Lilac Hedge

Discussion in 'Garden Design and Plant Suggestions' started by bcislander, May 24, 2006.

  1. bcislander

    bcislander Member

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    Location:
    Campbell River, BC, Canada
    I have been trying to research what would be ideal for a sixteen foot long hedge that is eight to ten feet high. It is to be placed upon a five foot high stone retaining wall that has a significant S curve and has patio stones and a bench below it - so fragrance would be a nice feature of the hedge!

    To show how new I am at gardening, it was totally surprising to me when I came across a beautiful Common Lilac hedge on the internet. I have since been told it is common in Alberta and Saskatchewan for use as a hedge - and may grow much higher than ten feet but is easy to prune back.

    I reside in Campbell River, and the proposed location is south facing with lots of sun. But it is in an area protected from wind and the hedge itself will be backing on to a solid cedar fence. My questions is - will this be too protected for a Lilac hedge? Will it be prone to mildew and related problems?

    Also, although I am sure my local nursery can help me out here, how many Lilac's will I require to form a dense sixteen foot hedge - assuming I get the usual two or three gallon plant from the nursery?

    Finally, I was sticking to the "Common Lilac" but am entirely open to suggestions if a better variety is more suited to my needs. Thanks
     
  2. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Maryland USA zone 7
    Your hedge sounds lovely, but keep in mind that you will only have fragrance for about 2 weeks out of 52 and these shrubs are not evergreen. As to how many you need, it will depend on which variety you purchase and how wide they grow over time, not the size they are when they are planted.

    Probably not. They need full sun.

    Possibly, but try and select a cultivar that is less prone to powery mildew. You will be crowding them as they mature to become a hedge.

    Here's some helpful sites about lilacs and some of the varieties. You will see from the first site that different selections bloom at different times.
    http://lilacs.freeservers.com//lilac_tips.html
    http://spi.8m.com/care.htm
    http://lilacs.freeservers.com//collections.html
    http://www.gardenersnet.com/lilac/lilac02.htm

    Newt
     
  3. bcislander

    bcislander Member

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    Location:
    Campbell River, BC, Canada
    Thanks for the information, especially the useful links - much appreciated. I am open to alternative suggestions rather than a hedge of Lilac's... but we also like the leaf structure and "lighter" overall appearance versus most Rhodo/Azalea hedges. Even two weeks of a lovely Lilac fragrance is well worth it for us :-)
     
  4. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Maryland USA zone 7
    I haven't been ignoring you, but had to think this one over for a while. I'm not all that familiar with your hardiness zone but shrub roses come to mind. There are some lovely old fashioned roses that rebloom in summer and don't need alot of care. That way you'll have flowers much more often and longer. I'm not a rose expert and don't know which ones to recommend to you, but you might want to ask here. Let them know you want something hardy that reblooms and doesn't need spraying and that you are a new gardener.
    http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=155

    Newt
     

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