BRAND’S OWN-ROOT LILACS 
21 
Brand’s New Improved French Lilacs 
Far More Beautiful Than the Common Lilac 
“THE OWN-BOOT LILAC IS THE ONLY LILAC ONE SHOULD PLANT” 
Reference: Bead Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, 
Volume XII, No. 2, article entitled, “Graft Blight—a dis¬ 
ease of the Lilac related to the employment of certain 
understocks in propagation.” 
For many years hybridists have been at work improv¬ 
ing the Lilac. The most of this work has been done in 
France, and from there the great bulk of our improved 
Lilacs have come. For this reason, these new Lilacs are 
called Improved French Lilacs. 
These new Lilacs usually come to us propagated either 
on the root of the common Lilac or on a root of one of 
the many varieties of privet. Neither of these under¬ 
stocks has proven satisfactory. The common Lilac is a 
rapid grower and throws up many suckers from its roots. 
As a rule, these suckers grow more rapidly than the graft 
of the Improved Lilac and the result is that the choice 
Lilac top is overgrown and choked out. Again, where the 
privet is used as an understock—if the Lilac is not 
planted deep enough so that the union of Lilac and privet 
is at least a foot under ground—the privet root will kill 
out in the winter, or, if it lives, it sends up privet suckers 
about the Lilac top which prove a great nuisance. 
Finding several years ago that good Lilacs, propagated 
in either of these ways, were very disappointing in our 
cold climate, we set about to bring out the improved Lilac 
on its own root. We find that we can work some varieties 
onto their own roots very readily, while it is very difficult 
to grow others in this way. Some of the choicest sorts 
are the hardest to force onto their own roots, and such 
sorts will always be scarce and high priced until we learn 
how to propagate them faster. 
Advantages of the Own-Boot Lilac. The Lilac you buy 
from us is on its own root. If this Lilac sends up a 
sucker, the sucker is the same as the bush from which 
it springs. It grows at the same rate as does the mother 
bush and when it blooms, the bloom is identical with that 
of the original plant of which it is a part. 
We have never had ultimate success with these new 
Lilacs where they were on common Lilac root and not 
more than fifty percent success where they were grafted 
on privet root, yet we have always had perfect success 
with Own-Root Lilacs, so we believe the Own-Root Lilac 
is the only Lilac to plant and to offer our customers; and 
we believe an improved Lilac on its own root is just as 
long lived as the common Lilac. 
Growing an Improved Lilac on its own root is a slow 
process. It actually takes us 2 years longer to produce a 
Lilac of a given grade on its own root than it would take 
to produce the same grade on privet. Yet we insist on 
sending out only those Lilacs that will prove satisfac¬ 
tory, so our customers can depend upon receiving only 
genuine own-root plants. 
We have a wonderful deep rich alluvial soil; the soil 
in which the Lilac revels. This contributes to strong 
thrifty tops with a large, well-balanced root system. This 
fall our stock will be unusually fine 
Planting. Lilacs can be planted either in spring or fall. 
In the spring, it should be done very early before the 
buds start. In the fall the planting season starts about 
September 20th and continues in the North well into late 
October, while in the South planting can go on all winter. 
To allow the F*rench Lilac its natural spread, the plants 
should be set out not less than 8 feet apart. Dig a hole 
as large as a bushel basket. Fill back with rich top soil 
and tramp down firmly until you can place the plant on 
this soil so that when roots are spread out naturally the 
crown will be an inch or two lower than it was in the 
nursery. Work the soil in carefully among the roots until 
the hole is half full; then tramp this down unusually 
hard. Then pour in a full pail of water. After this has 
settled away fill the hole with loose mellow soil until it 
is rounding full; then tramp lightly. Keep plants well 
hoed. Where planting is done in the fall, place a coarse 
mulch about bushes first winter to keep ground from 
heaving. 
Fertilizers. A Lilac likes a sweet soil and responds 
wonderfully to applications of lime. Use 4 quarts of lime 
to a large bush each year. Any good well-balanced fer¬ 
tilizer can be used with good results. 
Heavy applications of well rotted barnyard manure 
every 3 years covering the ground about the bushes is 
best. 
Trimming. Do not trim your Lilacs when you receive 
them, wait until they have blossomed and as soon as the 
flowers fade remove just the blossom stem but none of 
the new wood surrounding it, as it is on this new wood 
that next year’s bloom appears. As the bush starts to 
become too large and tall it should be gone over in 
March and from a quarter to a half of the older part 
cut back to within 3 or 4 feet of the ground. This will 
soon put on new growth and if this practice is carried out 
every year the bush can always be kept young, within 
bounds, and will produce very large blooms. 
Caution. The newly planted Lilac often acts as though 
it were going to die even after it has made a good start 
the first spring. The leaves suddenly stop growing, turn 
limp, and the bush looks as though it were dying. As a 
rule there is no cause for alarm. Give the plant a good, 
thorough soaking of water; then cultivate it well the 
balance of the season. The next spring remove any dead 
wood and your Lilac will come all right. 
Pests. Oystershell scale and the lilac borer are about 
the only enemies of the Lilac. For oystershell scale use 
as a spray either lime-sulphur or an oil spray. Use liquid 
lime-sulphur in preference to dry at the rate of 1 part to 
7 parts water, or if the oil spray is used then at the rate 
of 1 part to 15 parts water. In using the oil spray be 
sure the sprayer is thoroughly cleaned out before putting 
in the oil. Lime-sulphur spray should be applied just as 
the buds are beginning to show green, while the oil spray 
should be used just before the buds show any green. 
The lilac borer is best handled by prevention. If bushes 
are kept well cultivated and growing, there is but little 
borer trouble. Where the borer is at work, he may be 
taken and killed by running a small wire into the hole 
and twisting it around to accomplish this. One can also 
shoot carbon bisulphide into the furrow of the borer with 
a medicine or fountain pen dropper; then plug up the 
entrance with putty. 
In looking through our Lilac pages we wish to 
call your attention to two very special offers that 
we are making this fall. You will find these listed 
on page 26, and on the inside back cover page. 
