BAGATELLE) NURSERY 
Half Hollow Hills P. O. Huntington Station, Long Island 
LILACS 
We quote from an article by the late John Dunbar, written for 
the Florists Exchange, ‘’No floral display among trees or shrubs attracts 
such marked attention or draws such crowds of people as a collection of 
Lilacs when in flower.” In the same article the best varieties are given, 
many of which are listed in the report on Lilacs of Botanical Gardens: and 
Arboretums. Our catalog contains a list of varieties composed almost 
entirely of the ‘best and finest’’. 
The late Mr. Dunbar, Superintendent of the Rochester Parks, N. Y., 
was one of the outstanding Lilac-experts. About propagating Lilacs he 
says that “layering is a very good method but that it is a very slow process. 
Budding Lilacs on privet to get stock for permanent planting is a good 
plan provided they are transplanted after one year, placing the union 
4 or 5 inches below the surface of the ground.” 
Mr. Dunbar continues, ‘Grafting on California Privet piece roots 
in late winter is a good method’. This method is followed by the 
Bagatelle Nursery and we know from experience that if the grafts are 
planted with the union 4 or 5 inches below the surface of the ground, 
many, already the first year, make own roots. ‘Sometime Lilac stocks 
are used for grafting or budding. This is highly undesirable because 
the Lilac stocks are sure to sucker freely. !n the hands of amateurs 
the suckers (closely resembling the grafted variety) will go unobserved 
and the cion will be ruined before anything is done. In case of privet 
any amateur can remove the suckers immediately’. In the Lilac fields 
-of the Bagatelle Nursery only a privet sucker is occasionally seen. 
The article states that Lilacs can be grown by cuttings. We 
know from experience that the plants thus obtained grow very slowly. 
About soil, the article says, “Lilacs are not particular as to soil 
provided it is thoroughly drained; they will not endure ‘wet feet’, 
they thrive best in moderately heavy soil’. My experience is that they 
require heavy feeding in order to flower freely with large thyrses of 
flowers. Flowers should always be cut with long stems, it is a kind 
of pruning giving light and air to the plants. 
BAGATELLE NURSERY P. M. KOSTER, Mgr. 
