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Planting and caring for lilacs

Lilac Walk at Old Westbury Garden (Newsday / Michael E. Ach / May 7, 2008)

Jessica Damiano | Garden Detective

May 8, 2008

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I bought two 8-inch lilacs from Costco. Couldn't resist! There were no directions for where and when to plant. They had 8 inches of woody stems, and now are about 18 inches in height with light green leaves above the woody stems. I have put them outdoors for a few hours on a sunny day. Please advise. -- Emilie Dixon, Huntington Station

Lilacs thrive in soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH, so your first course of action should be to test your soil with a simple pH test kit, which you'll find at your local garden center. You also can bring a soil sample to the Cornell Cooperative Extension office (visit cce.cornell .edu for details). If your soil is very acidic, add lime before planting.

Select a spot that will supply a minimum of six hours of full sunlight daily, away from downspouts and anywhere else where water might pool. Lilacs do not like "wet feet."

Since you didn't get a plant tag with your plants, you have no way of knowing which type of lilacs you have. I suspect they are miniature lilacs, which have been growing in popularity in recent years. Space them according to their mature size to allow for adequate air circulation and avoid powdery mildew disease, to which they're susceptible. And don't pack them in tightly with perennials; they don't like the competition.

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Early spring is the best time to plant lilacs, so you should do so as soon as possible. Dig a hole two to three times the size of the container, mix in some compost and plant at the same level they were at in the pot. Do not fertilize, but water thoroughly after planting, and see to it that they get 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water a week during the first season. Next year, you can give them a shot of 5-10-5 fertilizer in the early spring.