• Home
  • Photos
  • What's On
  • Blogs
    • Gardeners World
    • Esmé's Page
    • Building our Community
    • Recipe of the Month
    • Frenchay Residents
    • Frenchay Place Names
    • Frenchay Mysteries
  • Local News
    • Downend Library
    • Just Run
    • Frenchay Tennis Club
    • Downend & Frenchay Tennis Club
    • Neighbourhood Watch
    • Redrow Updates
    • Frenchay Residents Association Reports 2022 >
      • FRA Reports 2021
      • FRA Reports 2020
    • Local Representatives >
      • From our Parish Councillors
      • From our South Gloucestershire Councillors
    • Biodiversity Group
    • Frenchay Museum
    • Preservation Society
    • Frenchay CE Primary School
    • Frenchay Village Hall
    • Cricket Club
    • Dings Crusaders RFC
    • DRG Frenchay Football Club
    • Frenchay Probus Club
    • Frenchay WI
    • Rockleaze Rangers Football Club
    • Frenchay Foxes
  • Clubs & Societies
  • Information
    • Quick Links
    • Transport
    • Libraries
    • Nature Reserve
  • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
Frenchay Community News

We'll gather lilacs in the spring again

31/5/2018

0 Comments

 
The title is of a popular song written by Ivor Novello in 1945. It's not heard often now but lilac is still a popular garden shrub. Here are some facts about lilac.

The lilac bush or Syringa vulgaris is a deciduous plant and a member of the olive family. It originates from South Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia and thrives in a sunny position. It will grow in a range of soil conditions but prefers a well drained humus-rich soil. Lilac should be planted in spring or autumn.

Lilac is perhaps best known for its delicately fragranced blossoms ranging in colour from purple to blue, pink ,white and yellow. 25 species of lilac are available. Its most fragrant varieties are usually medium to dark purple.

Lilacs produce tiny shoots around the base of the trunk and these can be used to propagate new plants easily. It can also be grown from seed, slowly.
It is a hardy low maintenance shrub and a well planted bush can last for decades. It can grow to nine metres in height providing shade in the garden or even a natural fence.The dwarf variety will grow up to  8 feet. Lilac does not need pruning until it has reached 6-8 feet tall. After this keep it at desired height by pruning after flowering.

French flower breeder Victor Lemoine was the creator of many of the varieties enjoyed today. He is thought to have developed more than 150 cultivars between 1876 and 1927. In Lemoine's honour the term (French lilac) is still used to refer to all double-flowered lilac varieties.

Some white blossomed varieties have no aroma. Other scented varieties will not smell when the weather is cold or damp. Warmth releases the essential oil produced by lilac flowers and thus regularly used in perfumery. I am sure many of you, dare I say mature ladies, remember Morny's French Lilac 
talcum powder.


Lilac flowers are edible and can be used in jams, jellies and liqueurs even fried to make lilac fritters.

There is often folk lore associated with our plants. In Greek mythology, Pan, the god of the forests and fields became besotted  by the nymph Syringa. Afraid of Pan who chased her through the forests, Syringa metamorphosed into  a lilac bush to escape from him.

I am sure there are many more facts about lilac that you will find and maybe decide to plant a lilac and enjoy its beauty and perfume for many years to come.

Hazel Wyatt
0 Comments

A Lighthearted Gardening Quiz

1/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Plants in Song
1. Something to tie a yellow ribbon around.
2. This could be from either Texas or Tralee.
3. Imported from Amsterdam 
4. Was Gracie's really the biggest ...in the world .?
5. It's branches are spreading ..if boy scouts are to be believed.
6. It's a bonny heathland shrub.
7. Would you see a partridge in a place like this at Christmas.?
8. On a beautiful morning this grows as high as as elephant's eye.
9. She says she could never tell why she is called this.
10.  Pure and white, clean and bright.

Trees
11. Dapper.
12. Old joke.
13. A District of East London.
14. Sometimes spread on a vegetable plot.
15. This could not be me .
16. A tool for smoothing .
17.  Popular with children in Summer holidays .
18. Punishment ordered by the magistrates of old .
19. Cricket bat.
20. Communist timber 

Final Question...Is there anyone out there who would like to write an article for the Gardening page? If so, then please contact ednacause@john-lewis.com. 


gardening_quiz_answers.txt
File Size: 0 kb
File Type: txt
Download File

0 Comments
    Picture

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.