five years ago, i planted two Korean lilac shrubs. this year, for the first time, these shrubs have produced brilliant blooms. the flowers are fragrant and abundant. i know that shrubs take time to establish, and i have been feeding these lilac on a regular basis. in the past years, i have had a few blooms on each shrub.
so, when they finally bloomed beautifully this year, i was so pleased. i do deadhead the flowers are they finish, and have been trimming the shrub right after blooming. both of these techniques help to prevent the plants from becoming poorly shaped and promote flower growth.
lilacs grow nicely in zones 3-8 and usually require full sun. both of these shrubs do have a shady part of the day. however; in spring, both of them have full sun until the surrounding trees begin to develop their leaves. i do believe this contributes to their ability to produce flowers.
another nice feature of the miss kim lilac is that the plant’s dark green leaves turn burgundy red in the fall. the miss kim can grow upwards of five feet tall, so it will produce a nice border between neighbor’s yards. in addition, i have another lilac bush which does have more sun exposure. it was already in place when i moved to this home. here is a photograph of the difference in flowers and size of blooms, in comparison to the miss kim lilac.
angel food garden 