerate the silhouette a little by pruning the branches that cross in the center of the shrub and by reducing some branches by 1/3. Be careful, because lilacs bloom on the previous year's wood. If you prune too late and too short, the blooming may be compromised!
