I bought a pretty lilac the other day: Syringa vulgaris 'Andenken an Ludwig Spath'. What a name! I'm trying to form a bit of a screen above my 6ft south-facing fence in the hope of cutting any noise down from a neighbouring property. The neighbour has erected a budgie aviary right next to the fence. Sadly, pretty though they are, budgies screech and squawk, not twitter. I've already planted Syringa vulgaris 'Madame Lemoine', a white double lilac and next to it a Buddleja davidii 'Empire Blue'. I now simply have to wait for them to grow and close ranks. I plan to control their growth, height and width, by selective pruning. That's the plan anyway.
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| Syringa vulgaris 'Andenken an Ludwig Spath' in bud 22052016 |
Syringa vulgaris 'Andenken an Ludwig Spath' has been awarded the
Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' (external link). It is a fully hardy, deciduous lilac with an exceptionally lavish flowering habit. The bright green leaves are heart-shaped. Lilacs like a sunny spot, or partial shade. This variety has deep wine-red flowers in panicles approx 30cm (12in) long from May to June and it achieves a height and spread of 250-400cm (8-22ft). It can be grown facing south, west, or east and needs some shelter. It likes an alkaline to neutral soil.
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| Syringa vulgaris 'Andenken an Ludwig Spath' 02062016 |
Although 'Andenken an Ludwig Spath' is in Pruning Group 1, it is tolerant of hard pruning. According to the BBC's 'Gardener's World', a third of the branches can be pruned out each year to control size and promote large flowers. They should be pruned immediately after flowering has ended as they flower on the previous year's growth.
Pruning Groups (Royal Horticultural Society external link).
Pruning Lilacs with video (GardeningAbout.com external link)
