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LACK OF LILACS 



^ LOSS TO LAWNS 



Most valuable and popular of all deciduous flowering shrubs, the 

 lilac offers bountiful returns to florists who will push it with their cus- 

 tomers for lawn planting. Though everywhere a fotvorite, it is planted 

 on but few of the many lawns where it might have a place. Now is the 

 tims to make the, lilac one of your income producers. 



HE florist who is on the 

 lookout to add to his busi- 

 ness, and, incidentally, to 

 his income, will find the 

 lawn planting of lilacs an 

 effective means to that end. 

 The. popularity of the lilrfd 

 might be demonstrated in 

 many ways, but everyone 

 who reads these words is 

 fully aware of its popularity. Its good 

 points might be the subject of many 

 enthusiastic paragraphs, but the reader 

 knows, too, of these. He knows, also, 

 of the many lawns and dooryards, as 

 well as large grounds and broad estates, 

 where there is a place for some of the 

 more than 150 varieties of lilac. How 

 to effect a money producing combina- 

 tion of these various pieces of knowl- 

 edge, is the object of this timely article. 



Lilacs are, every- 

 thing considered, the 

 most valuable of all 

 our deciduous flower- 

 ing shrubs. Strong 

 points to be said in 

 their favor are that 

 they are hardy, few 

 pests attack them, 

 they leaf out early 

 and hold their foliage 

 late, they embrace a 

 wonderful range of 

 colors, and, by plant- 

 ing early, midseason 

 and late varieties, it 

 is possible to have 

 flowers for about two 

 months. Even when 

 lilacs are out of flow- 

 er, the dark green 

 foliage is handsome, 

 and, as they are, as a 

 rule, quite symmetri- 

 cal, they are effective 

 either as individual 

 plants or in groups. 



Neglected Outdoors. 



So far commercial 

 florists, while they 

 have forced pot- 

 grown lilacs in many 

 cases, have, to a large 

 extent, entirely neg- 

 lected the much 

 wider and more rap- 

 idly growing outdoor 

 (field, and here is a 

 wonderful chance for 

 development. While 

 it is true that lilacs 

 do not make quite as 

 rapid growth as for- 

 sythias, Ionic eras. 



Queenly lilacs, you do sbame us, 



Knowing that from earth you glean ^ 



Heanty that doth rightly name us 

 Little less than poor and mean. 



We, with all our vaunted glory, 

 Have no recompense to give ; 



In your presence, lo I our story 

 Breathes of nothing fit to live. 



Hail unto your Eden fragrange I 

 What jivaijji a b^gar's pr^se? 



We, alas, are merely vagra/its 



Whom j'ou feast and send their ways. 

 — John Khuddlau. 



Philadelphus, spiraeas and some other 

 shrubs, they make splendid growth once 

 they are established, and have the ad- 

 vantage of being much longer lived. 

 Lilacs can be purchased and planted 



Emitte Lemoine, a Specially Good Double Pink Lilac. 



either in fall or spring. The former 

 season has many advantages, as work 

 is not then so strenuous, but somehow 

 we have not yet waked up to the neces- 

 sity of more fall planting to relieve, in 

 some measure, the spring pressure. If 

 planting is done in spring, it is, of 

 course, a decided advantage to have 

 prepared the ground the previous fall, 

 but if this has not been done, take care 

 not to use any fresh manure which will 

 come in contact with their roots. 



Lilacs are good to use either as in- 

 dividual specimens or in groups. When 

 a number are planted together, it is 

 better to restrict the varieties to one 

 or two shades which will harmonize 

 well rather than to have a miscellane- 

 ous mixture. For instance, a bed might 

 be devoted to white and pink, white 

 and blue or white and purple varieties, 

 or might contain only 

 one solid color. 



There is no door- 

 yard too humble or 

 too shaded to grow 

 one or two lilacs, pro- 

 vided they have good 

 soil. They are occa- 

 sionally attacked by 

 San Jose or oyster 

 shell scale. A winter 

 spraying will easily 

 keep them clean. 

 Aphis, thrips, spider 

 and other pests are 

 not at all partial to 

 lilacs, and will give 

 little trouble. 



Propagation. 



Plants purchased at 

 nurseries are usually 

 grafted on either the 

 common purple lilac, 

 Syringa vulgaris, or 

 on California privet. 

 The last named stock 

 is worthless in the 

 celder states, and the 

 plants never attain 

 the vigor of those 

 worked on lilac stock. 

 Far the best plants 

 are those propagated 

 from cuttings before 

 the wood becomes too 

 firm. From the mid- 

 dle to the end of 

 .Tune is the best time 

 for their propagation. 

 Leave two eyes to a 

 cutting, trim the foli- 

 age back well and 

 place in flats in a 

 frame. If there is a 



