Lilacs are a sure sign of summer.
Right now, you can smell the sweet scent and see the lovely flowers around the Park and the city.
Ben Todd, our Park arborist, met us in the Lilac Dell, just east of the Lyric Theatre in the Park, and shared a few facts about these reliable budding shrubs.
Within the Park, we have the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, and the Preston Lilac, Syringa X prestoniae, a cultivar developed for our colder climates.
Lilacs are tough deciduous shrubs or small trees that blossom in May and June with flowers ranging in colour from white to pink to deep purple.
The flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees, including the beloved monarch butterfly, acting as an important source of nectar and pollen for many insects. Because the flowers grow at the end of the branches in clusters, it makes it easy for bees and butterflies to move from flower to flower, providing a large food source in one small area.
Bees require both nectar, as an energy source, and pollen, as larvae food, making lilacs a perfect pitstop as the flowers offer both.
If you want a plant that will last a lifetime, lilacs are perfect! They can live more than 100 years and grow up to 6-7 metres tall. The wall of lilacs in the Lilac Dell stands around 5 metres tall!
Care Tip: Lilacs flower on the previous year’s growth, which means pruning them now, right after they bloom, will ensure you have flowers next season and don’t accidentally cut off the wood.
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Our Park arborist, Ben, in the Lilac Dell
Lilacs are featured in Thrive, the summer display at The Leaf
Visit the Lilac Dell in the Park, or pop by The Leaf to see Thrive, the summer display, where you can celebrate the important role pollinators play in thriving ecosystems and see a variety of pollinator-friendly plants including lilacs!
