In areas with heavy clay soils, add compost and soil conditioners around the tree.
This tree is not affected by soil pH, but you need to make sure it is grounded in well-draining soil.
Lilac ivory silk tree full#
For the best results with the blooms, you will want to plant in full sun. Ivory Silk Japanese trees thrive in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 7. With these trees, you can expect many admirers to come and appreciate the beauty and fragrance of the Ivory Silk Japanese tree lilac. Large parks will also benefit from the addition of the Ivory Silk. These lilacs can handle salt and pollution, and they make a perfect option for urban or commercial spaces. If you want an excellent tree for a parkway or street, plant these beauties between the sidewalk and roadway. Since these trees can grow thick, keep them about 12 feet away from a fence or building. A group of Ivory Silk lilacs planted in a slight zig-zag pattern or a gentle curve give a more naturalized appearance to your yard. You should plant these trees about 12 feet apart from the center. Those lower branches will fill in as the lilac develops into a tall flowering shrub. You want the lower branches to grow out at the trunk’s bottom to provide some solitude for your spaces. During the growing season, you will have a great privacy border as the lush foliage offers exceptional shade. Make sure to keep those lower branches trimmed and tidy to help maintain its beautiful tree form.įor those spaces that need some privacy, plant these lilacs in a long row near your fence. It also works well as an ornamental focal point for a lush garden border. Since the lilac reaches a height of 20 feet, you might want to use this tree in a small yard. Japanese tree lilac was introduced into cultivation in 1876.The Ivory Silk Japanese tree lilac is a versatile choice. Japanese tree lilac is the most trouble-free lilac. Japanese lilac trees provide homes and shelter for wildlife. Propagation is by seed or softwood cuttings.įew susceptible to scale and borers but is the most trouble-free lilac. Japanese tree lilac tolerates some drought and prefers cool summers. Trees are easily transplanted and adaptable to poor, compacted or dry soils. Japanese tree lilac is adaptable to a variety of soils in full sun sites. Growth is best on moist, well-drained, fertile soils and full sun. Trees are excellent for use as specimens, in group planting as a screen, and as street trees. Japanese tree lilac adapts well to difficult or urban sites. It is a prolific bloomer that makes an excellent street tree or specimen. Trees bloom at a young age and are compact with a dense, rounded form. It is a little smaller than the species with a height of up to 20 feet. ‘Ivory Silk’ was selected in 1973 by Sheridan Nursery in Ontario, Canada. Bark resembles cherry bark older trees develop scaly, grayish plates.
The fruit is a cluster of capsules containing seeds that are scattered by wind.īark and stems are glossy reddish-brown, with numerous lenticels. The capsules appear in large clusters that remain on the plant through winter. The fruit is a brown, warty, dry capsule that is ¾ inch-long. Pollination is by insects, including hawk moths. The somewhat fragrant flower clusters bloom in early summer and remain attractive for 1 to 2 weeks. The deciduous leaves turn pale greenish-brown in autumn before dropping.įlowers are creamy-white and borne in long panicles up to 12 inches long at the ends of the branches. The medium to dark green leaves are slightly fuzzy beneath. Leaves are simple, opposite, entire, ovate, and 3 to 6 inches long, half as wide, with long, tapered tip. Japanese tree lilac grows 20 to 30 feet tall with a spread of 15 to 25 feet. Plants can be grown as large shrubs or small trees. The habit is graceful, with spreading branches that form an oval to rounded crown. Japanese tree lilac is the only species that attains a tree-like form and size. Syringa has about 30 species of trees and shrubs native to Europe and Asia. The Olive or Oleaceae family also contains privet and forsythia. Plants are found growing on cliffs and in scrub, usually on limestone. Japanese tree lilac is native to northern Japan. Japanese tree lilac is named for Japan and the tree-like form. Syringa is from the Greek syrinx, which means “pipe” and refers to the hollow stems reticulata means “netted” or “net-veined” and refers to the leaf venation. Japanese tree lilac, Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’