Friday, March 23, 2012

Lilacs and Lavenders

I have been very busy smelling flowers in the garden.



There are many things in bloom now, spirea and loropetalum, camellias and cyclamen, veronica, bacopa and even a few roses, but lilacs take center stage. Mine total two :). One, which I was told is a persian lilac, does not resemble the common lilacs (syringa vulgaris) that I am used to, with smaller leaves and flowers all along its graceful branches.



The pinkish flower clusters are small but very fragrant.


The other is Lavender Lady, one of the first hybrids of common lilac introduced specially for low chill climates. Its bluish flowers are beautiful and showy, but not quite so fragrant as those of persian lilac. I would love to have more lilacs, and if I find room, I might add at least one more, Blue Skies, the most fragrant of the low chill varieties.



Besides a collection of lilacs, I would like, one day, to have my very own field of lavender. I imagine strolling through it, listening to the bees buzzing in the flowers which shimmer in the sun, inhaling the wonderful fragrance, and looking at every shade of blue and purple there is. Well, a whole field of it is likely to remain a dream for some time to come, but I am growing a few plants for their wonderful fragrance and color.



Spanish lavender is stocky and not so graceful as other lavenders, but it offers the greatest choice of varieties. What I have so far is an unnamed bluish cultivar which I like for its unusually big bracts....



... as well as Kew Red which is a lovely purple pink, and Otto Quast, a darker purple and, unfortunately, not yet in full bloom. I have seen a cultivar with blue flowers and greyish white bracts (Madrid Blue) which seemed dull, but I am very excited about Lemon Leigh, a light yellow spanish lavender which is supposedly the most fragrant of them all. I am waiting to receive my specially ordered plant in May.


Lastly, just for fun, some blooms on a nectaplum: a cross between a nectarine and a plum. My tree is little, and I have no idea what the fruit will taste like, but I have been fascinated by red branches, huge pink flowers and purple leaves. A very ornamental tree.


26 comments:

  1. We can't grow lilacs in the south! :(

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  2. I wish I could smell the lilacs must be great to have a walk in your garden.
    gr. Marijke

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  3. Beautiful! Love the header photo. Lilacs don't do well here in the South. :(

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  4. oooww I am jalours..
    Whe must waith here a little bit longer to see the same as on your pictures.
    Lovely pictures, the smell comes out of mij screen ☺

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  5. Beautiful photos, I can almost smell those lilacs and lavenders. I remember a hedge of lilacs from my childhood but it was removed because it grew totally out of control. Don't you have a problem with that ?

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  6. Cudowne zdjęcia bzów i lawendy i wiesz co, zapachniało mi nimi :-). Z wielką przyjemnością oglądałam kwitnące kwiaty. Pozdrawiam i ciesze się, że jesteś znowu. Pozdrawiam.*** Wonderful pictures of lilacs and lavender and you know what, I smell them :-). With great pleasure watching the flowers bloom. Yours and I'm glad to have you again. Yours.

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  7. Looking at your photos, I could smell the perfume... spring...

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  8. Ah, Masha ! Lovely blooms ... Happy gardening !

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  9. I can grow the lilacs, but I can't do pictures anywhere in the same Universe as you Masha. Beautiful!

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  10. Exquisite! Wish I could smell them. I love lilacs and lavender!

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  11. Two of my favorite plants, they belong in gardens with that romantic character. Artist gardens too! I have had good luck with lavender in my garden, but it is not very reliable here in our soils. Love your photos.

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  12. What beauties you have! Wish we could grow lilacs and lavender but alas, they don't like our tropical climate.

    Have a great weekend.

    FlowerLady

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  13. I love Persian lilac too - your photos capture its beauty so well. I have a terribly difficult time photographing lilac for some reason - but your pictures actually do the plants justice!

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  14. So glad you showed us your lilacs! I have been seeing some in the garden centers, but didn't know how well the low-chill varieties were. Yours are stunning! Love that lavender, too. Provence does well here, but I decided to try some Spanish ones last year. Love the way they bloom. Beautiful purples.

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  15. Your lilacs look like a dream! Such gorgeous photos of them. A field of lavender would be wonderful.

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  16. Thank you!

    B-a-g, no, we don't, not here :(. Lilacs are just miserable enough that they don't grow into the monsters they are in Europe. They are modest, floppy, airy shrubs, perhaps 8' tall if one is lucky. There is an estate garden in the area, maintained by horticulturalists. They have collections of everything, including lilacs, and even their shrubs are not exactly huge...

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  17. Hi Masha, it looks like your are not only collecting roses but also lilacs and lavenders :-)! It is wonderful that you are growing so many different plants in your garden. I made notes about the varieties of lilacs that do well in a warm climate, since I would love to grow at least one, too.
    Christina

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  18. So beautiful! I have two big Miss Kim lilacs that will bloom in a few weeks. I purposely planted them near a window so I can enjoy the fragrance in the house. Your lavender looks wonderful. I have a mishmash of lavender varieties in my garden. I pruned/trained my climbing rose according to the tutorial you posted this winter and they look great!!! THANK YOU!! I'm also adding a Graham Thomas climber to the garden soon. Yay! :o)

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  19. Christina, all Descanso hybrids are supposed to do well in Southern California, but I am pretty sure the Descanso site says Ralph Moore's Blue Skies is the most fragrant low-chill hybrid.

    Casa Mariposa, I am happy I could be of help :). I can't wait to see your GT in bloom!

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  20. Masha those are lovely and I can smell their heady fragrance....i am waiting for my lilacs and lavender....hoping the upcoming freeze does not damage them.

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  21. Masha, your photos are so beautiful. I grew up in New England and we had many lilac bushes. I miss them so much. The east coast lilacs have a beautiful fragrance that we just can't find out here on the west coast. Next week I make my annual visit to Descanso Gardens to enjoy the many varieties of lilacs that grow there. It is always a wonderful experience. I go again in late June to sit amongst their many roses. It is never really spring until I see lilacs.

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  22. I love lilacs but don't have enough sun for the common kind. I have ha very good luck with 'Paliban' though---it is spectacular.

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  23. Ich liebe Lila Blumen...wunderschön fotografiert!!!

    Liebe Grüße Eva!

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  24. I can almost smell the lilacs. Thank you for the treat, Masha! It's still too early here for lilacs, but the hyacinth are cheering us on.
    Sandra

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  25. How beautiful! I haven't seen lilacs blooming for a long time. Those photos are amazing.

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  26. Hello there, I discovered your blog today. It's very inspiring and the photography is beautiful. I adore lilacs and I attach great memories to them. I look forward to future reading of the blog now I am a follower.
    Paul

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I am so glad you have stopped by!